How to Start a Brewery, Distillery or Winery in Georgia: State Licenses, Brewpubs and Farm Wineries

Starting an alcohol manufacturing business in Georgia means completing several approvals in the right order. The state manufacturer license is only one of them. You also need a Georgia business entity, written zoning confirmation for your building, a federal permit from the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), and a local license from your city or county. This guide walks through that sequence for breweries, brewpubs, distilleries and wineries, including the farm winery rules that many applicants miss.

Disclaimer: This article is informational content, not legal or tax advice. Alcohol law is detailed and changes often. Speak with a Georgia attorney who handles alcohol licensing and a CPA before you sign a lease, buy equipment or file applications.

Start With the Three-Part Framework

Every alcohol manufacturer in Georgia deals with three separate approvals. Each has its own agency, application and timeline.

• State manufacturer license. Issued by the Georgia Department of Revenue, Alcohol and Tobacco Division. You apply on the Georgia Tax Center at gtc.dor.ga.gov. Manufacturer licenses are calendar-year licenses, and a new application is due on or before November 1 of the preceding year (Rule 560-2-2-.02).
• Local license. Issued by the city, or by the county if your site is in unincorporated territory. The state license is void if the local license lapses, so treat the local approval as a condition of the state one.
• Federal permit. Issued by TTB. It is separate from Georgia licensing and has its own timeline. Check with TTB for the correct permit for your product and your expected production.

Full license mechanics, local referenda and distance rules are covered in our Georgia liquor license guide. Read it before you build your schedule, because local referendum and distance questions can change your site choice.

The state fee for each manufacturer type (brewer, brewpub operator, distiller and winery) is $1,000 per year. The statute text we checked is older, so verify this figure with the Department of Revenue before you budget for it.

Materials and Documents to Gather First

Assemble these before you file. Requirements vary by agency and locality, so confirm each item with the office that will receive it.

• Your legal business name, entity type and formation documents (Articles of Organization or Articles of Incorporation)
• A Georgia street address for your registered office, plus a registered agent who meets Georgia rules
• A signed lease or purchase agreement for the production site
• Written zoning confirmation from the city or county planning office for manufacturing and any tasting or retail use
• A site plan showing production, storage and any customer area
• Ownership and officer information for every person with an interest in the business
• An Employer Identification Number (EIN) from the IRS and a Georgia Tax Center login
• Your federal TTB application materials and product label drafts, as TTB requires
• An E-Verify affidavit, if you will have more than 10 employees

Step-by-Step: The Licensing Sequence

Follow this order. Each step can depend on the one before it, and skipping ahead is the most common cause of lost deposits and delayed openings.

Step 1: Form your business entity

Most owners form an LLC. File Articles of Organization with the Georgia Secretary of State, Corporations Division, online through eCorp at ecorp.sos.ga.gov or on paper. The total cost is $110, which is the $100 filing fee plus a $10 service charge. Online filings take about 7 to 10 business days, and paper filings take about 15 business days. Expedited review costs $120 for 2 business days, $275 for same-day review if received by noon, or $1,200 for one hour on business days.

Corporations file Articles of Incorporation for the same $110 total. If you need to hold a name while you finish paperwork, a name reservation lasts 30 days and costs $35. The name must include an LLC designator (such as LLC) or the corporate equivalent and must be distinguishable on Secretary of State records. Check the Secretary of State's name rules before you file.

Every Georgia entity must keep a registered agent at a registered office with a Georgia street address, not a P.O. box. For an LLC, the agent must be a Georgia resident individual or a corporation authorized to do business in Georgia. An entity cannot serve as its own registered agent.

Step 2: Register a trade name, if you need one

If your brewery, distillery or winery will operate under a name different from the entity name, you need a trade name registration. Trade names are not filed with the Secretary of State. File with the Clerk of Superior Court in the county where the business is chiefly carried on. Clerk fees run about $165 plus a newspaper charge, because notice must run in the county legal organ once a week for two weeks. Confirm current amounts with your county clerk. Reference: Secretary of State business FAQ.

Step 3: Confirm zoning, then sign the lease

This is where most projects stall. Zoning for manufacturing and for tourist sales is set locally, and codes often treat production, tasting rooms and retail sales differently. Ask the planning office in writing whether manufacturing and on-site sales are permitted at the address. Keep that letter. Your local license application will likely need it.

Do not sign a lease without conditions. Make the lease contingent on zoning approval and on your ability to obtain the state and local licenses. Ask the landlord about permitted use language and parking requirements, since both can affect your taproom or tasting room.

Step 4: Apply for the federal TTB permit

Contact TTB for the permit that matches your product and production method. Ask about the timeline, the required forms and whether you need label approval for your product. Because TTB processing runs on its own schedule, start this step early and do not promise a fixed opening date to investors or landlords until you have the timeline in writing.

Step 5: Obtain the local occupation tax certificate

Georgia issues no general statewide business license. The local license is an occupation tax certificate, often called a business license, issued by the city, or by the county for unincorporated areas (O.C.G.A. Title 48, chapter 13). Your address decides the issuer. A business inside a city pays the city, not the county. More than half of Georgians live outside any city, so the county is their issuer.

Georgia has 159 counties and about 537 cities and towns, and each sets its own formula, deadlines and prerequisites. Private employers with more than 10 employees must file an E-Verify affidavit to get the certificate (O.C.G.A. 36-60-6). Ask the issuing office for its full checklist and its deadline for alcohol applications, which may run on a different schedule than general business licenses.

Step 6: Apply for the state manufacturer license

Apply on the Georgia Tax Center with the Department of Revenue, Alcohol and Tobacco Division. The state license must be applied for on or before November 1 of the year before the license year, so plan your opening date around that cycle. Keep your local license current, since the state license is void if the local license lapses. Confirm with the Department of Revenue which documents it requires for your manufacturer type and whether any referendum result is needed locally before the state will act.

Step 7: Set up labeling and tax registration

Register with the Department of Revenue on the Georgia Tax Center. Sales tax registration is free, but it is not a business license. The state sales tax rate is 4%, and combined state and local rates run from 6% to 9% depending on county and city (Atlanta is 8.9%). Georgia issues no separate resale permit. For a sale for resale, the buyer gives you Form ST-5, the certificate of exemption.

Alcohol excise taxes also apply. Check with the Department of Revenue for current excise rates and filing schedules, and build them into your pricing and cash flow. Finally, if you have three or more workers, including part-time workers, you must carry workers' compensation insurance. Georgia has no state paid sick leave or family leave mandate, though federal rules may still apply.

Brewery and Brewpub Rules

Georgia treats a brewpub differently from a packaging or taproom brewery, so confirm which category you fit before you design your model.

A brewpub operates under O.C.G.A. 3-5-35 through 3-5-37 (older statute text, so verify the current wording). Under those provisions as we reviewed them:

• It may produce up to 10,000 barrels a year on premises for retail sale.
• The only retail outlet for its house beer is its own eating establishment.
• It may also sell other alcohol that it buys from wholesalers.
• It may sell up to 5,000 barrels a year to licensed wholesalers.
• It may not sell to retail licensees for resale.

A packaging or taproom brewery that is not a brewpub follows different rules. Limits on taproom, tour and on-site sales were changed in 2017 and later, so check with the Department of Revenue for your current permitted sales before you finalize a floor plan.

Distillery Rules

Distillers pay the same $1,000 state manufacturer fee (older statute text, so verify the current amount with the Department of Revenue). Sales rules for on-site and takeaway sales have been changed by later legislation, so confirm the current limits with the Department of Revenue and with your locality. Many Georgia counties also require a referendum before spirits can be sold by the drink or by the package, so check the status of the county or city where you plan to operate before you commit to a tasting room.

Winery and Farm Winery Rules

A farm winery operates under O.C.G.A. 3-6-21.1 (older statute text, so verify). As we reviewed it, the farm winery provisions require:

• At least 40% of annual production made from Georgia-grown produce.
• Tasting rooms at the winery itself, plus up to five additional locations.
• Wholesale sales of up to 24,000 gallons a year, but only after the wine is first offered to a licensed Georgia wholesaler.

North Georgia wine country around Dahlonega is a natural place to look for vineyard land, but the farm winery rules depend on where your produce comes from, not on your location. Confirm your sourcing plan and the local zoning for agricultural and tasting uses before you buy or lease property.

Distribution: Understanding the Three-Tier System

Georgia uses a three-tier system. Manufacturers generally sell to licensed wholesalers, and wholesalers sell to licensed retailers. The exceptions above, such as the brewpub and farm winery provisions, are narrow. Get advice before you sign a distributor contract, because exclusivity terms and termination rights can control your growth for years.

What Results to Expect

A complete, correctly ordered setup may help you avoid the delays and rework that come from filing out of sequence. Owners who confirm zoning and their TTB timeline early often find it easier to plan a realistic opening window. Timelines for state and local approvals are not guaranteed, and they may run longer than the processing times listed above. Treat every date in this guide as a figure to confirm with the agency, not as a promise of when your license will issue or when you can sell.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Assuming a state business license exists. Georgia has no general statewide business license. The Secretary of State issues none, and sales tax registration is not a license.
• Signing a lease before zoning is confirmed. A landlord's permitted-use clause does not replace written approval from the local planning office.
• Letting the local certificate lapse. The state license is void if the local one lapses.
• Filing a trade name with the Secretary of State. Trade names go to the Clerk of Superior Court in your county.
• Missing the November 1 state deadline. A late application can push your opening into the next license year.
• Using the wrong county. A business inside a city pays the city, even if the county is nearby.
• Applying brewpub rules to a taproom. A packaging or taproom brewery does not get the brewpub privileges.
• Skipping the annual registration. Your LLC files its annual registration from January 1 to April 1 at $60 ($50 plus $10). Late filings carry a $25 penalty, and an entity that stays delinquent can be administratively dissolved. Reinstatement costs about $260.
• Forgetting workers' compensation. It is required at three or more workers, including part-time staff.
• Signing a distributor contract without advice. Get a Georgia attorney to review it first.

Next Steps and Support

Start by writing your timeline backward from your target opening date, placing the November 1 state deadline and the TTB processing window on the calendar. Then make your first call to the planning office about zoning. For free or low-cost counseling on business planning, the Georgia Small Business Development Center at the University of Georgia offers help at georgiasbdc.org.

If you plan to run a bar or taproom that sells alcohol made by other producers, the rules are different. See our guide to starting a bar or brewery taproom in Georgia.

Disclaimer: This content is informational, not legal or tax advice. Consult a qualified Georgia attorney and CPA for your specific situation before you commit to a site, file an application or sign a contract.