How to Start a Coffee Shop in Georgia: County Health Permit, Plan Review and Roasting Rules

October 29, 2026

If you want to open a coffee shop in Georgia, start with one question: what format will you run? An espresso bar that sells packaged snacks, a full cafe with a kitchen, a drive-through kiosk and a cart each trigger a different set of permits. Every one of them is a food service establishment that needs a county health permit, but the plan review, zoning review and food safety certification requirements change with the format. This guide covers how to start a coffee shop business in Georgia in the order most shops need the steps, including the local licenses, roasting rules and the new cash rounding law.

This article is informational, not legal or tax advice. Fees and rules change, and several figures below must be confirmed with the agency named. For complex situations, talk with a qualified attorney or CPA before you sign a lease or commit money.

Start With Your Format

Your format sets the permit path. Decide it before you talk to a landlord, a contractor or an equipment dealer.

• Espresso bar with packaged snacks. Coffee drinks and pre-packaged items only. This is the lightest build-out. It may qualify for a limited exemption from the certified food safety manager requirement, but only if the county agrees.
• Full cafe with a kitchen. Sandwiches, baked goods or other food prepared on site. Expect the most detailed plan review and the strictest food safety requirements.
• Drive-through kiosk. Adds zoning questions about stacking, traffic flow and site layout. The city or county handles those, not the health department.
• Cart or mobile unit. The county health department reviews the unit, and local rules control where it can operate. Confirm both before you buy.

Materials and Documents You Will Need

• Articles of Organization (LLC) or Articles of Incorporation (corporation) filed with the Secretary of State
• A registered agent with a Georgia street address
• A trade name registration, if you will operate under a name other than the entity's legal name
• Floor plans, equipment layout and plumbing specifications for plan review
• A certified food safety manager, or a county-confirmed exemption
• Zoning approval, a certificate of occupancy and any sign permits
• A Georgia Tax Center account for sales tax registration
• An occupation tax certificate from your city or county
• A cash register configured for the five-cent rounding rule

Register Your Entity Before You Build

Georgia has no general state business license. The Secretary of State issues none, and Department of Revenue sales tax registration is not a business license. At the state level, your coffee shop needs an entity filed with the Secretary of State, a Department of Revenue registration if you sell taxable goods or have employees, and the licenses and permits for your activity.

File Articles of Organization for an LLC or Articles of Incorporation for a corporation through the Georgia Secretary of State eCorp portal. The filing costs $110 in total, which includes the $100 fee and 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. You can reserve a name for 30 days for $35.

Put the annual registration on your calendar. It costs $60 ($50 plus a $10 service charge) and is filed between January 1 and April 1 each year. An LLC files its first annual registration in the year after it forms, and a corporation files within 90 days of incorporating. A late LLC filing carries a $25 penalty. An entity that stays delinquent can be administratively dissolved, and reinstatement costs about $260. Confirm the current window and late penalty on the Secretary of State Corporations Division site.

Tax treatment depends on the entity. A typical single-member or partnership LLC pays no Georgia franchise tax. Corporations, and LLCs taxed as corporations, pay a net worth tax of $0 to $5,000 depending on net worth. Income passes through at the flat individual rate. See our Georgia business tax guide for current rates.

Every Georgia entity must keep a registered agent at a registered office with a Georgia street address. A P.O. box or mail drop will not work. An LLC's agent must be a Georgia resident individual or a corporation authorized to do business in Georgia, and an entity cannot serve as its own agent. Changing the agent costs $5 per entity (minimum $20) plus the $10 service charge.

If the shop will trade under a name other than the legal name, such as 'Peachtree Roast Co.' under an LLC, file a trade name registration with the Clerk of Superior Court in the county where the business is chiefly carried on. Do not file it with the Secretary of State. The clerk fee is about $165 plus a newspaper charge, because notice must run once a week for two weeks in the county legal organ. Confirm the current figures with your county clerk. Background is in the Secretary of State business FAQ.

Step 1: Get Your County Health Permit

A coffee shop is a food service establishment. The county board of health permits it under Department of Public Health Rule 511-6-1 (O.C.G.A. 26-2-371). The Georgia Department of Agriculture does not issue this permit.

1. Submit plans and specifications for plan review at least 14 business days before construction or renovation starts. Do not start the build-out first. Plans typically show equipment, sinks and storage layout, and the reviewer may ask for changes that are far cheaper to make on paper.
2. Apply at least 10 business days before you plan to open. Build the opening date around the inspection, not the other way around.
3. Confirm who can apply. The applicant must be an owner or officer of the business.
4. Understand what the permit covers. It is issued to one holder for one location, and it cannot be transferred. If you take over an existing shop, do not assume its permit comes with the space. On a change of ownership, a new owner can get a provisional permit for 60 days. Confirm the process with your county.
5. Post the inspection report. It must be displayed in public view.
6. Ask about fees. Each county sets its own permit fees. Check with your county board of health before you budget.

Step 2: Certify a Food Safety Manager

At least one supervisory employee must hold an accredited food safety manager certification within 60 days of the permit being issued. Operations that serve only non-potentially hazardous food with limited preparation may be exempt. A pre-packaged espresso bar may fit that category, so ask the county in writing before you assume it applies.

Food handler training is a separate question. Georgia's state food service rules do not set a statewide food handler card requirement that we could find. Employers or counties may still require training, so ask your county health department what it expects for each hire.

Step 3: Decide Whether You Will Roast

Roasted coffee beans are a named cottage food under HB 398. Since July 1, 2025, beans roasted and sold from a home kitchen under the cottage food rules need no state license. Local business licensing and zoning still apply. That path does not cover a roasting room in a commercial building. If you roast in a commercial, non-home building, Department of Agriculture manufacturer rules may apply. Check with the Georgia Department of Agriculture before you install a roaster, and do not assume the home rules carry over. For the home path, read our cottage food business guide.

If you sell beans online and ship them out of state, remote seller rules apply. Remote sellers owe collection at $100,000 of Georgia sales or 200 separate transactions.

Step 4: Source Baked Goods From Home Bakers

Cottage food producers may now sell to retail stores and restaurants, so a coffee shop may buy muffins, cookies or bread from a home baker. Confirm that your city or county has no local opt-out ordinance that restricts these sales. Keep invoices from each supplier for your records.

Step 5: Set Up the Register for Cash Rounding

HB 1112 took effect July 1, 2026. Cash totals, with tax included, round to the nearest five cents. A $4.98 cash total becomes $5.00, and a $4.92 total becomes $4.90. A merchant must still accept exact cash while the cent remains legal tender. Rounding gains and losses are not taxed. Card and other electronic payments are not affected.

Configure your point-of-sale system before you open. Test cash sales with tax included, and train staff to explain the rounding to customers. A register that is not set up for rounding will misstate cash totals and make drawer counts harder to reconcile.

Step 6: Register for Sales Tax and Plan for Payroll

Prepared food and drinks are taxable at the 4% state rate plus local rates. Combined state and local rates run from 6% to 9% depending on county and city, and Atlanta's combined rate is 8.9%. Register at the Georgia Tax Center before your first sale. Registration is free. Georgia issues no separate resale permit. When you buy inventory for resale, give your supplier Form ST-5, the certificate of exemption. More detail is on the Georgia Department of Revenue site.

If you hire, register for employer withholding through the Georgia Tax Center. Workers' compensation coverage is required once you have three or more workers, including part-time staff. Georgia has no state paid sick leave or family leave mandate, though federal requirements may still apply.

Step 7: Add Alcohol Licensing if You Serve Wine or Beer

A wine or beer cafe starts with the local license, and the state license follows it. Georgia state alcohol licenses are calendar-year licenses issued through the Georgia Tax Center. Local fees and approval timelines vary, so ask your city or county clerk for current figures and processing times rather than relying on a general range. Georgia has no statewide server permit. Any server permit is issued by a city or county. Our Georgia liquor license guide covers the full sequence.

Step 8: Clear the Local Layer

Local approvals decide whether the shop can open at the address you chose.

• Zoning. Confirm that a coffee shop is allowed at the address. Drive-throughs and outdoor seating often need separate approval.
• Certificate of occupancy. Confirm it is issued before you open to the public.
• Sign permits. Exterior and window signs may each require one.
• Occupation tax certificate. Georgia issues no statewide business license, so this local certificate is what most shops need. It is issued by the city if you are inside city limits, or by the county if you are in unincorporated territory. A business inside a city pays the city, not the county. Georgia has 159 counties and about 537 cities and towns, and each sets its own formula, deadlines and prerequisites. More than half of Georgians live outside any city, so for many readers the county is the issuer.
• E-Verify. Private employers with more than 10 employees must file an E-Verify affidavit to get the local certificate (O.C.G.A. 36-60-6).

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Starting construction before plan review. Plan review needs to be submitted at least 14 business days before work begins. Early demolition can cost you the schedule and the design.
• Assuming the permit transfers. It stays with one holder and one location.
• Looking for a state business license. The local occupation tax certificate is the license most shops need.
• Filing the trade name with the Secretary of State. Trade names are filed with the Clerk of Superior Court in your county.
• Applying home roasting rules to a shop roaster. The cottage rules cover home kitchens. Commercial roasting may fall under Department of Agriculture rules.
• Skipping the register update. A register not set up for five-cent rounding will misstate cash totals.
• Treating food handler training as optional. Even without a statewide card, your county or employer may require it.
• Missing the annual registration. Mark the January 1 to April 1 window every year.

What to Expect When the Steps Are Done

Your timeline will depend on your format, your county and how complete your plans are when you submit them. If you complete the steps in order, you may find that the plan review and permit stages take the longest, so build slack into your lease and opening date. Shops that file the entity, tax registration and local certificate early often have fewer delays at the inspection stage.

Keep your marketing factual. Under FDA rules, food labeling and advertising cannot claim that a product treats, prevents or cures a disease, and softer wellness language about coffee or caffeine should be reviewed before it goes on a menu board or website.

Disclaimer: This article is informational content about Georgia business formation and food service permitting. It is not legal, tax or licensing advice. Confirm current fees, deadlines and requirements with the agency named in each step, and consult a qualified attorney or CPA for complex situations.