Starting a Business in Augusta: Licenses, Registrations & Checklist
A step-by-step plan to open a business in Augusta: what to file first, what depends on what, and which permits come before opening day. Change the business details to fit yours.
Permits and registrations specific to Augusta, GA
- Renew Augusta occupation tax certificate · Augusta-Richmond County Business Tax (city)
- Form the business: Georgia Secretary of State, Corporations Division
- Register for state taxes: Georgia Department of Revenue
- Register as an employer: Georgia Department of Labor
Startup sequence and prerequisites in Augusta
Based on your selections, this plan has 26 steps. What you file first decides what you can do next: later registrations and licenses wait on the ones below.
Do these first
- Maintain a registered agent in Georgia
- File formation documents with the Georgia Secretary of State, Corporations Division
- Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
Then, once those are done
- Register for unemployment insurance (Georgia) — after: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
- Register for state income tax withholding (Georgia) — after: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
- Georgia sales tax number (Georgia Tax Center) (Georgia) — after: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
- Register for and file Georgia entity-level taxes — after: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
- City or county occupation tax certificate — Augusta, Richmond County, Georgia — after: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
- Obtain food service establishment / health permit — after: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
- Ensure certified food protection manager on staff — after: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
- Obtain certificate of occupancy for premises in Augusta — after: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
- Renew Augusta occupation tax certificate — after: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
- Report new hires to the Georgia new hire directory — after: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
- Carry workers' compensation insurance (Georgia) — after: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
- Display required federal labor law posters — after: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
- Complete Form I-9 for each new hire — after: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
- Display required Georgia workplace notices — after: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
Known charges: $50.00 per year.
Total incomplete: some fees unknown
24 of 26 steps have no fee amount in our data. The figures above count only the 2 steps with a recorded fee. Check each agency's fee schedule. Fees that depend on your situation: File wage reports and pay unemployment insurance contributions (Georgia).
Things the formation documents depend on: a registered agent and any professional approvals.
File the formation documents with the state.
Obtain the EIN (and apply for tax-exempt status, for nonprofits). Most registrations need it.
State tax accounts, trade name, foreign qualification and publication requirements.
Licenses and permits you need before you operate: state, industry, local and professional.
Insurance, employment paperwork, new-hire reporting and workplace notices.
Recurring filings and payments, in the order they fall due.
Common questions about Augusta
The state licenses your industry through its own regulator, and the city and county add local permits. These are the authorities and local items on record for Augusta:
- Contractor licensing: Georgia State Licensing Board for Residential and General Contractors
- Real estate licensing: Georgia Real Estate Commission
- Alcohol licensing: Georgia Department of Revenue, Alcohol and Tobacco Division
- Child care licensing: Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning
- Health facility licensing: Georgia Department of Community Health
- Renew Augusta occupation tax certificate (Augusta-Richmond County Business Tax, city)
With your current selections, the licenses and permits are: Georgia sales tax number (Georgia Tax Center) (Georgia); Obtain food service establishment / health permit; Ensure certified food protection manager on staff; City or county occupation tax certificate — Augusta, Richmond County, Georgia; Obtain certificate of occupancy for premises in Augusta; Renew Augusta occupation tax certificate. Change the industry above to see yours.
Sources: sos.ga.gov, dor.georgia.gov, dol.georgia.gov
In your plan for Augusta, requirements come from four levels. Georgia sets formation, state taxes and employer rules; the city and county add local licenses and taxes.
- Federal (8): Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN); File federal income tax return: Form 1040 with Schedule C; Deposit federal payroll taxes; File Form 941 (Employer's Quarterly Federal Tax Return)…
- State (13): Maintain a registered agent in Georgia; File Annual Registration (Georgia); Register for and file Georgia entity-level taxes; Georgia sales tax number (Georgia Tax Center) (Georgia)…
- County (1): Obtain food service establishment / health permit
- City (3): City or county occupation tax certificate — Augusta, Richmond County, Georgia; Obtain certificate of occupancy for premises in Augusta; Renew Augusta occupation tax certificate
Sources: sos.ga.gov, dor.georgia.gov
- Register for unemployment insurance with Georgia Department of Labor.
- Workers' compensation: Georgia State Board of Workers' Compensation. Required when: 3 employees
- Register to withhold Georgia income tax from wages.
- Your plan adds these employer steps: Report new hires to the Georgia new hire directory; Carry workers' compensation insurance (Georgia); Display required federal labor law posters; Complete Form I-9 for each new hire; Display required Georgia workplace notices.
Sources: dol.georgia.gov, dol.georgia.gov, dor.georgia.gov