Savannah and Chatham County Business License: City Tax Certificate, County Class A to F and Rentals
If you are searching for a savannah ga business license, the first question is where your business is physically located. A business inside the City of Savannah pays the city and applies through the Revenue Department. A business in unincorporated Chatham County applies through the county's Occupational Tax Division. This guide covers both, plus the city's short term rental rules. Treat the figures here as a starting point and confirm current amounts with the issuing office before you pay.
This guide is informational content, not legal or tax advice. Local fees, deadlines and zoning rules change. Confirm them with the agency named in each section, and consult a qualified attorney or CPA for complex situations.
Georgia Has No Statewide Business License
Georgia issues no general state business license. The Secretary of State issues none, and registering for sales tax with the Department of Revenue is not a business license. Most Savannah and Chatham businesses take these steps in order:
- Register the entity with the Secretary of State. An LLC files Articles of Organization and a corporation files Articles of Incorporation. Each costs $110 total ($100 fee plus a $10 service charge), online through eCorp or on paper. A name can be reserved for 30 days for $35.
- Register with the Department of Revenue through the Georgia Tax Center if you sell taxable goods or have employees. Sales tax registration is free. Georgia issues no separate resale permit; the resale instrument is Form ST-5, the certificate of exemption. Employers with three or more workers, including part-time workers, must carry workers' compensation coverage.
- Get the local certificate from the city or the county, depending on your location (see the next section).
- Add any occupational license your work requires from the state board that governs it, such as contractors, electricians, plumbers, cosmetology or real estate. Those come from the Secretary of State Professional Licensing Boards Division, not from the city or county.
If you operate under a trade name (DBA), file it with the Clerk of Superior Court in the county where the business is chiefly carried on, not with the Secretary of State. The clerk fee is about $165 plus the newspaper charge, because notice must run once a week for two weeks in the county legal organ. Confirm the amount with your county clerk. The Secretary of State FAQ at sos.ga.gov covers the trade name process in more detail.
City or County: Which Office Issues Your Certificate
The local certificate is an occupation tax certificate, which most people call a business license. It is governed by O.C.G.A. Title 48, chapter 13. A city issues it for businesses inside city limits, and the county issues it for unincorporated areas. Each of Georgia's 159 counties and about 537 cities and towns sets its own formula, deadlines and prerequisites. More than half of Georgians live outside any city, so for them the county is the issuer.
A business inside Savannah pays the city, not the county, even though the city sits within Chatham County. Confirm your location against the city limits before you apply, because a mailing address alone can be misleading. 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).
City of Savannah Business Tax Certificate
The City of Savannah Revenue Department issues the city business tax certificate. Contact details:
- Address: 305 Fahm Street, Savannah, GA
- Phone: 912-651-6445
- Email: businesstax@savannahga.gov
Business tax certificates expire December 31. New businesses and location changes need the city's business location approval before a certificate is issued.
How the City Tax Is Figured
The city tax comes from a schedule based on the prior year's actual gross receipts and the business's profitability class, which follows NAICS-based classifications. Some activities also pay regulatory fees on top of that tax. The 2026 renewal instructions list these amounts:
| Business or activity | 2026 amount listed in renewal instructions |
|---|---|
| Fortune tellers | $250 |
| Pawn shops | $200 |
| Precious metal dealers and gold buyers | $500 |
| Alarm, security and private detective businesses | $100 |
| Eligible practitioners | May elect $400 per practitioner instead of reporting gross receipts |
Because the gross receipts tax depends on your prior year's figures, ask the Revenue Department for the schedule that applies to your business.
Renewal Dates: Follow Your Notice
The city's own materials do not agree on a renewal date. The 2026 renewal instructions, dated December 9, 2025, say the completed return and full payment were due March 31, 2026, with late fees starting May 1. Late fees are a one time 10 percent penalty plus interest of 1.5 percent a month, and the penalty cannot be waived. The city's renewal web page still says March 1, and returns reporting changed information are asked to arrive before March 1.
Do not rely on any single date. Follow the dates printed on the notice mailed to you, and call 912-651-6445 if you are unsure which one applies.
When the Certificate Is Withheld
The city will not issue a certificate if the payment is wrong, the application is incomplete, the account has an outstanding balance, or the business owes delinquent hotel-motel, auto rental, mixed drink or similar excise taxes. Certificates are mailed unless you request pickup in writing.
Savannah Georgia Short Term Rental Certificate
A savannah georgia short term rental certificate is the most restricted part of city licensing. Before you buy or list a property, check these rules:
- Location: Rentals of up to 30 consecutive days are allowed only in the STVR overlay district under the zoning ordinance. A Zoning Confirmation Letter, which confirms the zoning for a property, has a $50 request fee.
- Historic district cap: Non owner occupied rentals in the downtown historic and Victorian historic districts are subject to a 20 percent per ward cap. Many wards are already at the cap, so check before you plan around a property.
- Owner occupied rentals: You must prove owner occupancy, meaning homestead status.
- Insurance: You must provide proof of insurance that names the short term rental use.
- Advertising: The certificate number must appear in every advertisement.
- Transfers: The certificate does not transfer to a buyer. A new owner has six months to apply.
- Fees: The certificate fee is not listed here. Ask the Revenue Department for the current amount.
Unincorporated Chatham County Business Certificate
If your business is in unincorporated Chatham County, the Occupational Tax Division in the Department of Building Safety and Regulatory Services issues the certificate. Contact details:
- Address: 1117 Eisenhower Drive, Suite D, Savannah, GA 31406
- Mailing address: P.O. Box 8161
- Phone: 912-201-4302
You must obtain a business certificate within 30 days of starting business.
The Class A to F Fee Structure
The county uses a tax schedule with two inputs. The first is your gross receipts bracket. The second is your profitability class, rated A to F based on your type of business. Ask the Occupational Tax Division which class applies to yours, because the class drives your rate. The schedule includes a $75 base tax, and the application carries a separate $75 non refundable administrative fee. For example, the first bracket ($0 to $30,000) runs about $82 to $89 including the base.
New certificates issued July 1 to December 31 are prorated to half the yearly rate. Administrative fees, regulatory fees and seasonal businesses are not prorated.
Renewals and Late Penalties
Renewals are accepted January 2 to March 1 and are due on or before March 1. After March 1, a late payment penalty of the greater of $25 or 10 percent applies.
Documents to Bring
- Driver's license or state ID
- Notarized private employer affidavit (E-Verify)
- Notarized affidavit verifying status
- Proof of business location
- Property identification number
- Proof of the county fire fee
- Certificate of incorporation for entities
- Any required state license
- Notarized homeowner's affidavit for home based businesses
Home Based Businesses
A home occupation must meet Section 2-28 of the county zoning ordinance. That means it uses no more than 25 percent of the dwelling, has no employees other than residents, and has no display or signs. Cottage food producers need no state license since July 1, 2025 (HB 398), but the local business certificate and zoning rules still apply.
Professionals
Practitioners may elect $400 each. The county lists lawyers, physicians, dentists, veterinarians, psychologists and a few other professions. Confirm with the Occupational Tax Division whether the election fits your situation.
Other Chatham County Cities Issue Their Own Licenses
Pooler, Garden City, Tybee Island, Thunderbolt, Port Wentworth, Bloomingdale and Vernonburg each license their own businesses. A Pooler address is not a Savannah address or a county address, so contact that city directly.
Steps to Get Your Local Certificate
- Confirm your location as inside Savannah, inside another city, or in unincorporated Chatham County.
- Register your entity with the Secretary of State and reserve a name if needed.
- Register with the Department of Revenue if you sell taxable goods or have employees.
- Apply to the right office. Savannah businesses go to the Revenue Department, and unincorporated businesses go to the Occupational Tax Division within 30 days of starting.
- Clear zoning first for home based businesses and short term rentals. Savannah rentals must sit in the STVR overlay district.
- Calendar your renewal from the notice you receive, and keep a copy of the certificate on site.
Free help is available from the Georgia Small Business Development Center at the University of Georgia at georgiasbdc.org. For annual Secretary of State filings, see our annual registration guide, which covers that requirement separately.
This guide is informational content, not legal or tax advice. Confirm current fees, dates and zoning rules with the Savannah Revenue Department at 912-651-6445 or the Chatham County Occupational Tax Division at 912-201-4302. For a multi location business, a short term rental portfolio or any entity structure decision, consult a qualified attorney or CPA.