• Recent changes in Georgia law have modified the process by which a business is registered in Roswell. A business license in Roswell is now referred to as an "occupation tax certificate" and can only be administered after a business owner satisfies specific state and city requirements.
  
  

Registering With the State

• A business cannot be registered in Roswell if it is already registered elsewhere in Georgia. Therefore, the city of Roswell encourages business owners to first contact the secretary of state's office for business incorporation and name registration.
  
  Information and filing can be done on the secretary of state's website. If a business is licensed with the state for a special purpose, for example, in the case of a social worker or therapist, a copy of the state license must be submitted when registering with the city of Roswell.
  
  

Filing an Affidavit

• A December 2009 notice from Roswell's Business Administration Office noted that those registering a business in Roswell must first submit a completed and notarized Affidavit Verifying Status for Public Benefit Application form. The form must then be turned in to the Community Development Department in Roswell. Once on file, the city can proceed with the next step of business registration.
  
  

Registering With the City

• Two options exist when registering a business in Roswell; you can register either as a commercial business or a home business. The information submitted is nearly the same, with the significant difference being that one application is for business done from a commercial space and the other is from the business owner's home.
  
  An occupation tax fee must be submitted with either application; as of August 2010, the fees include $100 for a commercial business, plus $5 for each additional employee and a $50 administrative fee or $100 for a home business. Payment is accepted by credit/debit card or by check/money order made out to the City of Roswell.
  
  

Additional Considerations

• A Business Occupancy Fire Inspection form must be completed and filed with a commercial business application, which can be downloaded from the Community Development Department's website.