City of East Point holds ‘Business License 101’ workshop explaining when licenses and certificates of occupancy are required

City of East Point Planning & Community Development staff held a public “Business License 101” workshop to explain when a city business license is required, what supporting documents are needed and how the commercial certificate of occupancy (CO) and annual renewals work.

At the session, Planning & Community Development presenter Terrence (PCD) walked attendees through the city’s business-license classifications — home based, commercial and short-term lodging — and when each requires a license. He explained that the city issues a business occupational tax certificate (commonly called a business license) through the Business License Division and that the license must conform to the city’s zoning ordinance and business license ordinance. “The East Point business license legally authorizes your business, whether it’s home based or commercial, to operate within the city of East Point,” Terrence said.

The workshop emphasized three common paths to compliance: confirm that the proposed use is allowed under zoning, obtain any required permits and inspections and, for commercial spaces, obtain a commercial certificate of occupancy before applying for the business license. Terrence described the CO as a safety and zoning check signed by the chief building official and the fire marshal: the CO confirms the space is “used according to our zoning ordinance, it’s been inspected and it complies with all of the requirements for you to operate and be at that location.”

Why it matters: The city treats the business license as an occupational tax tied to revenue generated in East Point. Staff repeatedly told attendees that operating and generating income inside the city — whether from a commercial storefront, a leased studio or a whole-house short-term rental — generally requires both a CO (for commercial locations) and a City of East Point business license. Code enforcement may check compliance beginning April 1 each year and can issue citations for businesses operating…