Shorerock Loans, a small-business funding service in Marietta, Georgia, explains how Cobb County businesses work out whether the City of Marietta or Cobb County issues their business license, with steps for searching, applying and renewing. Every rule, fee and date comes from the issuing office.
At a glance
- Official sources
City of Marietta (mariettaga.gov) and Cobb County (cobbcounty.org), checked 2026-10-20
- Employer establishments, Cobb County, GA
22,148 (CBP 2023)
- Employer establishments, ZIP 30060
1,590 (ZBP 2023)
Scope of this license guide
This guide covers the local business license, which Georgia cities and counties issue, often as an occupation tax certificate. It does not cover state professional licenses, sales tax registration or entity formation, and it does not state fees or deadlines; those come from the offices themselves.
Marietta, GA Business License, Explained for Owners
A business operating at an address inside Marietta city limits applies to the City of Marietta. A Marietta mailing address is not proof of being inside the city: ZIP 30060 extends beyond the city, which covers 34.5% of the ZIP's land. Start at mariettaga.gov and confirm by address.
Cobb County, GA business license: when the county applies
Addresses in unincorporated Cobb County go to the county's business license office. Check cobbcounty.org for the county's process. If the business works at clients' sites across several cities, ask each office how it treats a business based elsewhere.
Marietta, GA Business License Application: Records Partners Review
- Confirm whether the address is inside city limits.
- Confirm zoning allows the use at that address.
- Gather the entity's registration, EIN and owner details.
- Complete the city's application and pay its fee.
- Keep the issued certificate with the business records.
A funding partner may ask for the certificate alongside bank statements, as one sign the business operates where it says.
Marietta, GA Business License Search: Where to Start
To check an existing business, ask the City of Marietta for licenses it issued and use the Georgia Secretary of State's business search for the entity. When buying a business, confirm the license is current and ask whether it transfers or must be reissued to the new owner.
Cobb County, GA Business License Search and What Partners Ask For
The county answers for its own licenses. A partner reviewing a purchase may ask whether the seller's license and permits are current, since a lapse can delay the handover.
Marietta, GA Business License Renewal: Records Partners Review
Renewal deadlines and forms are set by the city. Keep the renewal receipt with the year's tax records; a partner reviewing a request may notice a lapsed certificate before the owner does.
Cobb County, GA Business License Renewal, Explained for Owners
The county sets its own renewal schedule and may base the occupation tax on factors such as the type of business or its gross receipts. Ask the county what records it needs at renewal.
Why the license matters in a funding request
Partners check that a business is real and in good standing. A current local license, a registered entity and tax filings that match deposits answer those questions early. Cobb County had 22,148 employer establishments in 2023 and 1,590 had a ZIP 30060 address (County and ZIP Code Business Patterns); each one carries some version of this paperwork. Funding for a license-related move or build-out is covered on the working capital page, county data on the Marietta, GA page, and the other guides on the guides page.
Home-based businesses and licensing
A business run from a home address may still need a local license, and home occupations can carry zoning conditions such as limits on signs, client visits or employees. Ask the city or county what applies to a home office before listing it as the business address on a funding request.
Self-employed Marietta, GA residents and whose name goes on the license
In Marietta, 12.7% (+/- 1.7) of employed residents age 16 and over are self-employed: 4.8% in their own incorporated business and 7.9% in a business that is not incorporated (American Community Survey, 2020-2024 5-year estimates). For an owner who is not incorporated, the name on the local license, the bank account and a funding request should line up, or the file should include the document that ties a trade name to the owner.
Cobb County also counted 99,811 businesses without paid employees in 2024 (Nonemployer Statistics), a separate Census program from the employer count above. Whether a one-person business needs a local license is a question for the city or county at its address.
A license folder to keep with a Cobb County, GA funding request
- The current city or county certificate and its latest renewal receipt
- The entity record from the Georgia Secretary of State, for a corporation or LLC
- The IRS letter confirming the EIN
- Any state professional license the work calls for
- A zoning confirmation for the business address
Changing ownership, name or address
Buying a business, renaming it or moving it can each require an update to the local license. Plan the update into the timeline of a purchase or a move so the new owner or new address is licensed when the funding closes.
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