Business Licensing & Operations in Acworth, GA (2026)
7 verified business licensing & operations rules for Acworth, Georgia, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Adult Entertainment
Acworth requires a city permit before anyone can operate an adult bookstore, adult theater, escort bureau or similar business, and its zoning pushes those uses to heavy industrial land only. Section 10-47 keeps every regulated use at least 1,000 feet from homes, churches, schools, parks, day care centers, other licensed alcohol sellers and each other.
Acworth Adult Entertainment Permit and Spacing Rules
Significant RestrictionsAcworth Code of Ordinances §§ 10-47, 10-71
Sec. 10-47. - Location. No adult business or use restricted under this article shall be located:(1)Within 1,000 feet of any parcel of land which is zoned or used for multifamily or single-family uses or purposes.(2)Within 1,000 feet of any parcel of land upon which a church, school, governmental building, library, civic center, public park or playground is located.(3)Within 1,000 feet of any pa...
Massage Establishments
A massage, bodywork or spa business in Acworth needs a city business license before opening, on top of any Georgia massage therapist license, and every non-therapist employee needs a police fingerprint and background check. Services are limited to 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., and touching the genitals or anus is banned outright, not just a licensing violation.
Acworth Massage Establishment License Rules
Significant RestrictionsAcworth Code of Ordinances §§ 22-73, 22-74, 22-75, 22-81
(a)A business license for massage therapy and related establishments issued in accordance with this article is required prior to practicing massage therapy, bodywork therapy, operating a massage therapy establishment, bodywork therapy establishment, spa, or related practice or business; provided, however, only a license issued by the State of Georgia is required to practice message therapy. ......
Tattoo & Body Modification
Acworth's Character Overlay District bans tattoo parlors outright, no matter what the underlying zoning district otherwise allows. The COD covers the city's identified design corridor, where the Zoning Ordinance also bars liquor stores, vape shops, gas stations, and several other uses to protect a specific streetscape character. Outside the COD, the zoning code sets no separate tattoo-establishment license.
Acworth Bans Tattoo Parlors In Overlay District
Significant RestrictionsAcworth Code of Ordinances, Appendix B (Zoning Ordinance) § 73-6.2.1(A)(2)(f)
2.Prohibited Uses. The following uses are prohibited in the COD, regardless of whether the underlying zoning district allows the use: ... f.Tattoo parlors.
Tobacco Retail License
Acworth's Zoning Ordinance treats vape and smoke shops as a limited commercial use: Table 73-4.4 allows them only through a special use permit in the C-2 district, while the Mixed-Use and Character Overlay Districts ban them outright regardless of what the underlying zoning would otherwise permit.
Acworth Vape and Smoke Shop Zoning Restrictions
Significant RestrictionsAcworth Code of Ordinances, Appendix B (Zoning Ordinance) Table 73-4.4; §§ 73-6.1.2(D), 73-6.2.1(A)(2)
smoke shops (incl. CBD, Delta-8) — — — — — — — S — — — ... D.Prohibited Uses.1.Adult entertainment;2.Eating and drinking establishments with a drive-thru;3.Smoke shops including CBD, Delta-8;4.Stand-alone telecommunications towers;5.Surface parking lots. ... 2.Prohibited Uses. The following uses are prohibited in the COD, regardless of whether the underlying zoning district allows the use:a.Ani...
Pawnbrokers
Every pawnbroker or pawnshop in Acworth needs a city occupation tax certificate, and every employee needs a separate police-issued permit backed by a criminal background check. Employees convicted of a felony, or of theft, fraud or a property crime, are barred from working on the premises for ten years from the conviction date.
Acworth Pawnbroker License Requirements
Significant RestrictionsAcworth Code of Ordinances §§ 22-3, 22-3.2, 22-3.3, 22-3.4
The purpose of this article is to regulate the conduct and activities of pawnshops, as defined herein, in order to reduce and curtail the criminal activities frequently engendered by such businesses ... It shall be unlawful for any person to engage in the business of a pawnbroker or pawnshop in the city without complying with the provisions of the laws of the state relative to pawnbrokers. ... ...
Auto Repair on Residential Property
Acworth's zoning code puts vehicle repair on the flat list of businesses that can never qualify as a home occupation. Any assembly, cleaning, maintenance, or repair of vehicles or internal-combustion equipment at a residence is prohibited outright, no permit path exists.
Acworth Bars Home Auto Repair Businesses
Heavy RestrictionsAcworth Code of Ordinances, Appendix B (Zoning Ordinance) § 73-7.8.3(D)(1), (D)(11), (D)(12)
D.Prohibited Uses.1.Any type of assembly, cleaning, maintenance, or repair of vehicles or equipment with internal combustion engines or of large appliances (such as washing machines, clothes dryers or refrigerators); and, ... 11.Any use or activity which may create noise, dust, glare, vibration, smoke, smell, electrical interference or any fire hazard; and,12.Any use involving the use or storag...
Towing Companies
Acworth police only dispatch tows to wrecker companies on the chief of police's approved rotation list, capped at two to three companies chosen through a request-for-qualifications process. Approved companies must carry set minimum insurance, respond within 20 minutes on 90 percent of calls, post their rates publicly, and keep a fenced, monitored impound lot to keep non-consent towing privileges.
Acworth Non-Consent Towing and Wrecker Rules
Significant RestrictionsAcworth Code of Ordinances §§ 102-31, 102-37
Sec. 102-31. - Determination of service providers. (a)The Acworth Police Department shall from time to time after a request for qualifications, prepare an approved list of one or more companies to tow private and public vehicles as requested by the Acworth Police Department and the City of Acworth. ... The chief will recommend not less than two and nor more than three companies to be placed on ...
Looking for Cobb County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Acworth city rules.
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