Business Licensing & Operations in Alpharetta, GA (2026)
7 verified business licensing & operations rules for Alpharetta, Georgia, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Adult Entertainment
The City of Alpharetta requires a valid license before any adult entertainment establishment may even advertise, confines the use to industrial (L-I) zoning, and imposes a 750-foot buffer from residential land, schools, churches, day cares, parks and other adult establishments. Businesses must close between midnight and 9:00 a.m.
Alpharetta adult entertainment license, hours, buffers
Significant RestrictionsAlpharetta Code of Ordinances §§ 10-56, 10-60
No person, firm, partnership, corporation, or other entity shall advertise, or cause to be advertised, an adult entertainment establishment without a valid adult entertainment license issued pursuant to this article. ... An adult entertainment establishment ... shall be closed between 12:00 midnight and 9:00 a.m. ... No adult entertainment establishment shall ... be located:(1)Within 750 feet o...
Massage Establishments
Alpharetta caps massage and spa establishments at 4,000 square feet, requires 2,000 feet from a comparable business, and bans them within 300 feet of State Route 9, State Route 120, houses of worship, schools, day cares, parks or residences unless the site is in a mixed-use MU development. A city license with fingerprinting is required to operate.
Alpharetta massage establishment license & buffers
Significant RestrictionsAlpharetta Code of Ordinances §§ 10-276, 10-279
Such business shall be located within a zoning category allowing retail use, shall not occupy more than 4,000 square feet and shall not be closer than 2,000 feet to a comparable business. ... It shall be unlawful to establish a massage establishment in the city, unless said establishment is located:(1)At least 300 feet from State Route 9;(2)At least 300 feet from State Route 120; and(3)At least...
Tattoo & Body Modification
Alpharetta's Unified Development Code Table 2.2 permits a Tattoo Parlor and Body Piercing establishment in only one zoning district: L-I light industrial. Every other district in the city, including all commercial and office categories, leaves the use blank on the table, meaning the use is not allowed there.
Alpharetta Tattoo Parlor Zoning Limit
Significant RestrictionsAlpharetta Unified Development Code § 2.2 Table 2.2 (L-I column); § 5.9.2
An "X" means that the use is permitted in the zoning district subject to the general provisions of the Unified Development Code. ... USES AG RE R R-22 R-15 R-12 R-10 R-4A R-4D R- 8A/D R- 10M CUP* OI* OP C-1 C-2 PSC* LI OS-R SU MU* ... Tattoo Parlor and Body Piercing X ... Any person violating any provision of this Ordinance (including any Article or Section of this Ordinance) sh...
Tobacco Retail License
Alpharetta's Unified Development Code defines Smoke Shop and Tobacco Store as any business dedicated to selling tobacco, vape products or smoking instruments, and requires it to sit inside a retail center at least 2,000 feet from any school, religious institution, government building, park, home or another smoke shop. Grocery and convenience stores selling tobacco as 10% or less of sales are exempt.
Alpharetta Smoke Shop 2,000-Foot Buffer Rule
Significant RestrictionsAlpharetta Unified Development Code § 1.4.2
Smoke Shop and Tobacco Store. Any business premises dedicated to the display, sale, distribution, delivery, offering, furnishing, or marketing of tobacco, tobacco products, or instruments, vape products, or any combination thereof. Such businesses shall be located within a retail center and shall not be closer than 2,000 ft. to a school, religious institution, government building, park, residen...
Secondhand Dealers
Anyone operating a pawnshop or working as a pawnbroker in the City of Alpharetta must first obtain a city license under Code of Ordinances § 10-337. The $175 annual license is non-transferable, requires a police background investigation, bars applicants with felony or usury convictions, and demands a $10,000 blanket bond payable to the city. Pawnbrokers who buy goods outright must hold them 30 days before resale.
Alpharetta Pawnshop and Secondhand Dealer Licensing
Significant RestrictionsAlpharetta Code of Ordinances §§ 10-336, 10-337, 10-343
Pawnshop means any business wherein a substantial part thereof is to take or receive, by way of pledge, pawn or exchange, any goods, wares, merchandise or any kind of personal property, as security for the repayment of money lent thereon. ... It shall be unlawful for any person to conduct or transact a pawnbroker business or pawnshop without first obtaining a city license. The fee for such lice...
Pawnbrokers
Operating a pawnshop or pawnbroker business in Alpharetta requires a $175 annual, non-transferable city license, a police background investigation into the applicant's reputation, and a $10,000 blanket bond payable to the city. Felony convictions, usury convictions, or false application statements bar licensure.
Alpharetta pawnbroker license, $175 fee, bond
Significant RestrictionsAlpharetta Code of Ordinances § 10-337
It shall be unlawful for any person to conduct or transact a pawnbroker business or pawnshop without first obtaining a city license. The fee for such license shall be $175.00 annually. Licenses are not transferable. ... No license shall be issued to any person who has been convicted of a felony or a crime involving moral turpitude as defined by the laws of the state unless a full and complete p...
Auto Repair on Residential Property
Alpharetta does not have an auto-repair-specific home business rule; instead, its general Home Occupations standards apply. Business vehicles are capped at one, under 1.5 tons and no more than six tires or two axles, all equipment must stay indoors, and motors are limited to 3 horsepower total.
Alpharetta Home Auto Repair Restrictions
Significant RestrictionsAlpharetta Unified Development Code § 2.3.3.A (conditions 4, 5 & 10)
A.Home Occupations. An occupation, profession or trade customarily carried on by an occupant in a dwelling unit as a secondary use which is clearly incidental to the dwelling unit for residential purposes and which meets all of the following conditions: ... 4.No merchandise or articles shall be stored other than inside the dwelling unit.5.No equipment or business vehicles may be stored or parke...
Looking for Fulton County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Alpharetta city rules.
Business Licensing & Operations in Fulton County →