Business Licensing & Operations in Macon-Bibb County, GA (2026)
7 rules for unincorporated Macon-Bibb County, Georgia.
Verified from official government sources
Adult Entertainment
Macon-Bibb County's Comprehensive Land Development Resolution bars adult entertainment establishments from locating within 1,000 feet of churches, schools, parks, day care centers, libraries and orphanages, within 750 feet of homes, colleges, alcohol-serving businesses and hospitals, and within 500 feet of the historic district or the CBD-1/CBD-2 downtown zones, under LDR Section 23.19.01.
Macon-Bibb Adult Entertainment Spacing Rules
Significant RestrictionsComprehensive Land Development Resolution § 23.19.01[1]-[3]
[1]Adult entertainment establishments may not be established, operated, or maintained within one thousand (1,000) feet of a church and other place of worship; public or private park or recreation area; school meeting all the requirements of the compulsory requirement laws of the state; day care center, kindergarten, or playschool; public or private library; or orphanage.[2]No adult entertainmen...
Massage Establishments
Every massage parlor in Macon-Bibb County needs a county license on top of each therapist's Georgia state license, and every practitioner on-site must hold a valid state massage therapy license under Code of Ordinances § 7-271. Owners must be at least 18, hold a high school diploma, and clear a five-year felony or two-misdemeanor background check before the Tax Commissioner issues a license.
Macon-Bibb County Massage Establishment Licensing
Significant RestrictionsMacon-Bibb County Code of Ordinances § 7-271(a)(1)-(3)
(1)a.State license. No person other than a licensed massage therapist shall perform or offer to perform massage in a massage parlor within Macon-Bibb County.b.No license shall be issued to any massage parlor within Macon-Bibb County under this division unless every person who performs or offers to perform massage on its premises is a licensed massage therapist, and it shall be unlawful to opera...
Tobacco Retail License
Macon-Bibb County confines vape shops to the C-2, C-4, M-1, M-2 and SC zoning districts under Section 23.16.04, added in 2026 to curb youth exposure to vaping. A new vape shop must sit at least 2,640 feet, half a mile, from any other vape shop and from any school or facility that cares for children.
Macon-Bibb County Vape Shop Zoning Rules
Significant RestrictionsMacon-Bibb County Comprehensive Land Development Resolution § 23.16.04
Section 23.16.04. - Vape Shops. [1]Purpose. The purpose of this section is to regulate the location of vape shops so that such facilities do not become so concentrated and so close to facilities where youth tend to congregate that they increase unnecessarily the exposure of youth and others to vaping, in order to limit the negative effects of vaping, especially on youth.[2]Districts and Locatio...
Secondhand Dealers
Anyone who buys used gold, silver, platinum, or gems for resale in Macon-Bibb County, other than from manufacturers or licensed dealers, must hold a privilege license under Code of Ordinances § 7-238. The license requires sheriff approval, disclosure of every owner with a 25%-plus stake, and a background check; it can be denied or pulled for a theft or felony conviction within five years.
Macon-Bibb County Precious Metals Dealer License
Significant RestrictionsMacon-Bibb County Code of Ordinances §§ 7-236, 7-238(a)
Dealer in precious metals or gems means:(1)Any person engaged in the business of purchasing precious metals or gems or goods made from precious metals or gems from persons or sources other than manufacturers, manufacturers' representatives, or other dealers in precious metals or gems; or(2)A person engaged in any other business if, in conjunction with such business, precious metals or gems or g...
Pawnbrokers
Macon-Bibb County pawnbrokers need a privilege license approved by the sheriff, must positively ID every pawner or seller, and must hold every pawned item for ten days in its original condition before it can be sold or melted down. Daily written reports go to the sheriff's department by noon, and dealing with anyone under 18 is banned outright.
Macon-Bibb County Pawnbroker Licensing Rules
Significant RestrictionsMacon-Bibb County Code of Ordinances §§ 7-236, 7-241(3)
Pawnbroker means any person engaged in whole or in part in the business of lending money on the security of pledged goods, or in the business of purchasing tangible personal property on the condition that it may be redeemed or repurchased by the seller for a fixed price within a fixed period of time, or in the business of purchasing tangible personal property from persons or sources other than ...
Auto Repair on Residential Property
Macon-Bibb County's home occupation rules flatly bar auto repair, auto sales, and auto brokerage from residential and agricultural properties. Section 23.01.06 lists the businesses allowed at home (offices, tutoring, home crafts) and separately excludes auto-related trades outright, so a homeowner cannot legally run a repair bay, detail shop, or used-car brokerage out of a house even as a "limited accessory use."
Macon-Bibb County Bans Home Auto Repair
Heavy RestrictionsMacon-Bibb County Comprehensive Land Development Resolution § 23.01.06[A][3](j)
[A]Requirements for Limited Use Permits in Residential and Agricultural Districts. Home occupations are Limited Accessory uses in residential and agricultural districts, and shall be governed by the standards set out in this section...[3]Home occupations not allowed. Home occupations allowed shall not, in any event, be deemed to include the following:(a)Reserved;(b)Funeral chapels or funeral ho...
Towing Companies
Anyone operating a wrecker, defined as a tow truck or skid truck for wrecked or disabled vehicles, on Macon-Bibb County streets needs a business license under Sec. 27-57(a). Sec. 27-59 bars going to an accident scene unless called, and Sec. 27-60 bans soliciting towing work from a county street.
Macon-Bibb County Wrecker Business License Rules
Significant RestrictionsMacon-Bibb County Code of Ordinances § 27-57(a)
(a)It shall be unlawful for any person, either as principal, agent or employee, to use or operate upon any of the streets of Macon-Bibb County any wrecker, as defined in this article, without first having obtained a business license issued by Macon-Bibb County under and required by this article.
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