Opening a Convenience Store in Georgia: Licenses & Permits

In Georgia, how you split the floor space can decide which agency licenses your food. The Department of Agriculture handles stores that are mostly food sales. The county health department takes over when food service, including seating, is the larger share. Below is who issues what, and how each rule shapes the store you design.

Licenses and permits at a glance

Fuel tanks: EPD

The Environmental Protection Division's Underground Storage Tank Management Program registers tanks:

• Notification: the new tank owner submits EPD's 7530 Notification Form, certified by the installer and signed by the owner, before EPD assigns a facility ID. Annual tank registration then happens online in GEOS. EPD inspects within two months of issuing the facility ID.
• Operators: every facility needs at least one Class A and one Class B operator, and EPD says a facility without them can't complete tank registration. Active facilities also need a Class C operator, who must be an employee physically present at the store.
• Trust fund: the Georgia Underground Storage Tank (GUST) Trust Fund (Rule 391-3-15-.13) is funded by the Environmental Assurance Fee.

Beer and wine: state and local, in one application

Alcohol is licensed by the Department of Revenue's Alcohol and Tobacco Division together with your city or county. A convenience store applies for a retail beer and/or wine license for off-premises consumption through a single Georgia Tax Center application. It goes to the state and the local government at the same time. The local license must be issued before the state license, and you end up holding both.

No spirits. Department of Revenue Rule 560-2-3-.02 says a retailer of distilled spirits can't operate in connection with any other mercantile establishment. Spirits are sold only by stand-alone package stores, and only where the local government allows package sales.

Tobacco and vapor

The Department of Revenue issues a tobacco dealer/retailer license, with vapor products added to it, renewed every year through the Georgia Tax Center. The Department lists the fees as $10 for the license plus $10 for vapor. You need a sales and use tax account for the location first, and the application asks for a copy of your local business license.

Food service: Agriculture or the county health department

Georgia divides food oversight by square footage:

• Department of Agriculture: issues the food sales establishment license and lists convenience stores among the businesses it licenses. It has jurisdiction when most of the building's square footage is food sales. Food service inside the store that isn't run separately counts as part of the food sales license.
• County health department: if food service is the majority, or is run as a separate operation, the county health department issues a food service permit under Department of Public Health Rule 511-6-1. Dining areas, indoors and outdoors, count as food service (O.C.G.A. 26-2-33).

Plan approval comes before construction either way. The Department of Agriculture requires blueprint review and plan approval before construction, renovation or conversion, and says to allow 14 to 21 business days. Under DPH rules, plans go to the county at least 14 business days before construction starts. DPH's food service rules adopted the 2022 FDA Food Code, effective February 12, 2025.

Sales tax, fuel pumps and lottery

• Sales tax: register through the Georgia Tax Center for a sales and use tax number and certificate of registration.
• Fuel pumps: anyone selling fuel at retail needs a Fuel Station Certificate of Registration from the Department of Agriculture's Fuel and Measures program. It runs July 1 to June 30 and is renewed every year. The Department lists $18 per retail device and $36 per high-speed device, and says stations are normally inspected every 24 to 30 months.
• Lottery: contact the nearest Georgia Lottery district sales office.

What this means for your store design

• Plan the square-footage split on purpose. Seating and a large kitchen can push food service past food sales, which moves your permit to the county health department. Decide which agency you're designing for before the kitchen layout is final.
• Beer and wine only. No liquor department. All alcohol space goes to the cooler wall or a beer cave.
• Allow three to four weeks for plan approval. The Department of Agriculture says 14 to 21 business days, so submit early. See food service build-outs.
• Count dispensers for the fuel registration. Each retail and high-speed device is registered and billed.

Local approvals

Your city or county also controls zoning, building permits, fire inspections, signs and the local alcohol license. Our construction checklist covers the local steps.

For Georgia store design, see convenience store design in Georgia and walk-in cooler services in Georgia.

Sources

• Georgia Environmental Protection Division, UST new installation package (Form 7530, February 2025), operator training, and Rules 391-3-15.
• Georgia Department of Revenue, centralized alcohol licensing FAQs, ATD Policy Bulletin 2025-01, tobacco and vapor retail licensing, and tax registration.
• Georgia Department of Agriculture, retailers, food establishment building plans and fuel station registration; Georgia Food Act (O.C.G.A. 26-2).
• Georgia Department of Public Health, food service rules (Rule 511-6-1, revised February 12, 2025).
• Georgia Lottery, becoming a retailer.

This page summarizes official sources as of October 2026. It is not legal advice. Fees and rules change, so confirm each one with the agency before you apply.