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Development Service Center

News and Announcements
Thanksgiving Holiday

County offices will be closed November 23rd and 24th.  

Posted: Oct-25-2023 | view story

Posted: Mar-16-2020 | view story


Shannon Griffith
Development Service Center Manager
(770) 721-7810

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Business Licenses|Alcoholic Beverage License

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Alcoholic Beverage License

 

Important update!  Effective January 12, 2022, the State of Georgia now requires that all alcohol license applications be submitted first to the Centralized Alcohol Licensing portal instead of to your local county office.  You will upload your Cherokee County alcohol applications to the state and they will be forwarded to us from there.  More information can be found by visiting https://dor.georgia.gov/centralized-alcohol-licensing 

 

Anyone intending to sell or offer to sell alcoholic beverages at a wholesale or retail establishment in Cherokee County for consumption on or off premises must first obtain an Alcoholic Beverage License from Cherokee County Development Service Center.

Alcoholic Beverage Licenses are issued to each individual establishment. The license is not transferable and must be obtained before opening a new establishment or change of ownership or licensee occurs. Each business must also have obtained an Occupation Tax Certificate (Business License) and be current on all taxes and fees required by Cherokee County.

Any violation of the Alcoholic Beverage Ordinance or any law governing the sale of alcoholic beverages will result in penalties imposed by the Cherokee County Magistrate Court. In addition to these penalties, the Cherokee County Board of Commissioners reserves the right to revoke any license or permit that is not in compliance at any time without refund. In the event that an Alcoholic Beverage License is suspended, written notification will be sent to the licensee on record.

The following is general information regarding the regulation of alcoholic beverages in Cherokee County. Refer to Chapter 6 – Alcoholic Beverage Ordinance for detailed information regarding the issuance of alcoholic licenses and permits. For information regarding Georgia State Laws contact the Georgia Department of Revenue

Types of licenses

  1. Manufacturing – any maker, producer or bottler of an alcoholic beverage
  2. Wholesale – any person, firm or corporation engaged in the distribution of alcoholic beverages
  3. Retail – the sale of alcoholic products packaged and intended for consumption off premises
  4. Consumption on premises – the sale of distilled spirits, malt beverages (beer) and wine to consumers for consumption on premises
  5. Distilled spirits package store - the retail sale of package distilled spirits as well as the retail sale of package malt beverages (beer) and wine  

Application

Please submit the following application and all required documentation in person to the Development Service Center at 1130 Bluffs Parkway, Canton GA 30114. If you have any questions, please call 770-721-7810 or email [email protected]

Approved vendors for Responsible Alcohol Sales and Service training / workshops

  1. Operation 21 - www.operation21.com
  2. Training Institute for Responsible Vendors - www.tirv.net
  3. Evindi, Inc. - www.evindi.com

 Please consider that it may take 45 days or more to process any application for an Alcoholic Beverage License.

Qualifications

A license will not be granted if any of the following conditions exist:

NOTE: An applicant with a direct financial interest in a wholesale license must not hold any other type of alcoholic beverage license.

Proof of residency

Anyone applying for an Alcoholic Beverage License must have been a resident of the State of Georgia for at least one year prior to submitting the application.

Corporations and limited liability companies must name in the application at least one or more residents of the county as a registered agent and the named agent(s) must be registered with the Secretary of State’s Office. The registered agent will receive all communications, notices or other documents in behalf of the corporation or Limited Liability Company.

If the registered agent changes or ceases to reside in Cherokee County, the licensee must send written notification to the Development Service Center within five days of the change. A fee of $100.00 will be charged for the change of a registered agent. A $500.00 fee will be assessed if the Development Service Center is notified after the five-day period.

Background and fingerprinting

Any and all owners or partners with a 20 percent or greater financial interest in the application and any registered agents are required to complete a background check and fingerprinting. The County Marshal will conduct and review all background checks. 

The Development Service Center will conduct a County records inquiry to determine if the applicant or party with an interest in a license application has any outstanding taxes or any other monies owed to the County. A license will not be issued until such debts are paid in full.

New establishment/new construction

All applicants must furnish plans and renderings of the proposed premises. New construction may require a Land Disturbance Permit, Building Permit and Architectural Approval. A zoning certification is required to be submitted with application.

The table below lists the required distance, in feet, of various types of alcoholic beverage sales establishments from an existing regulated land use.

 
Distance of type beverage sales from existing land use in feet

School

Church

Government owned alcohol treatment center

Residential 

Package store selling distilled spirits
Consumption on premises restaurant-beer and wine only

300

300

300

600

N/A
Consumption on premises-beer, wine and distilled spirits

600

300

300

600

N/A
Convenience store beer and wine

300

300

300

300

N/A
Major grocery store beer and wine

300

300

300

300

N/A
 
Package store selling distilled spirits
600 300 300 600 5,280 (1 mi)

Sec. 6-24.  Measurements of distances

  (a) Unless otherwise provided by law or this ordinance, all measurements, to determine distances, required by this chapter, for the issuance of county beverage licenses, shall be measured by the most direct route of travel on the ground as follows:

        (1)  In a straight line from the front door of the structure from which beverage alcohol is sold or offered for sale;

        (2)  To the front door of the building of a church, goverment-owned alcohol treatment center, or package store selling distilled spirits;

        (3)  To the nearest property line of the real property being used as school grounds or college campus;

        (4)  To the front door of a residential structure.-

               All renewal applications shall use the measurements required in the initial application and license.

        (5)  Applicants for package stores selling distilled spirits are required to provide a survey stamped and signed by a registered surveyor to verify compliance with distances.  

               All other applicants may be required to provide a survey at the discretion of the county marshal.

 

Denial of application

All decisions resulting in the denial of a license application must state the reasons for the denial in writing. Written notice of the notification of denial will be sent to the applicant on record. The applicant has 30 days from the date of written notice to petition for reconsideration by the Board of Commissioners. The decision by the Board is final. An applicant must wait 12 months from the denial date before submitting another Alcoholic Beverage License application.

Manager’s Permit

Anyone licensed to sell alcoholic beverages for consumption on premises in Cherokee County must employ one or more persons as manager(s) of the establishment. At least one manager must be present at all times when alcoholic beverages are being consumed.

How do I obtain a Manager’s Permit?

A Manager’s Permit is issued to individual applicants within three days of employment. The Permit is valid for 12 months from date of issuance and is not transferable. A Manager’s Permit must be displayed at all times and available for inspection. To obtain a Manager’s Permit, the licensed applicant must submit:

Anyone convicted of violating any law or ordinance governing the sale of alcoholic beverages or the sale or possession of illegal drugs in the past five years will not be eligible to receive a Manager’s Permit.
open space

Temporary Permits for Special Events open space

1. Parking lot of licensed establishment
    A licensed establishment can be permitted no more than three Special Events in a calendar year.
2. Pouring license for special events by a non-profit organization
    A temporary pouring license may be issued for a period not to exceed six days in a calendar year.
Please visit our Special Events web page for more information, or contact us at [email protected]m

Fees   

Application Fee

$500.00                                     

                  
Beer license (retail or consumption on premise)

$1,000.00

Wine License (retail or consumption on premise)

$1,000.00

Farm Winery license $750.00
Distilled spirits package store $135,000.00
Distilled spirits package store renewal $5,000.00
Liquor license, on premise $5,000.00
Sunday Sales Permit (on premise) $500.00
Sunday Sales Permit (off premise) $250.00
Manager's permit $100.00
Ancillary Wine Tasting application $250.00
Ancillary Wine Tasting license $100.00
Fingerprinting/background check $50.00
Special Event serving alcohol - application $100.00 (plus $50.00 for special event permit)

 How do I renew my Alcoholic Beverage License?ne space

All Alcoholic Beverage Licenses expire on December 31 of each calendar year. Renewal applications are due on or before November 30. Renewal applications must be received by the Cherokee County Development Service Center before 5:00 p.m. or postmarked no later than November 30
 
Applications for renewals will not be accepted after December 31. A business that fails to renew will be required to apply for a new license.
 
Mail all or submit all of the documents identified below to Cherokee County Development Service Center, 1130 Bluffs Parkway, Canton GA. 30114. Make checks payable to Cherokee County; include your Alcoholic Beverage License number on your check. Please call 770-721-7810 or email [email protected] with any questions. Required documents;

Any changes in ownership, licensee or address must be submitted in person to the Development Service Center to obtain a new Alcoholic Beverage License, register for fingerprints (if new owner or licensee) and to perform a background check. 

 Alcoholic Beverage Excise Tax
 
Cherokee County charges excise tax on malt beverages, wine and distilled spirits -retail package and consumption.  Alcoholic Beverage Excise Tax is collected and enforced by the Finance Department.  For more information visit their website at https://www.cherokeega.com/Finance/_resources/documents/AlcoholicBeverageByTheDrinkExciseTaxReturn.pdf
 
 
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