Start a landscaping business in Georgia

Your name must include "LLC" or "L.L.C." and be distinguishable from existing Georgia entities. Run it through the Corporations Division business search on eCorp first: it lists every registered Georgia entity by name, and the page itself notes it is not the official availability check. The Corporations Division makes that call when you file, so a close match here is your signal to pick something more distinct.

Georgia requires a registered agent with a physical street address in the state, available during business hours. You can serve yourself, which puts your address on the public record. A commercial agent keeps your home address off the filing.

File online through the eCorp portal: from the home page, "Online Services" is the entry point, and the filing itself continues behind a user account. The online filing fee is $100, paid by card, and covers the Articles of Organization (Form CD 030). Standard online processing runs about 5–7 business days; expedited service is available for an extra fee.

Apply for an Employer Identification Number on the IRS website once the LLC is approved. It is free and takes about ten minutes online; you need it for banking, hiring, and taxes. Ignore any site that charges for an EIN.

Georgia doesn't require an operating agreement, but it is the document banks, landlords, and partners ask for. A short standard agreement works for a single-member LLC; multi-member LLCs should put splits and exit terms in writing from day one.

Georgia has no general statewide business license; instead, nearly every city and county requires an occupation tax certificate (local business license) before you operate. For landscaping specifically: Georgia licenses the trade the moment pesticide touches someone else's property for a fee, under the Georgia Pesticide Use and Application Act of 1976. The Department of Agriculture names lawn care companies, landscape contractors, and tree surgeons directly as covered businesses. A pesticide contractor license costs $55, runs one calendar year, and expires at the end of the year it was issued in regardless of the issue date, with a 50% surcharge for late renewal. The business must employ at least one full-time certified commercial applicator per category of work it performs. Financial responsibility runs $25,000 bodily injury per occurrence, $10,000 property damage per occurrence with a $25,000 aggregate and a $500 deductible cap, or a surety bond of at least $20,000, and the cover excludes damage to the plants or land the crew is working on, the opposite of what a customer typically assumes the policy protects. At the time of a landscape application, the contractor posts a sign that stays up until the day after: at least 4 by 5 inches, sturdy and weather resistant, contrasting colors, 8 to 12 inches above the ground. A separate golf-course sign, 8 by 10 inches, posts at the clubhouse instead of the fairway. Applicator licenses run five years, and Ornamental and Turf recertification takes 10 hours where most other categories need only 6, with hours bankable up to 90 days before expiry and a $25 renewal fee.

Georgia LLCs file an annual registration with the Secretary of State between January 1 and April 1 ($50 online). Open a separate business bank account with your filed articles and EIN so personal and business finances never mix.