SMYRNA, Ga. — City leaders here plan to update business license requirements for home-based businesses, but the changes do not include lessening the burden on single-member LLCs.
While city officials don’t necessarily oppose eliminating or reducing requirements for home-based single-member LLCs, they apparently see no groundswell of support. Therefore, they are not inclined to make substantive changes.
Currently, the city requires home-based single-member LLCs to secure approval from neighbors and remit confidential revenue information with no guarantee of confidentiality. While they are poised to eliminate the neighbor requirement, they declined to eliminate the mandate to submit revenue information.
City officials cannot say what benefit home-based single-member LLCs receive from their business license other than a vague promise of “services.” Additionally and privately, city officials recognize countless businesses flout the requirement and those that follow it are effectively punished for complying with the ordinance.
City officials began reviewing their license requirements for home-based businesses last year and made some progress during the first quarter. However, they blamed a slowing of the progress on the COVID-19 pandemic and the retirement of at least one city employee.