§ 70-77B. Business permits.

(a)

An applicant for a business permit is required to provide information showing its qualifications on a form(s) provided by the marshal's office.

(b)

Applicants must be approved by the marshal's office or designee, and such clearance shall be included a background investigation and fingerprinting of the applicant.

(c)

No business permit shall be issued to any business owning or leasing less vehicles than required under section 70-77A, unless a business permit from another jurisdiction of the State of Georgia is presented and accepted pursuant to subsection (h) of this section.

(d)

No business permit shall be issued to an applicant unless the applicant has a valid and current occupation tax certificate to do business issued by a city, county, or consolidated government in the State of Georgia.

(e)

All permits required by the provisions of this article shall expire on the same date as the expiration of the occupation tax certificate.

(f)

If the applicant is not a sole proprietor or individual then all partners, officers or managers of the legal entity shall be required to comply with the provisions of this section.

(g)

All applicants must:

(1)

Be at least 21 years of age;

(2)

Be a citizen of the United States or a legal alien admitted for permanent residence or who has otherwise been granted employment authorization by the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service (who can show proper paperwork therefor).

(3)

Have not been convicted, been on probation, parole, or been imprisoned for a period of ten years previous to the date of application, for the violation of any of the following offenses of the State of Georgia, of any other state, or of the United States: any felony; driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol; criminal solicitation to commit any of the offenses listed in this subsection; attempt to commit any of the offenses listed in this subsection; any misdemeanor crime of violence or theft, any misdemeanor crime of possession, sale or distribution of illegal drugs or any crime involving moral turpitude. Discharge without court adjudication of guilt pursuant to O.C.G.A. § 42-8-62 shall not disqualify an applicant from applying for a permit;

(4)

Provide a verifiably dispatch location staffed by business agents or employees and have a published telephone number;

(5)

File applications for the initial permitting and inspection of the taxicabs, with a list of all drivers that will be scheduled for driver permitting, indicating whether drivers are business employees or contract drivers. A copy of each contract driver's insurance coverage must be included in the application;

(6)

Provide a copy of the applicant's rate schedule and the daily hours of operation; and

(7)

Provide the name, address and telephone number of a responsible individual residing in Paulding County who will be the registered agent for the purpose of service of proves or receipt of citations.

(h)

In lieu of meeting the requirements set forth in subsection (g) of this section, an applicant for a business permit may present to the Paulding County Marshal's Office a current business permit authorizing the applicant to conduct business in another jurisdiction of this state. Upon presentation of same, the marshal's office shall verify the authenticity of same, and if the business permit is valid, shall give reciprocal recognition to the permit and accept the business permit for filing with the county.

(Res. No. 07-31, § 1(Exh. A), 6-26-2007; Res. No. 08-06, § 2, 2-28-2008; Res. No. 09-12, § 3, 9-14-2009)