(Lawrenceville, Ga., March 19, 2020) – Recognizing that Gwinnett County’s businesses, including thousands of small businesses, have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic through business closures and reduction of hours, Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners Chairman Charlotte Nash today signed a local emergency order that extends the March 31 deadline for occupation tax certificate renewals, commonly referred to as business licenses, to July 1; extends the March, April and May reporting and payment deadlines for excise taxes in the sale of alcoholic beverages to Sept. 10; and temporarily authorizes establishments licensed to sell beer and wine on premises to sell unopened bottles of beer and wine for take-out consumption off premises throughout the duration of the declared local emergency. All provisions of the alcoholic beverages ordinance not in conflict with this order remain in effect.

Nash said, “We are committed to doing everything we can as a local government to ensure the health and safety of our residents and to assist local businesses to continue to operate in a manner consistent with protecting their employees and the public during these unprecedented times.”

This order falls under a declaration of local emergency signed by Nash earlier this week that activates certain emergency powers in order to allow Gwinnett County government to quickly respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. Among other provisions, the local state of emergency calls for all available resources of the county to be used as reasonably necessary to cope with the impact of COVID-19 on Gwinnett County.

The local emergency declaration and all related orders will end April 13, 2020, unless renewed in accordance with the Gwinnett County Code of Ordinances or the emergency conditions no longer exist.