Hall County's Board of Commissioners will begin to discuss the implications of Georgia's new immigration law on county business licensing.

In a training session sponsored by two local government organizations last month, local officials from the region learned that in order to renew business licenses according to the letter of Georgia's new immigration law, they would have to deal — in person — with each licensee.

Hall County's business license office deals with thousands of license renewals each year. Normally, business owners renew licenses by mail in the last few months of the year, securing a business license for the following 12 months.

But, beginning in January, House Bill 87 requires proof of legal residency in the United States each time the public benefit is administered, according to Russell Willard, senior assistant attorney general.

Included in the state's definition of "public benefit" are local business licenses, taxicab licenses, alcoholic beverage licenses and licenses for insurance companies.

It will mean considerably more work for the local business licensing offices. Already, Susan Rector, director of Hall county's business license office, has begun lining the hallway outside her office with chairs, preparing for the long waits licensees might experience.

Today, she and County Administrator Randy Knighton will begin a conversation with commissioners about how to deal with the increased workload.

"We want to go through it with our board members and obviously discuss how we would go about informing the public about these new regulations as it pertains to business license renewals," Knighton said.

Time to decide is limited. Notices for business license renewals are usually sent out in late October or early November, Knighton said.

The board meets today at 9 a.m. in the Hall County Courthouse Annex on Spring Street in Gainesville.