#2
National rank, average SBA loan size, FY2024 ($708,610)
STATE GUIDE · GEORGIA
SBA Feasibility Study Consultant in Georgia
Independent, lender-ready feasibility studies for SBA 7(a) and 504 projects across all 159 Georgia counties, prepared from our Atlanta office to SOP 50 10 8.1 and built on our own analysis of 24,767 Georgia SBA loans.
Last updated: November 2026
By David Jones, MAI, CCIM · SBA Feasibility Study LLC
Fixed fee quoted within one business day · Never contingent on the finding · Lender and CDC calls at no charge · Mutual NDA on request
24,767
Georgia SBA 7(a) and 504 loans disbursed, FY2010–FY2026
$18.34B
Approved volume behind those loans
8.0%
Georgia seasoned adverse rate, vs 7.3% nationally
1.4M
Georgia small businesses, 99.7% of all firms
11.3M
Georgia residents in 2025, the 4th-largest gain of any state
$10M
Combined 7(a) + 504 capacity per borrower since July 4, 2026
9–15
Business days standard delivery from complete data
On this page
Georgia SBA feasibility studies, prepared in Atlanta
SBA Feasibility Study LLC is an independent feasibility study company headquartered at 171 17th Street NW in Atlanta. Our SBA feasibility study consultants prepare lender-facing studies for Georgia borrowers, banks and Certified Development Companies when repayment depends on projections a lender cannot verify from historical financials: start-ups, ground-up construction, expansions, and special-purpose properties such as hotels, gas stations, car washes, self-storage, childcare centers and assisted living.
The firm was founded in 2019 by David Jones, MAI, CCIM, who has completed more than 4,300 feasibility studies for SBA and USDA credits. Studies are prepared by the analysts who build our data infrastructure and are signed by the firm under principal review. Every Georgia study tests demand with the method accepted for its asset class, shows coverage year by year at your lender's threshold, and lists the conditions precedent before credit committee finds them.
Georgia is not a market we serve from a distance. It is where we work, and the data on this page is our own.
About David JonesOur methodologyEngagement record
When a Georgia lender or CDC will ask for a feasibility study
SBA does not require a feasibility study on every loan. SOP 50 10 8.1 places the burden on the lender to underwrite prudently and document how it satisfied itself that the loan is repayable. Where repayment rests on a projection, the lender has to show what supports it, and the study is how that support gets into the file.
In Georgia the request usually arrives in five situations:
- Start-ups and businesses under two years old, where there is no operating history to underwrite.
- Ground-up construction and major expansion, where historical performance does not carry forward.
- Special-purpose properties (hotels and motels, car washes, gas stations and travel centers, self-storage, assisted living, event venues, marinas, RV parks), where the lender's fallback is a narrow buyer pool.
- 504 projects showing the risk patterns SBA associates with feasibility review: market saturation, an unproven concept, highly specialized property, a project large relative to the business or community, or rapid growth financed with unseasoned debt.
- Acquisitions where the buyer's pro forma departs from the seller's record. Under SOP 50 10 8.1, most 7(a) business acquisitions must show at least 1.25x coverage on historical or adjusted earnings, so the study's job on these files is to support add-backs, market sustainability and transition risk rather than to replace history with projection.
Special-purpose status changes the deal itself. In the 504 program the borrower contribution is 10 percent of project cost, rising to 15 percent for a start-up or a special-purpose property and 20 percent when both apply. A first hotel or a ground-up car wash in Georgia is usually both.
Your lender or CDC decides whether your file needs a study. We will speak with them directly, before you engage us, at no charge.
When SBA requires a feasibility study
ORIGINAL RESEARCH · SBA FOIA LOAN-LEVEL DATA
Georgia SBA lending data: 24,767 loans, FY2010–FY2026
Across FY2010–FY2026, Georgia generated 24,767 SBA-disbursed 7(a) and 504 loans across all industries, representing $18.34 billion in approved financing at an average of $740,000 per deal. 7(a) accounts for 90.2% of the count, with 504 covering the remainder. Since FY2024, 4,053 loans have been approved. Separately, Georgia's 7(a) program alone delivered 16,770 loans for $12.62 billion over the past decade, supporting 198,512 jobs, concentrated in Fulton, Gwinnett, Cobb, DeKalb and Forsyth counties.
Among the 17,695 seasoned loans in Georgia (approvals FY2010–FY2021), 8.0% reached adverse resolution (purchased, liquidated or charged off), compared with 7.3% nationally. Mature-cohort Georgia 7(a) loans charged off at 6.68% by count and 2.34% by dollar, against national baselines of 6.44% and 2.92%. Georgia loses on more loans than the national average but loses less money per dollar lent, which is consistent with a book weighted toward large, real-estate-secured special-purpose assets.
| Asset class | Loans FY2010–FY2026 | Approved volume | Average loan | Seasoned adverse rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Restaurant | 3,069 | $1.79 billion | $584,000 | 8.1% |
| Manufacturing | 1,199 | $1.04 billion | $864,000 | 8.6% |
| Hotel | 1,124 | $2.41 billion | $2.1 million | 2.8% |
| Gas station and c-store | 967 | $1.00 billion | $1.0 million | 1.6% |
| Medical or dental practice | 805 | $549.5 million | $683,000 | 6.2% |
| Childcare center | 654 | $748.2 million | $1.1 million | 4.4% |
| Trucking and logistics | 629 | $242.8 million | $386,000 | 13.7% |
| Liquor store | 600 | $1.03 billion | $1.7 million | 3.5% |
| Fitness center | 392 | $233.1 million | $595,000 | 11.6% |
| Car wash | 293 | $500.2 million | $1.7 million | 5.7% |
| Veterinary clinic | 224 | $208.0 million | $929,000 | 1.6% |
| Event venue | 178 | $78.8 million | $443,000 | – |
| Self-storage | 137 | $162.7 million | $1.2 million | 1.9% |
| Assisted living | 119 | $190.3 million | $1.6 million | 2.2% |
| Brewery, distillery, or winery | 89 | $73.2 million | $822,000 | 20.6% |
| Laundromat | 78 | $45.9 million | $589,000 | 14.0% |
| RV park | 17 | $19.9 million | $1.2 million | – |
| Marina or boat storage | 5 | $10.1 million | $2.0 million | – |
– State-level rate not published where the seasoned cohort is under 30 loans; national benchmarks apply.
Source: SBA 7(a) and 504 FOIA loan-level data, as of March 31, 2026. Disbursed loans only. Seasoned cohort: approvals FY2010–FY2021. Adverse resolution: purchased, liquidated or charged off. Full method: /data-methodology
Key findings
- Georgia's lowest-loss SBA classes are its biggest-ticket special-purpose assets: gas stations and c-stores (1.6%), veterinary clinics (1.6%), self-storage (1.9%), assisted living (2.2%) and hotels (2.8%).
- Its highest-loss classes are operator-dependent: breweries, distilleries and wineries (20.6%), laundromats (14.0%), trucking (13.7%) and fitness centers (11.6%). These are the files where the study has to assess the operator, not only the market.
- Hotels are Georgia's largest SBA class by dollars ($2.41 billion) and restaurants its largest by count (3,069 loans).
How to cite this data: SBA Feasibility Study LLC, Georgia SBA Lending by Asset Class, FY2010–FY2026, analysis of SBA 7(a) and 504 FOIA loan-level data as of March 31, 2026.
SBA Feasibility Risk Meter (1,036,077 loans)Data research library
SBA feasibility study consultants for Georgia's major asset classes
Each asset class below carries its own demand method, its own Georgia evidence and its own 2026 underwriting issues. Every block links to our full national guide for that property type.
SBA hotel feasibility study in Georgia
Georgia record: 1,124 loans, $2.41 billion, $2.1 million average, 2.8% seasoned adverse rate.
2026 evidence: The 2026 FIFA World Cup lifted rate, not occupancy, in Atlanta. Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau data reported by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution put city hotel occupancy at 63% in June 2026 (down 4% year over year) and 57% in July (down 10%), while July RevPAR held at $121 (up 0.7%). An HVS study of CoStar data found RevPAR gains in all 11 U.S. host markets, with Atlanta's the smallest. Mega-events displace group business; a Georgia hotel study should not capitalize an occupancy spike that did not happen. In Savannah, the city hotel-motel excise tax has been 8% since September 1, 2023, on top of sales tax and Georgia's $5-per-night state hotel-motel fee, and the full tax stack belongs in rate positioning. In Augusta, Masters week ADR must be modeled separately from the other 51 weeks so a lender is not asked to capitalize one week of income.
Method: fair share and penetration against a defined competitive set, with a demand segmentation build.
2026 SOP note: a September 25, 2026 technical update to SOP 50 10 8.1 allows a single loan financing both a business and its owner-occupied special-purpose property to amortize over up to 25 years, which materially changes coverage on hotel acquisitions. Our studies present both the 25-year and 10-year structures.
Full guide →SBA gas station and c-store feasibility study in Georgia
Georgia record: 967 loans, $1.00 billion, $1.0 million average, 1.6% seasoned adverse rate, one of the lowest in the state.
2026 evidence: Georgia's motor fuel excise is 33.3 cents per gallon for gasoline and 37.3 cents for diesel for 2026 (Georgia Department of Revenue). The Governor suspended collection by executive order several times in 2026, most recently through November 30, 2026. Our studies model fuel margin with the full excise in place, never on a temporary suspension. Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America in Bryan County supports roughly 4,420 jobs across the companies on site and has expanded hybrid production, including the Kia Sportage hybrid from June 2026, which supports continued fuel demand along the coastal I-16 and I-95 corridors.
Method: fuel volume from DOT traffic counts, turn-in rate and competitive fueling positions, with inside sales built separately.
Full guide →SBA car wash feasibility study in Georgia
Georgia record: 293 loans, $500.2 million, $1.7 million average, 5.7% seasoned adverse rate.
2026 evidence: The International Carwash Association describes industry growth as having normalized at about 6% a year, with saturation rising in 2026. Metro Atlanta has an active field of multi-site express tunnel operators, including Thomaston-based Tidal Wave, Tommy's Express, Mister, Whistle Express, Take 5 and Caliber. A Georgia car wash study must inventory every express tunnel within the trade area, measure its throughput capacity and model membership penetration, because a capture rate asserted rather than derived is the most common reason car wash studies are returned.
Method: capture rate derived from AADT at the driveway, trade-area households and competitor tunnel capacity.
Full guide →SBA self-storage feasibility study in Georgia
Georgia record: 137 loans, $162.7 million, $1.2 million average, 1.9% seasoned adverse rate.
2026 evidence: Atlanta led U.S. self-storage construction in 2025, and the City of Atlanta then reversed course. Mayor Andre Dickens signed an executive order in June 2026 halting new self-storage permits, and the City Council approved a 180-day moratorium in July 2026 under legislation sponsored by Councilmember Dustin Hillis. A companion ordinance co-sponsored by all 15 councilmembers would require a special use permit for every new self-storage facility citywide, building on the existing prohibition within 500 feet of the Atlanta BeltLine. For sites inside the city limits, entitlement risk is now the first question a study must answer. For suburban metro sites, the question is absorption against recent deliveries.
Method: net rentable square feet per capita in the trade area against supply, plus absorption.
Full guide →SBA childcare feasibility study in Georgia
Georgia record: 654 loans, $748.2 million, $1.1 million average, 4.4% seasoned adverse rate.
2026 evidence: Georgia's lottery-funded Pre-K program is universal for 4-year-olds, and the Department of Early Care and Learning administers both licensing and the CAPS childcare subsidy. A Georgia center study models Pre-K classroom revenue, CAPS-funded enrollment and private-pay enrollment as separate streams, because each carries a different rate, a different collection pattern and a different policy risk. Licensing capacity, ratios and staffing cost drive coverage more than enrollment demand alone.
Method: age-cohort demand against licensed capacity in the trade area, with enrollment ramp by age band.
Full guide →SBA assisted living feasibility study in Georgia
Georgia record: 119 loans, $190.3 million, $1.6 million average, 2.2% seasoned adverse rate.
2026 evidence: NIC MAP data released October 1, 2026 put Atlanta senior housing occupancy at 87.2% in the third quarter of 2026, among the lowest of NIC's 31 primary markets, while 16 of those markets were at 90% or higher. Atlanta is recovering, but a Georgia assisted living study must justify its lease-up pace with submarket penetration rates rather than national headlines.
Method: penetration rate against age- and income-qualified households, with competitor unit inventory and acuity mix.
Full guide →SBA trucking and logistics feasibility study in Georgia
Georgia record: 629 loans, $242.8 million, $386,000 average, 13.7% seasoned adverse rate, among the highest in the state.
2026 evidence: The Port of Savannah handled 5.67 million TEUs in fiscal 2026, close to the prior year, then set a monthly record of 504,015 TEUs in September 2026. The Georgia Ports Authority opened its Gainesville inland port in May 2026. Volume is recovering, not booming, and combined with the state's adverse rate on trucking loans, Georgia trucking studies need conservative lane-rate and utilization assumptions.
Full guide →SBA restaurant feasibility study in Georgia
Georgia record: 3,069 loans, the state's largest SBA class by count, $1.79 billion, $584,000 average, 8.1% seasoned adverse rate. Franchise concepts must appear on the SBA Franchise Directory before a study is engaged, and per-store sales are benchmarked to the system's own Item 19 disclosures.
Full guide →Other Georgia asset classes
We also prepare Georgia studies for manufacturing (1,199 loans; 8.6%), medical and dental practices (805; 6.2%), liquor stores (600; 3.5%), where Georgia licensing is set locally and license transferability must be confirmed, fitness centers (392; 11.6%), veterinary clinics (224; 1.6%), event venues (178), breweries, distilleries and wineries (89; 20.6%), laundromats (78; 14.0%), RV parks (17) and marinas (5).
Medical officeFitness centerBreweryLaundromatRV parkAll 18 property types
Full guide →Georgia markets we cover
SBA lending has no geographic eligibility test, so our Georgia work follows the state's distinct economies. Georgia added about 98,500 residents between 2024 and 2025, and Census Vintage 2025 estimates placed Jackson, Long and Dawson counties among the ten fastest-growing counties in the United States.
SBA feasibility studies in Atlanta
Metro Atlanta's five-county core of Fulton, Gwinnett, Cobb, DeKalb and Forsyth carries most of Georgia's SBA volume, and Fulton added more residents in 2025 than any other Georgia county. Studies here turn on submarket rents from Buckhead and Midtown to Alpharetta and Marietta, express tunnel and self-storage saturation, and city entitlement rules.
SBA feasibility studies in Savannah and the coast
Port growth and the Hyundai Metaplant in Bryan County drive industrial, lodging and fuel demand. Long County, south of Savannah, is among the fastest-growing counties in the country. Hotel studies carry Savannah's 8% hotel-motel tax.
SBA feasibility studies in Augusta
Masters week compression defines lodging and restaurant underwriting, alongside Fort Gordon and the medical district.
SBA feasibility studies in Columbus, Macon and Athens
Columbus is anchored by Fort Benning, Macon and Warner Robins by Robins Air Force Base, and Athens by the University of Georgia. Each produces demand that is steady but concentrated, and a study must test what happens if the anchor's footprint changes.
The I-75, I-85 and I-16 corridors
Growth spines north of Atlanta through Jackson and Dawson counties and south toward Macon and the coast support fuel, lodging, truck and storage projects, many of them in counties that now qualify for SBA's FY2027 rural fee waivers.
SBA program terms for Georgia borrowers, FY2027
SOP 50 10 8.1 took effect on October 1, 2026, and SBA's FY2027 fee schedules apply to loans approved from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027.
| Program terms | 7(a) | 504 |
|---|---|---|
| Maximum loan | $5 million | $5 million debenture; $5.5 million for manufacturers and qualifying energy projects |
| Combined capacity | Up to $10 million across 7(a) and 504 per borrower since July 4, 2026 (Policy Notice 5000-879058) | Same |
| Guaranty / structure | 85% on loans up to $150,000, 75% above | 50% third-party first mortgage, 40% CDC debenture, 10% borrower minimum |
| Upfront SBA fee (FY2027) | 2% of guaranteed portion up to $150,000; 3% from $150,001 to $700,000; 3.5% of the guaranteed portion up to $1 million plus 3.75% above $1 million on larger loans | 0.50% |
| Ongoing SBA fee (FY2027) | 0.55% annual service fee, paid by the lender | 0.203% annual service fee (0.204% for Debt Refinance Without Expansion) |
| FY2027 fee waivers | 0% upfront fee on loans of $700,000 or less to manufacturers, listed food-supply-chain businesses and businesses in rural areas | Both fees waived for manufacturers, listed food-supply-chain businesses and rural businesses |
| Equity injection | Minimum 10% for start-ups and complete changes of ownership | 10% standard, 15% for a start-up or special-purpose property, 20% for both |
| Acquisition coverage | 1.25x on historical or adjusted earnings for most acquisitions under SOP 50 10 8.1 | Per CDC and lender credit policy |
The rural waivers matter in Georgia. SBA defines a rural area as a county the Census Bureau classifies as at least 30 percent rural, which covers a large share of Georgia's 159 counties outside the major metros. A rural hotel, travel center or RV park in Georgia can now carry materially lower SBA fees than the same project in Fulton County, and our studies apply the fee schedule that actually governs the file. Construction budgets on 504 projects carry up to a 15% contingency.
SOP 50 10 8.1 reference7(a) vs 504
SBA, CDCs and lenders in Georgia
The SBA Georgia District Office
The SBA serves all 159 Georgia counties through the Georgia District Office at 233 Peachtree Street NE, Suite 300, Atlanta, GA 30303 (404-331-0100). Kevin C. Cooke has served as District Director since June 1, 2026, succeeding Terri Denison, who retired in January 2026 after nearly 24 years in the post. Cooke, a Carrollton native and former member of the Georgia House of Representatives, has named rural lender outreach and manufacturing among his priorities. In July 2026, SBA officials described Georgia as the agency's fourth-largest lending district, at about $1.8 billion. The University of Georgia Small Business Development Center network supports borrowers statewide.
Certified Development Companies active in Georgia
Georgia's 504 market is one of the most competitive in the country. CDCs active in the state include Georgia Small Business Capital (a d/b/a of Florida Business Development Corporation, based in Milton, which describes itself as processing more loans than any other company in the state), Florida First Capital Finance Corporation (operating in Georgia as First Capital Finance), Georgia Certified Development Corporation, Augusta-based CSRA Business Lending, Capital Partners CDC, Gainesville-based Small Business Access Partners, and Coastal Area District Development Authority. The CDC underwrites the debenture, addresses special-purpose status in its credit memorandum and carries the package through SBA processing. In a competitive field, CDC selection can also change the borrower's injection and fees, so compare programs before committing a file.
Lenders active in Georgia
Georgia's SBA lender field includes Synovus, Ameris Bank, Fitzgerald-based Colony Bank, Metro City Bank, United Community Bank and Georgia's Own Credit Union, alongside national SBA lenders including Live Oak Bank, Newtek, Huntington, Celtic and ReadyCap.
Lender continuity in 2026
On May 1, 2026, the Georgia Department of Banking and Finance closed LaGrange-based Community Bank & Trust – West Georgia, the second U.S. bank failure of the year. The bank held about $288 million in assets, Anchor Bank assumed its insured deposits, and the FDIC estimated the cost to the Deposit Insurance Fund at about $97 million. The bank had expanded government-guaranteed lending quickly. The practical lesson for Georgia borrowers is concrete: confirm a lender's condition, preferred-lender status and recent SBA activity before committing a deal to it, and make sure your feasibility study's intended-user language can move with the file if the lender changes.
Stacking SBA with Georgia programs
Georgia's State Small Business Credit Initiative, administered by the Department of Community Affairs, received about $199.6 million and runs five sub-programs: the Georgia Loan Participation Program, the Small Business Credit Guarantee Program, the Georgia CDFI Program, the Georgia Venture Capital Program and the Georgia Equity Direct Program. Georgia's Regional Commissions provide gap financing alongside SBA 504 and 7(a) loans, including revolving loan funds. Invest Atlanta has offered commercial down payment assistance for property acquisitions inside the city, and C-PACE financing is available for qualifying energy and efficiency components. A study that models the full capital stack, not just the SBA loan, tests coverage on what the borrower will actually owe.
What a Georgia engagement includes
The report and model
- Conclusion, coverage and conditions stated on page one.
- Trade area defined and justified, with Georgia demographic, traffic and competitive evidence.
- Demand analysis on the accepted method for the asset class, with the arithmetic shown.
- Competitive supply inventoried and measured, including the permit pipeline.
- Operating and global coverage year by year, before and after replacement reserves, monthly through the first 24 months.
- Sensitivity, interest rate stress from 50 to 300 basis points, and breakeven in the unit the reader uses: occupancy, cars per day, gallons per month, units leased.
- A fully linked Excel model with no hardcoded calculation cells and a source on every input.
- Conditions precedent itemized, each with the curing document named.
How it works
- Scope and quote. Send the project, program, lender and deadline. A fixed written fee follows within one business day.
- Document request tailored to the deal.
- Market, site and technical analysis.
- Model, stress testing and draft.
- Standard delivery is 10 to 15 business days from complete data; hotels take 12 to 20 business days. Rush delivery is available, with the fee and date fixed in your proposal. Lender and CDC question support through closing is included.
Our fee is fixed, quoted in writing before work begins, never a percentage of the project and never contingent on the finding. A feasibility study is not an appraisal and contains no opinion of value.
Cost and timelineSample report contentsDocument checklistDSCR calculatorFor lenders and CDCs
Georgia SBA feasibility study FAQ
Project Types Covered in Georgia
Hotels and Motels
NAICS 7211 family
RV Parks and Campgrounds
NAICS 721211
Restaurants
NAICS 7225 family
Event Venues
NAICS No dedicated NAICS; 812990 proxy segment
Car Washes
NAICS 811192
Gas Stations and C-Stores
NAICS 447 and 457 families
Self-Storage
NAICS 531130
Childcare Centers
NAICS 624410
Assisted Living
NAICS 6233 family
Medical and Dental Practices
NAICS 6211, 6212
Veterinary Clinics
NAICS 541940
Fitness Centers
NAICS 713940
Laundromats
NAICS 812310
Liquor Stores
NAICS 445310, 445320
Trucking and Logistics
NAICS 484, 4885, 4931 families
Manufacturing
NAICS 31-33
Breweries, Distilleries and Wineries
NAICS 3121
Marinas and Boat Storage
NAICS 713930
Fixed fees from $4,900. Typical single-site ranges: gas station and c-store $4,900–$12,000; car wash $4,900–$14,000; self-storage $4,900–$15,000; restaurant and QSR $4,900–$10,000; hotel $4,900–$25,000+; RV park $4,900–$15,000; medical and dental $4,900–$16,000; childcare $4,900–$10,000; event venue $4,900–$14,000; fitness $4,900–$12,000; brewery and distillery $4,900–$14,000. The final fee is fixed in a written proposal before you sign.
Standard delivery is 10 to 15 business days from complete data; hotels take 12 to 20 business days. Rush delivery is available, with the fee and date fixed in your proposal.
Does the SBA require a feasibility study in Georgia?
Not on every loan. SOP 50 10 8.1 requires the lender to underwrite prudently and document it. Georgia lenders and CDCs routinely ask for a study on start-ups, ground-up construction, special-purpose properties such as hotels, gas stations and car washes, and 504 projects with saturation or concentration risk, because repayment on those files rests on projections.
How much does an SBA feasibility study cost in Georgia?
Our fee is fixed and quoted in writing within one business day, scoped to the asset class, project size and complexity. It is never a percentage of the deal and never contingent on the finding. The quote and a call with your lender are free.
How long does a feasibility study take?
Standard delivery is 10 to 15 business days from complete data; hotels take 12 to 20 business days. Rush delivery is available, with the fee and date fixed in your proposal.
Who reviews the feasibility study on a Georgia SBA loan?
The participating lender's underwriter and credit committee, and on 504 loans the CDC, which addresses the study in its credit memorandum before the package goes to SBA processing. We write for those reviewers and stay available to them through closing.
Is your firm actually based in Georgia?
Yes. SBA Feasibility Study LLC is headquartered at 171 17th Street NW in Atlanta and works nationally. Studies are signed by the firm under the principal review of David Jones, MAI, CCIM.
How did SOP 50 10 8.1 change SBA loans in Georgia?
It took effect on October 1, 2026. Most 7(a) business acquisitions now need at least 1.25x coverage on historical or adjusted earnings, so projections cannot meet that floor. Start-ups, construction, expansions and special-purpose properties still rest on projections, and a September 2026 technical update allows up to 25-year amortization when a business is bought with its owner-occupied special-purpose property.
Can one Georgia borrower use both a 7(a) and a 504 loan?
Yes. Since July 4, 2026, a borrower can hold up to $5 million in 7(a) and up to $5 million in 504 at the same time, for $10 million of combined capacity. The study should test coverage on the combined debt service, not on each loan alone.
Are SBA fees lower for rural Georgia projects?
For loans approved in FY2027, yes. 7(a) loans of $700,000 or less to rural businesses carry a 0% upfront fee, and 504 loans to rural businesses carry neither the upfront nor the annual SBA fee. Rural means a county the Census Bureau classifies as at least 30 percent rural.
Is a feasibility study the same as an appraisal or a business plan?
No. An appraisal is a USPAP opinion of value, and a business plan is written by the borrower. A feasibility study is an independent test of demand, revenue, costs and debt service coverage for the lender. Most special-purpose SBA projects need both an appraisal and a study.
Do you prepare studies for USDA loans in Georgia?
Yes. USDA guaranteed lending, including Business and Industry loans, has its own, more explicit feasibility requirements. Many rural Georgia projects qualify for both SBA and USDA routes.
Talk to a Georgia SBA feasibility study consultant
Fifteen-minute scoping call, a written fixed-fee proposal within one business day, and a free call with your lender or CDC before you engage us.