Most relocation stress is not the move itself — it is the paperwork queue waiting on the other side. This guide lays out a practical first 90 days for households landing in Cumming, Alpharetta, Johns Creek, Suwanee, Duluth, and the surrounding North Atlanta area: what to do before you arrive, what Georgia expects in the first month, and what to settle by day 90. Rules and dates change; treat this as a checklist to verify, not gospel, and confirm specifics with the county, your school district, and the Georgia DDS.
Before you arrive
Decide rent-first or buy-first honestly. Renting for six months costs money, but buying the wrong neighborhood costs more. If schools drive your decision, verify the assigned schools for the exact address of any home you are considering — attendance zones are address-specific, they change, and a listing's school fields are a starting point, not a promise. Line up school paperwork early: Georgia enrollment generally requires proof of residency, a Georgia Certificate of Immunization (Form 3231), and a vision, hearing, dental, and nutrition screening certificate (Form 3300) for children entering a Georgia school for the first time. School registrars can tell you exactly what your district accepts. If you are buying, get the pre-approval done before the house hunt, and set up saved-search alerts so new listings in your target zones reach you the day they post.
Days 1–30: the Georgia deadlines
Driver's license and vehicles. New Georgia residents generally must get a Georgia driver's license within 30 days of establishing residency, and title and register vehicles within 30 days as well. Most gasoline vehicles in Forsyth and Fulton counties also need an emissions inspection before registration — get it done before your DDS and tag office visits, not after. Utilities. Power in this area comes from Georgia Power or Sawnee EMC depending on the exact address; water and sewer are county or city services (Forsyth County Water, for example); natural gas, where present, is bought through a Georgia gas marketer rather than the utility itself. Start service a day or two before move-in, and file your USPS change of address the same week. Voting and basics. Register to vote once your license is sorted, find your Forsyth County or city library branch, and — if you closed on a home — put the April 1 homestead exemption deadline on the calendar now (see our homestead guide for how it works).
Days 31–60: settle the household
Finish school enrollment if it is still pending, and learn your district's calendar — Forsyth County Schools and Fulton County Schools start the year earlier than many northern districts, which surprises relocating families every summer. Line up your medical bench (primary care, dentist, pediatrician) while you are healthy rather than when you are not. If you will commute on GA 400 or the I-85 corridor, look at the express lanes and a Peach Pass account before your first rush hour, not during it. Renters with plans to buy: use these weeks to walk your target neighborhoods at different times of day, then convert the rental search into a purchase search with your agent so the learning compounds instead of restarting.
Days 61–90: money rhythm and local roots
Georgia property tax bills are typically issued in the fall with due dates late in the year — confirm your county's exact dates with the Tax Commissioner and calendar them, because the first bill after a purchase often arrives without much warning and may not reflect your homestead exemption yet. Review your homeowner's insurance once you have lived with the house a few months; the true cost of a home is clearer after a season. Build your local bench — HVAC, plumber, electrician, lawn care — from neighbor and agent referrals before you need one at 9 p.m. And if you bought with a plan to reassess in a year, set a reminder to review your home's value and your exemption status each spring.
The thread through all 90 days
Front-load the deadlines the state sets (30 days for license and tags, April 1 for homestead), verify anything a listing or a neighbor tells you against the county and district sources, and keep one folder — paper or digital — with the closing documents, exemption filing, and registrations together. If the housing side of the move is still open, the relocation hub on this site and a short call with Satish will turn this general checklist into one written for your exact address and timeline.