FTZ 26 serves the Atlanta area, FTZ 104 serves the Savannah area, and FTZ 144 serves Brunswick. Each has its own grantee, service area, approved sites, subzones, and activation status. Choosing among them is a question of port or airport routing, customer geography, inventory dwell, re-export activity, and whether the specific building under consideration is currently activated by CBP.

Georgia's three zone gateways

Georgia's foreign trade zone network is organized around three major trade gateways. Together they cover containerized imports, air cargo, roll-on and roll-off cargo, manufacturing, warehousing, fulfillment, and inland distribution. A company's location and activity must fall within the applicable service area and receive the required approvals.

The zone number describes the network a site belongs to rather than a benefit level. All three operate under the same federal framework set out in the foreign trade zone guide: the Foreign-Trade Zones Act of 1934, the Board regulations at 15 CFR Part 400, and the CBP regulations at 19 CFR Part 146. A foreign trade zone does not automatically reduce or eliminate tariffs. Classification, origin, zone status, Chapter 99 measures, and trade remedies determine the duty treatment of merchandise entered for United States consumption.

How designation and activation work

Three separate processes are often compressed into the single word activation, and keeping them apart makes any timeline easier to plan against.

Foreign-Trade Zones Board designation

The Board approves a site, a usage-driven site, or a subzone. Under the Alternative Site Framework, some complete minor boundary modification requests carry a standard 30-day processing period, while subzone applications generally have longer processing windows. Designation establishes that the location may be used for zone purposes.

CBP activation

After designation, the operator applies to local CBP for approval to operate the site under zone procedures. That review covers the operator agreement, procedures manual, bond, physical security, background checks, inventory controls, and automation readiness. Until activation is complete, foreign merchandise cannot be admitted at the site under zone procedures.

Customer onboarding

A company using an already-activated operation becomes a zone user under an agreement with the operator. The work typically includes feasibility review, importer and broker setup, item and classification and origin data, warehouse and enterprise system mapping, testing, standard operating procedures, and go-live.

Choosing a Georgia gateway

For most importers the choice follows freight rather than geography for its own sake.

• Container imports arriving by ocean. The Savannah-area network is the natural fit, because shortening the distance between berth and building removes a trucking leg and reduces exposure to detention and demurrage.
• Air cargo and inland manufacturing. The Atlanta-area network suits programs where product arrives by air or where zone treatment is attached to a manufacturing site inland.
• Vehicles, machinery, and oversized units. Brunswick specializes in roll-on and roll-off cargo, and heavy or high-value units frequently route there.
• National ground coverage. A Georgia coastal position reaches roughly 70 percent of the United States population within two-day small parcel ground service via I-95 and I-16, with coverage improving inland along the Savannah-to-Atlanta corridor — so a single coastal inventory position can serve national demand without splitting stock.

Two further questions decide the outcome as often as the gateway does. Whether the specific building is currently CBP activated, and whether the operator's fulfillment capability matches the service requirement. A compliant zone attached to the wrong facility is a poor result even when the duty arithmetic works. The trade-off between a coastal position and an inland hub is examined in 3PL Atlanta and 3PL Savannah.

Komar Distribution Services within FTZ 104

The primary Georgia zone operation of Komar Distribution Services is a 760,000 square foot, temperature-controlled Class A distribution center at 2119 Oracal Parkway in Ellabell, roughly 24 miles from the Port of Savannah. The building is FTZ activated and supports ecommerce fulfillment, retail distribution, value-added services, and scalable inventory programs, with owned drayage moving containers from berth to building.

Komar Distribution Services has also received Foreign-Trade Zones Board approval for Subzone 104W at 385 Morgan Lakes Industrial Boulevard in Pooler, Georgia, which adds capacity and operational flexibility. Board approval is the designation step. CBP activation is a separate operational approval that must be completed before foreign merchandise can be admitted at that location under zone procedures, so importers should confirm the current operating status and onboarding requirements before routing cargo.

Pairing zone treatment with statewide distribution

A Georgia warehouse decision is rarely made on customs treatment alone. The state combines the Port of Savannah's container gateway, the Port of Brunswick's roll-on and roll-off specialization, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, interstate access, and an extensive rail network. That connectivity supports port-to-warehouse moves, regional replenishment, national distribution, ecommerce fulfillment, retail routing, and re-export programs from one statewide logistics platform.

Within a broader distribution plan, zone treatment adds customs and cash flow flexibility to a physical model that still has to meet service, inventory, transportation, systems, and compliance requirements on its own terms. The strongest programs connect the zone procedure to an operating model that already works, rather than treating the designation as a benefit in isolation. The regional case is set out in the 3PL Georgia pillar, and the duty mechanics are worked through in the FTZ Georgia guide.

Importers weighing Georgia against a second gateway elsewhere in the network can hold inventory on the same systems and processes in Perris, California and McAlester, Oklahoma, which keeps a single view of inventory across positions. For companies choosing between structures rather than locations, our bonded warehouse versus FTZ comparison sets out that decision.

Key takeaways

Frequently asked questions

How many foreign trade zones are in Georgia?

Georgia's established network includes FTZ 26 in the Atlanta area, FTZ 104 in the Savannah area, and FTZ 144 in the Brunswick area. Each has its own grantee, service area, approved sites, subzones, and activation status.

Is a Georgia free trade zone the same as a foreign trade zone?

In common usage the phrases are treated as the same thing, and the intended meaning is a Foreign-Trade Zone under the United States program. Free trade zone is the broader international term for special customs areas operated under other countries' law.

Which Georgia zone covers the Port of Savannah?

FTZ 104 serves the Savannah area, including port-adjacent warehousing, fulfillment, and re-export programs. Individual sites and subzones within that network each carry their own approval and activation status.

Where is the Georgia zone facility of Komar Distribution Services?

The primary operation is a 760,000 square foot temperature-controlled distribution center at 2119 Oracal Parkway in Ellabell, near the Port of Savannah. Komar Distribution Services has also received Board approval for Subzone 104W at 385 Morgan Lakes Industrial Boulevard in Pooler.

Does being in a Georgia zone reduce tariffs?

Not automatically. Zone procedures can defer duty, and United States duty is generally not paid on qualifying re-exports. Classification, origin, zone status, Chapter 99 measures, and trade remedies determine the duty treatment of merchandise entered for consumption.

How long does it take to start using a Georgia zone?

For a site that is already activated, Komar Distribution Services generally plans 30 to 60 days for a full implementation. Straightforward programs may move faster, and complex products, systems, partner government agency requirements, or CBP workload can extend the timeline.

Sources and further reading

• Official FTZ Information System: zone and subzone records
• International Trade Administration: FTZ case processing times
• 15 CFR Part 400: Foreign-Trade Zones Board regulations
• 19 CFR Part 146: Foreign Trade Zones
• Georgia Department of Economic Development: Logistics in Georgia