Business Licensing & Operations in Gilbert, AZ (2026)
8 verified business licensing & operations rules for Gilbert, Arizona, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Adult Entertainment
Gilbert requires a Town sexually oriented business license under Code of Gilbert § 14-406, and the Land Development Code separately spaces these businesses at least 1,320 feet from schools, parks, places of worship, residential districts and homes, and 1,000 feet from another sexually oriented business or liquor-licensed establishment.
Gilbert Sexually Oriented Business Spacing
Heavy RestrictionsGilbert Land Development Code § 5.1.14
5.1.14 Sexually Oriented Businesses A. Location Sexually-Oriented Businesses shall be a minimum distance from the uses set forth in the following table. Measurements shall be made in a straight line in all directions, without regard to intervening structures or objects, from the nearest point on the property line of a parcel containing a sexually-oriented business to the nearest point on the pr...
Massage Establishments
Operating a massage establishment in Gilbert requires a Town massage therapy establishment license under Code of Gilbert § 14-351, background-checked through the police department, and the business must close between 10:30 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. under Section 14-329.
Gilbert Massage Establishment License Rules
Significant RestrictionsCode of Gilbert § 14-329; § 14-351
Sec. 14-329. - Prohibited hours of operation. It shall be unlawful for any massage establishment to remain open for business or provide services any time between the hours of 10:30 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. ... Sec. 14-351. - Types required. (a)Massage therapy establishments. It shall be unlawful for any person to conduct or operate a massage establishment without first obtaining and maintaining in ef...
Tattoo & Body Modification
Tattoo and piercing studios in Gilbert may serve walk-in customers only between 8:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m., a Land Development Code § 5.1.12(B) limit set because the Zoning Code classifies these shops, like pawn shops and smoking lounges, as a 'Non-Traditional Business.' A studio that wants to stay open later must first win a Conditional Use Permit showing the extended hours won't harm nearby uses.
Gilbert Tattoo & Piercing Studio Hours
Some RestrictionsGilbert Land Development Code § 5.1.12(B)
B. Hours of Operation. The hours that a Tattoo/Piercing Studio may be open to the public are limited to between 8:00 am and 11:00 pm. Increased hours of operation may be permitted with approval of a Conditional Use Permit to ensure that there will be no significant adverse impact on the nearby uses.
Tobacco Retail License
A stand-alone smoking lounge, the zoning category Gilbert's Land Development Code applies to hookah lounges, cigar lounges, tobacco clubs and bars, is confined to five commercial zoning districts and layered with distance rules under Land Development Code § 5.1.12(A). A retail tobacco or vape store is a different use entirely, governed instead by the Code of Gilbert § 42-280 product-display rule.
Gilbert Smoke Shop & Lounge Zoning Rules
Significant RestrictionsGilbert Land Development Code § 5.1.12(A)
Non-Traditional Business. Location. In the CC, SC, GC, RC and HVC zoning districts, Non-chartered Financial Institutions, Pawn Shops, and Stand-alone Smoking Lounges shall be located, developed, and operated in compliance with the following standards: 1. Separation Requirements. The minimum separation between any two non-traditional businesses shall be 1,000 feet, as measured in a straight line...
Secondhand Dealers
Secondhand and junk dealers operating in Gilbert must hold a Town business license and pay a reporting fee under Code of Gilbert § 14-203, and Section 14-206(b) bars selling or disposing of any secondhand item for at least ten days after the required police report is filed.
Gilbert Secondhand Dealer License Rules
Significant RestrictionsCode of Gilbert § 14-201; § 14-206(b)
Secondhand dealer means a person conducting the business of buying, selling, trading, exchanging, accepting for sale on consignment, or otherwise dealing in secondhand items or precious items, or both secondhand items and precious items, whether such business is the principal or sole business conducted or is merely incidental to, in connection with or a branch or department of some other busine...
Pawnbrokers
Every pawnbroker operating in Gilbert must hold pawned or purchased items for at least 20 days after filing an electronic transaction report with the Gilbert Police Department, per Code of Gilbert § 14-206(a), on top of the Town business license and reporting fee required by § 14-203.
Gilbert Pawnbroker Reporting & Hold Rules
Significant RestrictionsCode of Gilbert § 14-201; § 14-206(a)
Pawnbroker means a person who is engaged in the business of advancing money on the security of pledged goods or is engaged in the business of purchasing tangible personal property on the condition that it may be redeemed or repurchased by the seller for a fixed or variable price within a fixed or variable period of time. ... (a)A pawnbroker shall in no way alter, destroy, conceal, give away, se...
Auto Repair on Residential Property
Fixing cars at a Gilbert home is boxed in from two directions: the noise code bars repairing, rebuilding or testing any motor vehicle in a residential area between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. if it disturbs a reasonable neighbor, and the home occupation rules require the garage doors stay shut and forbid outdoor storage of parts, fuel or solvents.
Gilbert Residential Vehicle Repair Noise Rule
Significant RestrictionsCode of Gilbert § 42-62(c)(1)
Sec. 42-62. - Special noise sources. (c)Motor vehicles.(1)Vehicle repair. It shall be unlawful for any person within any residential area of the town to repair, rebuild or test any motor vehicle (between the hours of 10:00 p.m. of one day and 5:00 a.m. of the next day) in such a manner that a reasonable person of normal sensitiveness residing in the area is caused discomfort or annoyance.
Towing Companies
Code of Gilbert § 62-5 lets a private property owner authorize the town to post no-sale/no-parking signs and remove unauthorized vehicles for a $25 application fee, and separately lets police tow any vehicle parked without the owner's written permission or authorize a private towing carrier to remove it.
Gilbert Non-Consent Vehicle Towing Rules
Some RestrictionsCode of Gilbert § 62-5
The owner or person in lawful possession of any real property or building may submit an application to authorize the town to act as his agent for the purposes set forth in this subsection. Such application shall be made to the building official and shall be accompanied by an application fee of $25.00. ... The police department shall either cite the violator or on behalf of the owner of the prop...
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