Business Licensing & Operations in Pima County, AZ (2026)
5 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 2 cities in Pima County, Arizona.
Verified from official government sources
Adult Entertainment
Adult activities facilities, arcades, adult bookstores, cabarets, adult theaters and massage establishments offering adult services, are allowed in Pima County's unincorporated CB-2, CI-1, CI-2 and CI-3 zones only as a Type III conditional use, and only if they sit at least 1,000 feet from another such facility and 500 feet from schools, parks, churches and residential zoning under Pima County Code § 18.07.030(I).
Pima County Adult Activities Facility Spacing Rules
Significant RestrictionsPima County Code § 18.07.030(I)
Adult Activities Facility Standards. 1. Purpose. The purpose of this subsection is to provide for the uniform regulation of adult activities facilities by limiting the concentration of adult activities facilities through the imposition of spacing requirements, thereby mitigating crime, maintaining property values, protecting retail trade and preserving the quality of life in rural and residenti...
Massage Establishments
A massage establishment counts as a permitted use only in Pima County's CB-2 general business zone under Pima County Code § 18.45.030(B)(31), and it's expressly barred from Multiple Use (MU) zoning under § 18.37.020(B)(5). The county code doesn't separately license massage businesses; it regulates them purely as a zoning use, defined in § 18.03.020(M)(4).
Pima County Massage Establishment Zoning Rules
Light RestrictionsPima County Code § 18.45.030(B)(31); § 18.03.020(M)(4)
B. Additional uses: ... 31. Massage establishment; ... M. Definitions "M." ... 4. Massage establishment: An establishment in which a person, firm, association or corporation engages in or permits massage activities, including any method of pressure on, friction against, stroking, kneading, rubbing, tapping, pounding, vibrating or stimulating of external soft parts of the body with the hands or ...
Secondhand Dealers
Secondhand and junk dealers in unincorporated Pima County must hold every item they buy or take in pledge for 15 days after reporting it to the sheriff before reselling, destroying, or otherwise disposing of it.
Pima County Secondhand Dealer Holding Period
Some RestrictionsPima County Code § 5.08.060
It is unlawful for any pawnbroker, secondhand dealer, junk dealer or junk collector to deface, alter, change, destroy, part with, conceal, give away, sell or dispose of any goods, wares, merchandise or other articles received on deposit in pawn or pledge, by purchase or otherwise, before and until fifteen days after making out and delivering to the sheriff the report provided to be made and del...
Pawnbrokers
Pawnbrokers operating in unincorporated Pima County, outside Tucson, Marana, Oro Valley, Sahuarita and South Tucson, must deliver a full report of every item taken in pawn or pledge to the sheriff within 24 hours of receiving it.
Pima County Pawnbroker Reporting Requirement
Some RestrictionsPima County Code § 5.08.020
It is unlawful for any pawnbroker, secondhand dealer, junk dealer, junk collector or any employee or agent of any such pawnbroker, secondhand dealer, junk dealer or junk collector within the county to fail, neglect or refuse to make out and deliver to the sheriff within twenty-four hours after the receipt thereof, a full, true and complete report of all goods, wares, merchandise or other articl...
Auto Repair on Residential Property
Unincorporated Pima County allows non-commercial home auto repair on your own vehicle, but caps how many inoperable cars can sit unscreened in the yard.
Pima County Home Auto Repair Rules
Some RestrictionsPima County Code § 18.09.020(P)
Non-commercial home auto repair of motor vehicles is permitted in TH, RH, GR-1, SR, SR-2, SH, CR-1, CR-2, CR-3, CR-4, CR-5, TR, CMH-1, CMH-2, and MU zones as an accessory use to a dwelling unit provided that the vehicle being repaired belongs to the resident of the dwelling unit and further provided that the vehicle and property are in compliance with this section. 2. No more than one u...
Business Licensing & Operations by City in Pima County
2 cities in Pima County have their own business licensing & operations rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.
All Pima County ordinances
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