Gilbert, AZ Home Business: Zoning & Home Occupation Permits (2026)

There is no separate home occupation permit in Gilbert: a home-based business gets the same business license required of any fixed-location business. Section 14-36(a) requires all persons engaging in any business within the town from a fixed location, except for those exempted by subsection (f) of this section, to obtain a license and pay a yearly fee set by the Town Council. Section 14-38(a) routes the application to the development services director and requires the trade name, business address, mailing address, owner name, phone number, nature of the business, employee count, and start date, plus a nonrefundable license fee.

The department has 30 days to approve or deny the application; miss that window and the application is deemed approved. Licenses run one year, are not transferable between people, and must be renewed annually under Section 14-36(c). 3. Home occupations get one procedural break under Section 14-42(a): instead of posting the license publicly the way a storefront must, the operator only has to present it whenever requested to do so by the development services director, any police officer or the code compliance manager. Sole proprietors and husband-and-wife businesses must also satisfy Employer Sanctions Act identification requirements under Section 14-39 before a license can issue.