Gilbert, AZ Rental Property Rules: Rental Registration (2026)

Chapter 14, Article II of the Code of Gilbert folds commercial landlords into the same licensing scheme used for every other business operating in town. Section 14-36(b) states that 'transient merchants and owners of commercial rental properties located in the town shall obtain a business license in accordance with this article and article VI,' overriding the general fixed-location test in subsection (a). ' An owner with three commercial rental buildings therefore files three separate applications, each subject to its own nonrefundable license fee set by town council resolution (§ 14-38(a)(1)).

Applications go to the development services director on a form calling for the business trade name, property address, mailing address, owner information, telephone number, nature of the business, employee count and start date (§ 14-38(a)(2)); the director must approve or deny within 30 days or the application is deemed approved. Licenses run for one year from issuance and are not transferable between persons or locations (§ 14-36(c)); a change of ownership or location triggers a new application under § 14-37(d). As a condition of the license, the owner must also comply with the town zoning code and every other applicable code (§ 14-36(d)).

Licenses become delinquent 30 days after a fee is due, at which point the development services director refers the account to code compliance to confirm the business is still operating before enforcement begins (§ 14-6). This licensing track is separate from, and additional to, the short-term rental license required under Article III for properties rented on a transient basis.