My plan

Starting a business in Gilbert, Arizona

Gilbert requires a town business license for every commercial and home-based business located in Gilbert. Taxable businesses also add Gilbert to their state TPT license, a few activities have their own town rules, and food businesses are permitted by Maricopa County.

Every item checked November 5, 2026 against the linked official source. Fees are shown only where an official source documents them, and they’re paid directly to the agency listed — FirstBizGuide isn’t a government agency and doesn’t charge fees or file applications. Not legal advice.

About your business (choose all that apply)

  • Register your business

    • Articles of Organization for an LLC: $50 regular or $85 expedited. Reserving a name first is optional ($10, or $45 expedited). Unless your statutory agent's street address is in Maricopa or Pima County, a notice of the filing must be published in a newspaper after approval. [source]

      • LLC Articles of Organization (regular): $50 [source]

      Agency: Arizona Corporation Commission

    • Optional. It records a business name publicly but does not give exclusive rights to it. Lasts 5 years; renew within the 6 months before it expires. [source]

      Agency: Arizona Secretary of State

    • The IRS issues EINs free. Sites that charge for this are third parties. [source]

      Agency: Internal Revenue Service

  • State and city tax licenses

    • Apply on AZTaxes.gov; the license number is issued the same day and the certificate is mailed in about 7–10 business days. Your city's tax license is handled through the same ADOR application. Exempt handymen generally don't need one. [source]

      Agency: Arizona Department of Revenue

    • Gilbert tax is licensed, filed and collected through the Arizona Department of Revenue on AZTaxes.gov. ADOR's Gilbert profile lists a $2 town license fee and a $0 renewal fee. Gilbert's general rate rose from 1.5% to 2.0% on January 1, 2025 (retail and restaurants 2.0%). [source] [source]

      • Gilbert town tax license (via ADOR; $0 renewal): $2 [source]

      Agency: Arizona Department of Revenue / Town of Gilbert Tax Compliance

  • If you hire employees

    • Also required: workers' compensation insurance (paid entirely by the employer), reporting each new or rehired employee within 20 days, and E-Verify for all new employees. [source]

      Agency: ADOR and Arizona DES

  • Industry licenses

    • Generally required for construction work of $1,000 or more in labor and materials, or whenever a building permit is needed. Work under the exemption must be advertised as "not a licensed contractor." Lawn, garden, shrub and tree maintenance only is exempt. [source]

      Agency: Arizona Registrar of Contractors

  • Food businesses

    • Created by HB 2371 (2018): valid statewide, a separate license for each unit, renewed yearly; employees need food handler cards. Confirm current statute text, which may have been amended. [source]

      Agency: County health department

    • The Board of Supervisors approved new environmental health fees (case ES-2025-004) on August 19, 2026; fees for new permit applications took effect immediately, and existing permits see the new fee at their next renewal. New annual operating permits for an eating & drinking establishment (Class 4): $539 with 0–9 seats and $1,015 with 10+ seats (other classes range from $373 to $808). Plan review: $728 for an eating & drinking establishment with 0–9 seats; $919 for all other food establishments. [source] [source] [source]

      • Maricopa plan review — eating & drinking, 0–9 seats: $728 [source]
      • Maricopa annual permit — eating & drinking, 0–9 seats (Class 4): $539 per year [source]

      Agency: Maricopa County Environmental Services

    • Maricopa County annual mobile food permits (ES-2025-004, approved August 19, 2026): Type I $290, Type II $341, Type III $610. Plan review: Type II $306, Type III $300. Gilbert's Business Licensing page links a Mobile Food Truck Vendor Guide and the town's Mobile Food Vending (Food Trucks) ordinance; check town license and location requirements with Business Licensing (480-503-6700). [source] [source] [source] [source]

      • Maricopa mobile food Type III annual permit: $610 per year [source]
      • Maricopa mobile food Type III plan review: $300 [source]

      Agency: Maricopa County Environmental Services and Town of Gilbert

  • City licenses

    • Every commercial and home-based business located in Gilbert must have a town business license; it applies to businesses with a physical location in Gilbert. Apply and renew online; online payments carry a 3.1% convenience fee. Vendors at trade shows, farmers markets and festivals may also need a business license. The current license fee is on the town's Business License Fees page, which could not be verified. [source] [source] [source]

      Agency: Town of Gilbert Development Services — Business Licensing

    • Gilbert's licensing page lists separate ordinances and checklists for massage establishments, pawnbrokers/junk/secondhand dealers, transient merchants, mobile food vending, home day care and residential day care (6–10 children), and conducting business in a public park. Liquor licenses are handled by the Arizona Department of Liquor. [source] [source]

      Agency: Town of Gilbert Development Services

  • Zoning and home businesses

    • A business license is required for all home-based businesses, reviewed case by case. The business must be inside the home or an accessory structure and incidental to residential use; no more than one full-time employee besides resident family members; no exterior signs, displays or outdoor storage; no noise, odors, glare, fumes or hazardous chemicals beyond household use; no more traffic than normal for a residential area; all parking on site; the home can't be a place where employees assemble or are dispatched from. Every home business completes a Wastewater Questionnaire; firearms businesses provide their federal license. (Guidelines dated July 19, 2011 — confirm with Development Services, 480-503-6700.) [source] [source]

      Agency: Town of Gilbert Development Services

Not yet verified for Gilbert: Gilbert business license fee (the town's Business License Fees page could not be reached; an older town special-event fee sheet lists $35 first time / $15 renewal, but its date and currency are unconfirmed); Gilbert exemptions from the business license; Gilbert mobile food vending license requirements and fees (town code site could not be loaded); Whether the 2011 home occupation guidelines still match the current Land Development Code; Massage, secondhand dealer and short-term rental license fees; Building permits, certificate of occupancy, fire inspections and sign permits; Liquor licenses (Arizona Department of Liquor Licenses and Control); Short-term rental licensing; Rules for contractors based outside Gilbert.
See progress in My plan

Sources