City Clerk's Office 

Business Licensing

Per City Ordinance 371, Title 11 of the City Code, anyone operating a business in the City of Sierra Vista must have a Business License. Application for business licenses are subject to approval through the City Clerk, Zoning Administrator and Fire Department. An application takes approximately two weeks for approval. You must provide the following information.

Arizona Sales Tax number, if applicable to your business. Failure to provide a sales tax number can result in revocation of your business license.

If your business is operated from your home, and you do not own the home, a letter of permission from the homeowner must be attached to the application.

Fire extinguishers must be present in every business, whether for the home of office (size2A10BC minimal).

All other applicable requirements as stated by the Business License Clerk.

BILLING: Business Licenses are billed annually on January 1. It is essential that you pay upon receipt of the billing in order to have a current operating business license. A business license will not be published until all fees are paid. A current business license must be displayed at all times.

CHANGES: If you have any change of information on your business license, a new application must be submitted to the Clerk in order to verify and approve the updated information. Such changes would include: change of business name, change of ownership, change of address, change of service or product information, etc. WRITTEN NOTIFICATION IS REQUIRED WHEN YOU DISCONTINUE BUSINESS. We do not purge because of non-payment.

DELINQUENCY/PENALTY: After the first month of billing, your account is assessed a ten percent penalty for non-payment. YOU ARE IN VIOLATION OF ORDINANCE D371 AND OPERATING WITHOUT A CURRENT BUSINESS LICENSE. You risk revocation of your business license. Failure to pay your license in a timely manner will result in court action for collection.

FEES: Business License fees are $130.00 annually, payable January 1 of each year.

The forms needed to apply for a business license vary according to the type and location of the business in question. All of these forms can be downloaded from this site.

To determine which forms you need to license your business, please answer the following questions:

What kind of business do you plan to operate?
A completed Business License Application is required for the following types of businesses: restaurant, medical office, general office, entertainment, auto service, consumer service, contractor, manufacturing, service, distributor, and retail sales.

Is your business permanent or temporary?
If you plan to operate a permanent business, complete the business license application. If you plan to operate a temporary business associated with a special event or purpose (concert, festival, parking lot sale, etc.), complete an Application for Special Business License Permit.

Will you operate your business at a commercial location or out of your home?
If you will be conducting business at a commercial location, you must complete a Zoning Compliance Certificate and get it approved by the Community Development Department and the Fire Department. If you live within the limits of the City of Sierra Vista and plan to operate a business out of your home, you must complete a Home Occupation Application. See also Home Occupations

Has the location, ownership, or name of your business changed?
In the event that the location, ownership, or name of your business changes, you will need to update your business license by completing a Business License Update Form. A change in location also requires that you complete either a new zoning compliance certificate or a new home occupation application.