Location: County-City Public Works Building, 201 N Stone Ave, Tucson, AZ, 85701
License team customer service email: License@tucsonaz.gov
License team customer service phone: (520) 791-4566 Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Mailing Address: City of Tucson License Section, PO Box 27210, Tucson, AZ, 85726-7210
Investigations team customer service email: Tax-Investigations@tucsonaz.gov
Investigations team customer service phone: (520) 791-4247
Business License Customer Service Counter
Located inside the Tucson Development Center, on the north side of the first floor of County-City Public Works Building, 201 N Stone Ave, Tucson, AZ, 85701
- In-person “walk-in” hours are Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Applicants and business owners are asked to please check in upon arrival at one of the QLess kiosks located in the Tucson Development Center.
- In-person customer service appointments may be scheduled on Fridays by calling the License team customer service phone line at (520) 791-4566
- The License team customer service phone is operational Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- License team customer service is also available via email.
Parking
There are many parking options available for customers. The closest City parking garage to the County-City Public Works Center is the ParkTucson Library Garage, at 45 W Alameda St, on the south side of Alameda across from the Public Works Center. The first hour of parking at the Library Garage is free. The hourly parking rate is $1 per hour after that.
Important Tax Information
Tax licenses for all cities and towns in Arizona are administered by the Arizona Department of Revenue (AZDOR). Learn more at the AZDOR web page.
The City of Tucson does require business licenses for businesses operating in Tucson. Please review our Apply page for information on obtaining a new business license.
Special Event Vendor Licenses
The City of Tucson does require special event business licenses for vendors conducting business at events like the Tucson Gem Mineral and Fossil Showcase, the 4th Avenue Street Fair, the Fiesta De Los Vaqueros Rodeo Parade, and all other simlar events. For confirmation of whether you have the required licenses for events in the City of Tucson, please read the following directions:
Gem Show Vendors: Please contact the Revenue Investigations Section at (520) 791-4247, or via e-mail at Tax-Investigations@tucsonaz.gov.
All Other Special Event Vendors (excluding vendors for the 4th Avenue Street Fair or the Tucson Rodeo Parade): Please contact the License Section at (520) 791-4566 or via e-mail at License@tucsonaz.gov.
Starting with the January 2017 tax period, all current privilege (sales) taxes for the City of Tucson MUST be filed with the Arizona Department of Revenue using the city region code 'TU'.
Any privilege (sales) tax returns for periods up to and including December 2016 should still be filed with the City of Tucson Taxpayer Assistance Group.
Liquor License Applications
Applications for liquor licenses begin with the State of Arizona Department of Liquor Licenses and Control and are then referred to the appropriate local governments. Information regarding the City application fees and review process by Mayor and Council are available on the City Clerk's website. For information regarding the amounts and billing of quarterly liquor license fees for the City, contact the License Section at (520) 791-4566.
Please note that, effective February 1, 2018, the City of Tucson Business Privilege Tax Rate has increased one tenth of a percent to 2.6 percent. This rate change is the result of the November 7th City of Tucson General Election where voters approved Propositions 202 and 203, which authorized a tax increase to support the Reid Park Zoo.
Click this link to access a flyer that lists the affected business activities and also identifies the business activities for which the tax rate did not increase (requires a PDF viewer such as Adobe Reader).(PDF, 94KB)
ADOR Telephone and Website Quick Reference(PDF, 388KB)
This was compiled from a handout distributed by ADOR at some of their recent taxpayer seminars. It lists important telephone numbers for their department, as well as a list of easy steps to locate important TPT-related information on their website.
The entire City Code is available through this link. Refer to Chapter 19 for information regarding City privilege taxes, occupational taxes, and business licenses. Refer to Chapter 7 for information regarding regulated business licenses.
Information Regarding Rental of Commercial Real Property Between Related Parties(PDF, 386KB)
New Business License Downloads
Other Business Resources
Connect Tucson
Connect Tucson is the web portal for the City of Tucson Office of Economic Initiatives. The portal has extensive information for business startup, development, and expansion in our community as well as resources for small business.
Arizona Commerce Authority(ACA)Small Business Services
Small Business Services (SBS) Small Business Services (SBS) has a dual focus. First, to provide information on business licensing and statewide resources for every stage of business development, and second, to serve as an advocate by developing policies and programs addressing the needs of small businesses. Small Business Services works closely with small business owners, entrepreneurs, government officials, community leaders and business organizations. There is a focus on support and opportunities for Arizona’s small, minority-, women-owned and disadvantaged business enterprises.
Checklist Program is a free, interactive resource center or “Go to Site”designed to guide start-up, growing, and out-of-state businesses to commonly requested licensing information. It also includes contact information to statewide resources and assistance to accelerate their business growth.
Develop Your Business contains information geared to assist the growth of Arizona’s small and medium-sized businesses. You will find relevant insights, tips and resources for developing and growing your business.
Tucson Electric Power EasySave Program
The EasySave program is designed to encourage small commercial customers and K-12 schools to make energy efficient equipment upgrades. Rebates are available for upgrades on lighting, refrigeration, controls and HVAC systems.
TEP’s EasySave rebates can help offset a significant portion of the up-front costs associated with installing new energy-efficient equipment. EasySave Trade Allies provide the installation services and apply the rebate to the customer’s project cost.
This program makes it easy and more cost-effective for businesses and K-12 schools to upgrade their equipment. TEP encourages customers who are interested in participating to begin the process immediately as funding is limited.