An After-Hours Establishment is a dance hall location or the premises of a state on-sale retailer liquor licensee, open to patrons during the hours of 2:30 a.m. to 6:00 a.m. where dancing occurs.

Persons under eighteen (18) years of age are prohibited in an after-hours establishment.

No spirituous liquor may be furnished, sold, served or consumed at an after-hours establishment between 2:30 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. If the after-hours licensee holds a liquor license from the state, spirituous liquor service and consumption must terminate upon the hours as required by state law.

Code

Tempe City Code §16A-75 to §16A-99

Step One:  Have the following documents ready or in process before applying

• A plan of operation to ensure compliance with Section 16A-87 and applicable provisions of Tempe City Code (NOTE: any change in the plan of operation must be approved by the City prior to the change becoming effective

• A Transaction Privilege Tax (TPT or sales tax) License is required and must be renewed annually for the business

  Restaurants and Bars include any business where articles of food, drink, or condiment are prepared or served to patrons for consumption on or off the premises. This activity includes bars, lounges, restaurants, caterers, street and mobile vendors and "fast food" establishments.                                                                          Apply, File & Pay Transaction Privilege Tax at AZTaxes.gov                         

• Owners and managing agent's driver's license

• Written manager's agreement  (between owner and manager as to what services the manager is responsible for including following all laws) 

• An accurate floor plan depicting the interior and layout to scale of the premises (diagram of the property)

• A vicinity ownership map showing and labelling all lots within three hundred (300) feet of the exterior boundaries of the lot on which the establishment is located. The three hundred (300) foot measurement shall exclude any public property or public rights-of-way

• A vicinity ownership list, and mailing labels properly addressed, containing names and mailing addresses, with correct zip codes, of owners of all parcels required to be shown on the vicinity ownership map. The owners shall be as shown on the last assessment of the property by the county

• A complex/center tenant list, and mailing labels properly addressed, containing names and mailing addresses, with correct zip codes, of tenants which share the site with the proposed licensee as to use of common points of ingress and egress or common parking areas or facilities

Step Two: A Tempe After-Hours Establishment License is required and must be renewed annually and must include an application for the following to be complete:  

• the after-hours business 

• each individual owner of the after-hours business

If you need a Tempe Regulatory License, you will need to renew before January 1 each year.

BUSINESS APPLICATION 

OWNER APPLICATION

RENEW A LICENSE

CLICK HERE FOR TRAINING VIDEOS ON USING THE ACA LICENSING PORTAL

Step Three: A Tempe Use Permit is required from the Planning Division.

APPLY FOR A USE PERMIT

Pursuant to Section 3-302, Permitted Uses in Office/Industrial Districts, and Section 3-202, Permitted Uses in Commercial and Mixed-Use Districts, of the City of Tempe Zoning and Development Code (ZDC), a Use Permit is required to operate a “pawnshop” in the GID, General Industrial District. The Use Permit application process is identified in Section 6-308, Use Permits, of the ZDC.

Step Four: Fingerprints are required for all applicants so a background investigation can be completed by Tempe Police Dept.  

Click Here to download City of Tempe Fingerprint Packet

The City of Tempe Code requires that all applicants must submit fingerprints to Tempe Police.

Fingerprints may be obtained at any fingerprinting service company in the United States. Tempe Police Department offers fingerprint services to business license applicants free of charge. To check availability, please call Tempe PD Licensing Unit 480-350-5300. Please ensure you are following the proper procedure to submit the fingerprints. Refer to the City of Tempe Fingerprint Packet for further information.

Required items are as follows:

USDOJ FBI Fingerprint Card, FD258, blue and white in color.

$22 fingerprint fee (in the form of a cashier’s check or money order, made out to Arizona Dept of Public Safety) must be submitted with each person’s fingerprint card.

Licensing Fingerprint Form (this is on the first page of the fingerprint packet, and needs to be filled out by the fingerprint technician).

Enclose all items into a sealed envelope that can be mailed or dropped off to Tempe Police Department at the below address.

Mailed to:

Tempe Police Department

Attn: Licensing Unit

120 E. 5th St., Tempe, AZ 85281

Questions on fingerprinting? Please call 480-350-5300

Fees

$100 New license application fee per business  (non-refundable)

$500 Annual license fee per business (due by January 1 each year)*

(Annual license fee is $250 for a new license after June 30)

Total: $600 total for new license

We accept Visa, Mastercard, Discover, American Express by phone or in-person

We accept check by mail or in-person.  We do not accept cash. 

Late Penalty Fee

$0

Application Processing Time

90-120 days (from time all documents received)

Hearing Notice is posted at the location for 15 days

Application is forwarded to multiple city departments including a City Council Hearing

New license application is forwarded to:

Tempe Police Department

Tempe Fire Department

Building Safety

Planning

Tempe City Council

Step One: Confirm the following documents have no changes and, if there are changes, submit documentation to Tempe Tax & License for:

• The plan of operation to ensure compliance with Section 16A-87 and applicable provisions of Tempe City Code (NOTE: any change in the plan of operation must be approved by the City prior to the change becoming effective

• A Transaction Privilege Tax (TPT or sales tax) License is required and must be renewed annually for the business

Restaurants and Bars include any business where articles of food, drink, or condiment are prepared or served to patrons for consumption on or off the premises. This activity includes bars, lounges, restaurants, caterers, street and mobile vendors and "fast food" establishments.                                                                          Apply, File & Pay Transaction Privilege Tax at AZTaxes.gov                         

Step Two: A Tempe After-Hours Establishment License is required annually for the business and must include an application for any "new" owners to be complete.

If you need a Tempe Regulatory License, you will need to renew before January 1 each year.  Click the button below to reach Tempe Tax & License to renew:

CLICK HERE FOR TRAINING VIDEOS ON USING THE ACA LICENSING PORTAL

Step Three: At Renewal, fingerprints and background checks are required for all "new" owners which are submitted to the Tempe Police Dept.  Returning owners do not need to resubmit fingerprints and background checks each year.

Suggested Fingerprinting Locations:

AZ Livescan  602-246-3444

SecureOne   480-500-7309

Community Wellness and Safety of Arizona  480-892-4295

$22 fingerprint fee with each fingerprint card per person (by cashier’s check or money order to: Arizona Dept of Public Safety)

Mailed to:

Tempe Police Department

Attn: Licensing Unit

120 E. 5th St., Tempe, AZ 85281

Questions on fingerprinting? 480-350-5300

Renewal Fees: After-Hours Establishment License

$500 Annual license fee per business (due by January 1 each year)*

We accept Visa, Mastercard, Discover, American Express by phone or in-person

We accept check by mail or in-person.  We do not accept cash. 

Late Penalty Fee

$0 

Renewal Processing Time

Less than 30 days (from time all documents received or if there are no changes)

New owner applications are forwarded to:

Tempe Police Department

New License Fees: After-Hours Establishment License

$100 New license application fee per business  (non-refundable)

$500 Annual license fee per business (due by January 1 each year)*

(Annual license fee is $250 for a new license after June 30)

Total: $600 total for new license

We accept Visa, Mastercard, Discover, American Express by phone or in-person

We accept check by mail or in-person.  We do not accept cash. 

Renewal License Fees: After-Hours Establishment License

$500 Annual license fee per business (due by January 1 each year)*

We accept Visa, Mastercard, Discover, American Express by phone or in-person

We accept check by mail or in-person.  We do not accept cash. 

Late Penalty Fee

$0 

Application Processing Time for New Applications

90-120 days (from time all documents received)

New Applications, for new license or renewal, require fingerprints and background checks for all owners

Suggested Fingerprinting Locations:

AZ Livescan  602-246-3444

SecureOne   480-500-7309

Community Wellness and Safety of Arizona  480-892-4295

$22 fingerprint fee with each fingerprint card per person (by cashier’s check or money order to: Arizona Dept of Public Safety)

Mailed to:

Tempe Police Department

Attn: Licensing Unit

120 E. 5th St., Tempe, AZ 85281

Questions on fingerprinting? 480-350-5300

Requirement to Renew Annually

Tempe After-Hours Establishment Licenses expire annually. It is unlawful to operate an after-hours business in Tempe with an expired license.  Renewal applications must be filed before a license expires.

CLICK HERE FOR TRAINING VIDEOS ON USING THE ACA LICENSING PORTAL

Requirement to Pay Taxes

Double check your Transaction Privilege Tax (TPT or sales tax) to stay on the tax payment schedule established with the Arizona Department of Revenue. You must submit your required filings on-time on the 20th of each month for the previous month's revenues.  You must also renew your Transaction Privilege Tax every year before January 1 . You can access your account online at AZTaxes.gov link here:

Requirement to Keep Contact Information Up to Date

If an owner's information changes, the licensee must contact Tempe Tax & License to make the updates.  If there is a new owner being added to the license, then a new application for that person is required as well as the fingerprint and background check process.  There is no charge for the application.  There will be a fee for submitting new fingerprinting to Tempe Police for the background check.  

"Our mission is to provide quality service to all Tempe taxpayers, and administer the tax code in a fair and equitable manner."