This study characterizes the surface features of an antibacterial titanium surface that has demonstrated antibacterial activity against Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Micro-arc oxidized (MAO) surfaces doped with bismuth were prepared by anodizing titanium in bismuth acetate or bismuth-nitrate-containing electrolytes at 280 V for 3 min (bismuth acetate (BA) and bismuth-nitrate (BN) groups, respectively). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were used to evaluate the surface topography and phase structures. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was used to evaluate surface chemical compositions. Ion release after immersion of the titanium over a period of 4 weeks was measured by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). SEM and AFM images show that the micro-porous morphology and micro-roughness of BA and BN surfaces are similar to those of the control samples. Nano-scale particles on the BN surface were observed in magnified SEM images. The XRD patterns show that the oxide on the titanium surfaces was anatase. The XPS results indicate that most of the bismuth was doped onto the titanium surface to a depth of less than 50 nm. The release rates of Ca, P, and Ti ions are similar among all groups, and the ICP-MS results suggest that there was no release of bismuth ions during the entire 4-week observation period. Our results lead to the conclusion that doping of the MAO titania layer with bismuth changes the surface morphology of this material at the nano-scale. Although bismuth existed at the surface of the titania layer, there was no detectable release of bismuth ions after 4 weeks of immersion.