State

Arizona short-term rental laws (2026)

Arizona settled the question at state level. No city can ban short-term rentals, and no town can either. A city may still regulate them, only in the ways the statute itself lists.^[1]

Every rule below links to the official source it comes from, verified October 1, 2026.

Red rock formations under a blue sky near Sedona, Arizona

Is Airbnb legal in Arizona?

Legal, and cities are boxed in

No Arizona city may ban short-term rentals. It may require a permit, but the fee stops at $250. The form may ask for only six things.

2 official sources · verified October 1, 2026

Photo: Kaileen Fitzpatrick on Unsplash

PermitRequired · Local permit where the city has one, $250 at most
Primary residenceVaries
Number on listingRequired
Night capNone the statute allows a city to set

Arizona short-term rental laws

Arizona took the decision away from its cities. Under A.R.S. § 9-500.39, no city or town may prohibit vacation rentals or short-term rentals. Nor may it restrict them by classification, use or occupancy, beyond a short closed list. That list is what a city can still ask of you. It may protect health and safety. It may zone. It may require emergency contact details and a local permit, with the fee capped at $250. It may also require notice to the neighbors before the first booking, and the permit number on your advertisements. It may demand $500,000 of liability insurance, or equal coverage through a booking platform. Where the home has an accessory dwelling unit approved on September 14, 2024 or later, it may require the owner to live there. Anything outside the list is preempted.^[1]

Every Arizona rule, sorted by what it asks

Filter by topic. Each line carries the number of its official source, listed at the bottom of the page.

You must

Give the city emergency contact details for you or your designee before you offer the property for rent.[1]
Notify the adjacent, opposite and diagonally opposite properties before the first booking, and file the attestation.[1]
Hold a state transaction privilege tax license, which the city may ask you to prove.[1]
Display the local permit or license number on each advertisement, where your city requires one.[1]
Keep a designee who can answer a complaint or an emergency at any hour, in person if public safety staff require it.[1]
Carry $500,000 of liability insurance, or list through a marketplace with equal coverage, where your city requires it.[1]

You must not

Do not host a special event that would need its own permit, or run a retail, restaurant or banquet use from the property.[1]
Do not use the property to house sex offenders or to run a sober living home where the city has prohibited it.[1]

Not required

You do not have to live at the property. The exception is a home with an accessory dwelling unit approved on September 14, 2024 or later, if your city requires it.[1]
You do not face a state night cap: no provision lets a city set one.[1]

Occupancy tax in Arizona

A stay under thirty consecutive days falls in the state's transient lodging classification. From thirty consecutive days it does not.^[2]
Renting four rooms or fewer in an owner-occupied home with breakfast, at an average annual occupancy of fifty percent or less, sits outside the transient lodging classification altogether.^[2]

Arizona transient lodging tax

Cities in this state

Short-term rental rules in 25 Arizona cities

Ranked by the share of housing the Census counts as seasonal.

Short-term rental rules by city in Arizona
City	Local rule	Primary residence	Night cap	Seasonal homes per 1,000
Pinetop-Lakeside short-term rental rulesNavajo County, AZ	Permit required	Varies	The permit covers stays of 29 days or less	333
Show Low short-term rental rulesNavajo County, AZ	Permit required	Varies	None: no Arizona city may cap nights	296
Carefree short-term rental rulesMaricopa County, AZ	License required	Varies	None, but the whole property must be rented as one	192
Sedona short-term rental rulesYavapai and Coconino County, AZ	Permit required	Varies	None: no Arizona city may cap nights	189
Jerome short-term rental rulesYavapai County, AZ	License required	Not published	None: no Arizona city may cap nights	179
Williams short-term rental rulesCoconino County, AZ	Permit required	Not published	None: no Arizona city may cap nights	176
Lake Havasu City short-term rental rulesMohave County, AZ	Permit required	Varies	None: no Arizona city may cap nights	150
Payson short-term rental rulesGila County, AZ	License required	Varies	None: no Arizona city may cap nights	129
Apache Junction short-term rental rulesPinal County, AZ	No city ordinance	Not published	None: no Arizona city may cap nights	128
Tombstone short-term rental rulesCochise County, AZ	No city ordinance	Not published	None: no Arizona city may cap nights	120
Bullhead City short-term rental rulesMohave County, AZ	Permit required	Not published	None: no Arizona city may cap nights	120
Fountain Hills short-term rental rulesMaricopa County, AZ	Permit required	Varies	None: no Arizona city may cap nights	119
Bisbee short-term rental rulesCochise County, AZ	License required	Varies	None: no Arizona city may cap nights	101
Scottsdale short-term rental rulesMaricopa County, AZ	License required	Varies	None: no Arizona city may cap nights	89
Prescott short-term rental rulesYavapai County, AZ	Registration required	Varies	None, but 2 guests per bedroom plus 2	84
Wickenburg short-term rental rulesMaricopa County, AZ	Permit required	Varies	None: no Arizona city may cap nights	78
Cave Creek short-term rental rulesMaricopa County, AZ	License required	Varies	None: no Arizona city may cap nights	77
Page short-term rental rulesCoconino County, AZ	License required	Varies	None: no Arizona city may cap nights	70
Flagstaff short-term rental rulesCoconino County, AZ	License required	Varies	None: no Arizona city may cap nights	63
Camp Verde short-term rental rulesYavapai County, AZ	No city ordinance	Not published	None: no Arizona city may cap nights	37
Prescott Valley short-term rental rulesYavapai County, AZ	License required	Varies	None: no Arizona city may cap nights	32
Cottonwood short-term rental rulesYavapai County, AZ	Registration required	Varies	None: no Arizona city may cap nights	23
Tempe short-term rental rulesMaricopa County, AZ	License required	Not published	None: state law forbids a city night cap	15
Tucson short-term rental rulesPima County, AZ	No city ordinance	Not published	None: no Arizona city may cap nights	15
Phoenix short-term rental rulesMaricopa County, AZ	Permit required	Varies	None: Arizona law bars city night limits	12

How to apply in Arizona

Official name: Local regulatory permit or license, where the city requires one

1
Get a state transaction privilege tax license, since the city may ask for proof of compliance with that statute as a condition of its own permit.^[1]
2
Nominate the person who will answer complaints and emergencies at any hour, in person if public safety staff require it, and give the city their contact details.^[1]
3
Notify the neighboring properties before the first rental and keep the attestation, which lists the permit number, every address notified and how you notified them.^[1]
4
Apply for the local permit or license where your city has one, and put its number on every advertisement you maintain.^[1]

Five jurisdictions, same questions

The Arizona column comes from the official sources on this page. The other columns show the headline rule from each WonderGuest page. Open a page for the full detail.

Short-term rental rules in Arizona compared with other jurisdictions
Question	Arizona	California	Colorado	New Mexico	Utah
Permit	RequiredLocal permit where the city has one, $250 at most	Not requiredNone from the state. City rules vary	RequiredLocal license where your county or town has one	Not requiredState tax ID only, permits are local	Not requiredNone from the state. Cities issue their own
Primary residence	Varies	Varies	Varies	Varies	Varies
Night cap	None the statute allows a city to set	None in state law	A local option, where adopted	None in state law	None in state law
Number on listing	Required	Not required	Not required	Not required	Not required
Where allowed	Everywhere: a ban is preempted	Wherever the local ordinance allows it	Set by local rules, bans included	Where the local ordinance allows it	Where the city's zoning allows it
Occupancy tax	Transient lodging tax under 30 nights	Local only, on stays of 30 days or less	2.9% state sales tax, plus local taxes	Local, up to 5% of rent	1.07% state room tax, plus sales tax
Fine without permit	Up to $1,000 a month	Set locally, capped by state law	Listing removed within 7 days of a county notice	Set locally, $500 a day in Albuquerque	Set by each city
		California short-term rental rules	Colorado short-term rental rules	New Mexico short-term rental rules	Utah short-term rental rules

Keep exploring

Coming up

What's changing

No change with an effective date appears in the official sources on this page as of October 1, 2026.

FAQ

Arizona short-term rental questions

Can an Arizona city ban short-term rentals?

No. The statute opens with a flat prohibition: a city or town may not prohibit vacation rentals or short-term rentals. Nor may it restrict them by classification, use or occupancy beyond the list it then sets out.^[1]

How much can an Arizona city charge for a short-term rental permit?

The lesser of its actual cost of issuing the permit and $250. That ceiling is in the statute, so it applies in every city that requires a permit.^[1]

Do I really have to tell my neighbors before the first booking?

Where the city requires it, yes. The notice goes to the single-family properties adjacent to, directly across from and diagonally across the street from yours. In a multifamily building, it goes to the residents on your floor. You then file an attestation listing each address.^[1]

When does a stay stop being a short-term rental for tax purposes?

At thirty consecutive days. Below that the stay falls in the transient lodging classification. From thirty consecutive days it does not.^[2]

Sources

A.R.S. § 9-500.39, Limits on regulation of vacation rentals and short-term rentals; state preemption, Arizona State Legislature, read on October 1, 2026
A.R.S. § 42-5070, Transient lodging classification; definition, Arizona State Legislature, read on October 1, 2026

This page is not legal advice. It summarizes the official sources listed on this page as they read on October 1, 2026. Rules can change after that date, so check with the issuing office before you apply or publish a listing.

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