Cochise County, AZ

Bisbee, AZ short-term rental registration

Bisbee routes its vacation rentals through the business licence rather than a dedicated permit, under Article 8.2 of the city code, and attaches two conditions that bite before the first guest. The contact details of whoever answers complaints at any hour must reach the City Clerk before the property is offered for rent, not after. And the permit number the city issues has to appear on every advertisement for the rental — a requirement only a minority of towns in this silo impose, and the easiest of all to fail.[3]

Every rule below links to the official source it comes from, verified September 20, 2026.

Can you rent short term in Bisbee?

Register before you list

What you apply for: Vacation rental business licence, city code article 8.2

Seasonal homes
328
Housing units
3,256
Residents
4,977

U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ACS 5-year estimates

  • City ruleRegistration required
  • City feeNone published
  • Tax on each staySet locally
  • Seasonal homes101 per 1,000

Bisbee short-term rental license

Bisbee requires a business licence for a vacation or short-term rental, secured under Article 8.2 of the city code. Before offering the property for rent or renting it, the owner must give the City Clerk contact information for the person responsible for responding to complaints at any time of day. The owner or the owner's designee is then responsible for displaying the permit number issued by the city on each advertisement for the rental. Bisbee also screens occupants: no sex offender may rent or occupy a vacation rental, an owner who allows one is in violation, and compliance is demonstrated by retaining a full copy of each background check for at least twelve months after the booking date and providing it to the city on request. The city publishes a short-term rental guide and checklist alongside the registration form to take an applicant through the sequence, and business licence applications are available on the city website or at City Hall.[3]

What Bisbee asks of you

  • The owner must secure a business licence pursuant to Article 8.2 of the city code.[3]

  • Before offering the property for rent or renting it, the owner must give the City Clerk contact information for the person responsible for responding to complaints at any time of day.[3]

  • The owner or the owner's designee must display the permit number issued by the city on each advertisement for the vacation rental.[3]

  • No sex offender may rent or occupy the vacation rental, and an owner who allows one is found in violation.[3]

  • Compliance is demonstrated by retaining a full copy of each background check for at least twelve months after the booking date and providing it to the city on request.[3]

  • The city publishes a short-term rental guide and checklist with the registration form, and business licence applications are available on the city website or at City Hall.[4]

Apply on the Bisbee site

What Arizona asks wherever you host

These rules apply at this address whatever the city decides.

  • No Arizona city may prohibit short-term rentals, or restrict them by classification, use or occupancy beyond the closed list the statute sets out.[1]

  • Where a city requires a permit, its fee cannot exceed the actual cost of issuing it or $250, whichever is less, and the application may ask for only six things.[1]

  • A city may require you to notify the adjacent, opposite and diagonally opposite properties before the first booking, and to display the permit number on every advertisement.[1]

  • A stay of under thirty consecutive days falls in the state's transient lodging classification; from thirty consecutive days it does not.[2]

All Arizona short-term rental laws

What a guest pays on top of your nightly rate in Bisbee

Each layer is set by a different authority, and not all of them are collected by the platform.

Short-term rental tax layers in Bisbee
LayerRateRemitted to
Arizona transient lodging transaction privilege tax[2]Not publishedThe state revenue department
City transient lodging tax[3]Not publishedThe city

Bisbee keeps its own tax code, published separately from the licence pages. The state transient lodging classification applies to any stay of under thirty consecutive days regardless.[2]

How short-term rental taxes work for US hosts

What the census counts

How much of Bisbee is already a second home

The Census Bureau counts 328 of Bisbee's 3,256 homes as vacant for seasonal, recreational or occasional use — 101 out of every 1,000. That ranks Bisbee 8th of the 16 Arizona cities on this site for the share of its housing stock kept for part-year use.

Rank in the state
8th of 16
Share of housing
101 per 1,000
Median home value
$216,700

U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ACS 5-year estimates, tables B25004, B25001, B01003 and B25077.

Nearby and comparable

Where Bisbee sits among its neighbors

Fountain Hills, AZ

Permit required

1,565 seasonal homes, 119 per 1,000 housing units.

Rules in Fountain Hills

Scottsdale, AZ

Permit required

12,314 seasonal homes, 89 per 1,000 housing units.

Rules in Scottsdale

Payson, AZ

Registration required

1,323 seasonal homes, 129 per 1,000 housing units.

Rules in Payson

Prescott, AZ

Registration required

2,144 seasonal homes, 84 per 1,000 housing units.

Rules in Prescott
The state hubEvery Arizona city on this site, in one tableState law, the tax stack and every city we cover in Arizona, with what each one asks of a host.Open the Arizona hub

FAQ

Bisbee short-term rental questions

Does my Bisbee listing need a permit number?

Yes. The owner or the owner's designee must display the permit number issued by the city on each advertisement for the vacation rental.[3]

When does the complaint contact have to be filed?

Before you offer the property for rent or rent it. The City Clerk needs the details of whoever answers complaints at any time of day, in advance.[3]

How long do I keep the background checks?

At least twelve months after the booking date, and you hand a full copy to the city on request. That record is how compliance is demonstrated.[3]
Read nextHow to start an AirbnbThe six steps in order, starting with the permit check.Read the guide

Sources

  1. A.R.S. § 9-500.39, Limits on regulation of vacation rentals and short-term rentals, Arizona State Legislature, read on September 20, 2026
  2. A.R.S. § 42-5070, Transient lodging classification; definition, Arizona State Legislature, read on September 20, 2026
  3. Vacation Rentals & Short Term Rentals, City of Bisbee, read on September 20, 2026
  4. Short-term rental guide, checklist, acknowledgment and registration form, City of Bisbee, read on September 20, 2026

This page is not legal advice. It summarizes the official sources listed on this page as they read on September 20, 2026. Rules can change after that date, so check with the issuing office before you apply or publish a listing.

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