Carefree, AZ short-term rental registration
Carefree licenses short-term rentals like its neighbours, under Ordinance 2022-03, but the rule worth knowing before you buy is a zoning one. Whether the let is short or long, the entire property must be rented as a whole: an accessory building may not be leased separately from the main building, and no main building may be leased separately from its accessory building. A guest house may never be rented apart from the principal residence, and in the single-family districts accessory buildings may not be rented at all. The casita economy simply does not exist here.[3]
Every rule below links to the official source it comes from, verified September 20, 2026.
Can you rent short term in Carefree?
Get a permit first
What you apply for: Town of Carefree short-term rental licence
- Seasonal homes
- 444
- Housing units
- 2,315
- Residents
- 3,683
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ACS 5-year estimates
- City rulePermit required
- City feeNone published
- Tax on each staySet locally
- Seasonal homes192 per 1,000
Carefree short-term rental license
Carefree requires short-term and vacation rental owners to obtain and maintain an annual town licence for each Carefree property, under town Ordinance 2022-03, in addition to the county and state requirements. The route is three steps: a transaction privilege tax licence from the Arizona Department of Revenue, then the short-term rental licence through the town's permit and licence portal, then the Maricopa County requirements. Long-term rentals, defined as the rental of real property for thirty or more consecutive days for residential purposes, must also register with the town, although the Department of Revenue removed the transaction privilege tax on residential rentals from 1 January 2025. One rule applies to both: the entire property must be rented as a whole. Accessory buildings may not be leased, subleased or rented separately from the main building, and no main building may be let separately from an accessory building. The zoning ordinance adds that a guest house may never be rented apart from the principal residence, and that accessory buildings in single-family residential districts may not be rented or leased for any purpose.[3]
What Carefree asks of you
Under Ordinance 2022-03, short-term and vacation rental owners must obtain and maintain an annual town licence for each Carefree property, on top of the county and state requirements.[3]
The sequence is a transaction privilege tax licence from the Arizona Department of Revenue, then the short-term rental licence through the town's permit and licence portal, then the Maricopa County requirements.[3]
Long-term rentals, meaning lets of thirty or more consecutive days for residential purposes, must also register with the town, even though residential rental transaction privilege tax was removed from 1 January 2025.[3]
Whether the property is rented short or long term, the entire property must be rented as a whole. An accessory building may not be leased, subleased or rented separately from the main building, and no main building may be let separately from an accessory building.[3]
The zoning ordinance defines a guest house as living quarters that shall never be rented or offered for rent separately from the principal residence.[3]
In single-family residential zoning districts, accessory buildings shall not be rented or leased for any purpose.[3]
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]
What a guest pays on top of your nightly rate in Carefree
Each layer is set by a different authority, and not all of them are collected by the platform.
| Layer | Rate | Remitted to |
|---|---|---|
| Arizona transient lodging transaction privilege tax[2] | Not published | The state revenue department |
| City transient lodging tax[3] | Not published | The city |
Arizona removed the transaction privilege tax on residential rentals from 1 January 2025, amending A.R.S. § 42-6004(H). Short-term lets stay inside the transient lodging classification and keep their tax licence.[3]
How short-term rental taxes work for US hostsWhat the census counts
How much of Carefree is already a second home
The Census Bureau counts 444 of Carefree's 2,315 homes as vacant for seasonal, recreational or occasional use — 192 out of every 1,000. That ranks Carefree 3rd of the 16 Arizona cities on this site for the share of its housing stock kept for part-year use.
- Rank in the state
- 3rd of 16
- Share of housing
- 192 per 1,000
- Median home value
- $1,088,100
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ACS 5-year estimates, tables B25004, B25001, B01003 and B25077.
Nearby and comparable
Where Carefree sits among its neighbors
Fountain Hills, AZ
Permit required
1,565 seasonal homes, 119 per 1,000 housing units.
Rules in Fountain HillsScottsdale, AZ
Permit required
12,314 seasonal homes, 89 per 1,000 housing units.
Rules in ScottsdaleWickenburg, AZ
Permit required
388 seasonal homes, 78 per 1,000 housing units.
Rules in WickenburgCave Creek, AZ
Permit required
221 seasonal homes, 77 per 1,000 housing units.
Rules in Cave CreekFAQ
Carefree short-term rental questions
Can I rent out my Carefree casita on its own?
Do long-term rentals need to register in Carefree?
What order do the licences come in?
Sources
- A.R.S. § 9-500.39, Limits on regulation of vacation rentals and short-term rentals, Arizona State Legislature, read on September 20, 2026
- A.R.S. § 42-5070, Transient lodging classification; definition, Arizona State Legislature, read on September 20, 2026
- Short-Term & Residential Rentals, Ordinance 2022-03 and zoning ordinance article II and IX, Town of Carefree, 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.
Before you list
Free tools for new hosts
Short-term rental agreement generator
Parties, dates, rent, deposit checked against your state's cap, and the house rules clauses you enforce. A signed-ready PDF for direct and Vrbo bookings.
Airbnb house rules
Generate a complete PDF house rules document for your property: rules, schedule, amenities, emergency contacts.
Rental arbitrage calculator
Rent, deposit, furnishing, nightly rate and occupancy. You get monthly cash flow, the occupancy you break even at, and how long the setup takes to pay back.
Check-in instructions
The message a guest reads before getting in: access, keys, WiFi, parking, contact. English or bilingual output.