Flagstaff, AZ short-term rental registration
Flagstaff took its licence to the ceiling Arizona law sets: $250 a year, up from $185, which is the most any Arizona city may charge. The licence has been required since November 2023 and runs for one year. What sets Flagstaff apart is not the fee but a duty few cities impose: no later than twenty-four hours before each stay, you or your designee must check the booking guest against the National Sex Offender Public Website. Add $500,000 of liability cover, neighbour notification with your licence number, and a state tax licence, and the picture is complete.[3]
Every rule below links to the official source it comes from, verified September 20, 2026.
Can you rent short term in Flagstaff?
Register before you list
What you apply for: Short Term Rental License
- Seasonal homes
- 1,999
- Housing units
- 31,994
- Residents
- 76,445
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ACS 5-year estimates
- City ruleRegistration required
- City fee$250
- Tax on each staySet locally
- Seasonal homes63 per 1,000
Flagstaff short-term rental license
Flagstaff has required a Short Term Rental License since November 2023. It is valid for one year and costs $250, up from $185, which is the maximum Arizona law allows a city to charge. To hold one you need at least $500,000 of liability insurance before the property is offered or rented, or equivalent cover through a marketplace such as Airbnb or Vrbo, and a transaction privilege tax licence from the Arizona Department of Revenue. Flagstaff adds a duty few cities impose: no later than twenty-four hours before each stay, you or your designee check the booking guest against the National Sex Offender Public Website. Adjacent properties must also be told the home is a short-term rental and given an emergency contact carrying the licence number, a name, a physical address, an email and a 24-hour telephone number.[3]
What Flagstaff asks of you
A Short Term Rental License has been required since November 2023 and is valid for one year.[3]
The annual licence fee has risen to the state maximum of $250, from $185.[3]
A minimum of $500,000 in liability insurance is required before you offer or rent the property, or equivalent coverage through a marketplace such as Airbnb or Vrbo.[3]
No later than twenty-four hours before each stay, you or your designee must check the booking guest against the National Sex Offender Public Website.[3]
Adjacent properties have to be told the property is a short-term rental and given an emergency point of contact with the licence number, a name, a physical address, an email and a 24-hour telephone number.[3]
A transaction privilege tax licence from the Arizona Department of Revenue is required, and the rental remits transient occupancy tax at the same rate as a hotel.[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 Flagstaff
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 |
Flagstaff states that a short-term rental remits transaction privilege tax at the same rate as a hotel. The rate itself sits in the Department of Revenue's rate table rather than in the city's own pages.[3]
How short-term rental taxes work for US hostsWhat the census counts
How much of Flagstaff is already a second home
The Census Bureau counts 1,999 of Flagstaff's 31,994 homes as vacant for seasonal, recreational or occasional use — 63 out of every 1,000. That ranks Flagstaff 14th of the 16 Arizona cities on this site for the share of its housing stock kept for part-year use.
- Rank in the state
- 14th of 16
- Share of housing
- 63 per 1,000
- Median home value
- $552,900
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ACS 5-year estimates, tables B25004, B25001, B01003 and B25077.
Nearby and comparable
Where Flagstaff sits among its neighbors
Page, AZ
Registration required
237 seasonal homes, 70 per 1,000 housing units.
Rules in PagePrescott Valley, AZ
Registration required
711 seasonal homes, 32 per 1,000 housing units.
Rules in Prescott ValleyCave Creek, AZ
Permit required
221 seasonal homes, 77 per 1,000 housing units.
Rules in Cave CreekCottonwood, AZ
Registration required
164 seasonal homes, 23 per 1,000 housing units.
Rules in CottonwoodFAQ
Flagstaff short-term rental questions
Do I really have to screen guests in Flagstaff?
How much is the Flagstaff short-term rental licence?
Does Airbnb's insurance satisfy the Flagstaff requirement?
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
- STR Property Owners, Short Term Rentals, City of Flagstaff, 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.