Maricopa County, AZ

Fountain Hills, AZ short-term rental registration

Fountain Hills wrote its rules in 2022 and gave the existing operators sixty days to comply before code enforcement started issuing notices. Ordinance 22-09 requires an annual permit for every short-term rental, valid one year from issue unless suspended or revoked, at $250 a property. The application is where the substance sits: the name, address and twenty-four-hour telephone number of an emergency point of contact, proof of insurance and a proper tax licence, and the obligation to notify the neighbourhood before the first guest arrives.[3]

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

Can you rent short term in Fountain Hills?

Get a permit first

What you apply for: Town of Fountain Hills short-term rental permit

Seasonal homes
1,565
Housing units
13,177
Residents
23,789

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

  • City rulePermit required
  • City fee$250
  • Tax on each staySet locally
  • Seasonal homes119 per 1,000

Fountain Hills short-term rental permit

Fountain Hills requires owners of short-term rentals to obtain an annual permit from the town, under Ordinance 22-09, and every permit is valid for one year from the date of issue unless it is suspended or revoked. The annual fee is $250 per property. The permit application must contain the full name, address and twenty-four-hour telephone number of the person acting as the emergency point of contact for the property, along with proof of insurance and of a proper tax licence. The ordinance also covers prohibited uses, notification of the neighbourhood before a unit or home is rented, advertising requirements, what must be posted at the property, and other compliance measures. Before offering or renting a vacation rental for the first time, liability insurance appropriate to cover it in the aggregate for at least $500,000 must be provided by the owner or by the online marketplace. When the rules took effect, existing operators were given sixty days to obtain the permit, after which notices of violation were issued by code enforcement.[3]

What Fountain Hills asks of you

  • Ordinance 22-09 requires owners of short-term rentals to obtain an annual permit from the town.[4]

  • A permit is valid for one year from the date of issue, unless suspended or revoked, and the annual fee is $250 per property.[4]

  • The application must contain the full name, address and twenty-four-hour telephone number of the emergency point of contact, plus proof of insurance and of a proper tax licence.[3]

  • The ordinance also covers prohibited uses, neighbourhood notification before a unit is rented, advertising requirements and what must be posted at the property.[3]

  • Before a vacation rental is first offered or rented, liability insurance covering it in the aggregate for at least $500,000 must be provided by the owner or the online marketplace.[3]

  • Operators were given sixty days to obtain the permit when the regulations took effect, after which code enforcement began issuing notices of violation.[3]

Apply on the Fountain Hills 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 Fountain Hills

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

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

The town wants proof of a proper tax licence with the permit application, so the Arizona Department of Revenue registration has to be in place before the local permit is sought.[3]

How short-term rental taxes work for US hosts

What the census counts

How much of Fountain Hills is already a second home

The Census Bureau counts 1,565 of Fountain Hills's 13,177 homes as vacant for seasonal, recreational or occasional use — 119 out of every 1,000. That ranks Fountain Hills 7th of the 16 Arizona cities on this site for the share of its housing stock kept for part-year use.

Rank in the state
7th of 16
Share of housing
119 per 1,000
Median home value
$622,900

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

Nearby and comparable

Where Fountain Hills sits among its neighbors

Scottsdale, AZ

Permit required

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

Rules in Scottsdale

Carefree, AZ

Permit required

444 seasonal homes, 192 per 1,000 housing units.

Rules in Carefree

Wickenburg, AZ

Permit required

388 seasonal homes, 78 per 1,000 housing units.

Rules in Wickenburg

Cave Creek, AZ

Permit required

221 seasonal homes, 77 per 1,000 housing units.

Rules in Cave Creek
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

Fountain Hills short-term rental questions

How long does a Fountain Hills permit last?

One year from the date it is issued, unless the town suspends or revokes it first. The fee is $250 per property, each year.[4]

What insurance does the town require?

At least $500,000 of liability cover in the aggregate, in place before the rental is first offered, provided either by the owner or by the online marketplace.[3]

Who is the emergency point of contact?

A named person whose full name, address and twenty-four-hour telephone number go on the permit application, so the town and the neighbours can reach someone at any hour.[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. Real Property Rentals, short-term rental regulations, Town of Fountain Hills, read on September 20, 2026
  4. Ordinance 22-09, short-term rental permits, Town of Fountain Hills, 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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