Lake Havasu City, AZ short-term rental registration
Lake Havasu City brought its vacation rentals under Chapter 5.20 of the city code on March 1, 2023, and the rule is simple: register and hold a permit for each property before it is offered for rent. The fee is $250 a year per property, non-refundable, and the permit runs a year from the date it is issued. The city will not issue one at all without proof of a valid Arizona transaction privilege tax number, so the state licence comes first. Chapter 5.20 then carries the day-to-day obligations, on trash, noise, parking and disorderly conduct.[3]
Every rule below links to the official source it comes from, verified September 20, 2026.
Can you rent short term in Lake Havasu City?
Get a permit first
What you apply for: Lake Havasu City Vacation Rental Permit
- Seasonal homes
- 5,293
- Housing units
- 35,394
- Residents
- 58,359
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ACS 5-year estimates
- City rulePermit required
- City fee$250
- Tax on each staySet locally
- Seasonal homes150 per 1,000
Lake Havasu City vacation rental permit
Lake Havasu City requires a vacation rental permit for each property before it is offered for rent, under Chapter 5.20 of the city code, in force since March 1, 2023. The permit costs $250 a year per property, is non-refundable, and runs for one year from the date it is issued. The city cannot issue it at all without proof of a valid Arizona transaction privilege tax number, so the state licence is the first step rather than the last. Before renting you also notify the residential properties adjacent to, directly and diagonally across the street from the rental, and give the city an emergency point of contact. Chapter 5.20 then governs the day-to-day: trash, noise, parking, disorderly conduct and the other nuisances the code defines.[3]
What Lake Havasu City asks of you
State law and city code require owners to register and obtain a permit for each property before it is offered for rent, acknowledging city code Chapter 5.20, Vacation Rentals, effective March 1, 2023.[3]
The non-refundable annual permit fee is $250 per property, and the permit runs for one year from the date of issuance.[3]
The city cannot issue a permit without proof of a valid Arizona transaction privilege tax number, so you register with the state first.[3]
Chapter 5.20 covers trash, noise, parking, disorderly conduct and the other nuisances the code defines.[3]
Before offering the property for rent, you notify the residential properties adjacent to, directly and diagonally across the street from it, and give the city an emergency point of contact.[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 Lake Havasu City
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 |
Lake Havasu City publishes its own brochure on the transaction privilege tax for hotels and vacation rentals, and makes the state tax number a precondition of the permit rather than a later formality.[3]
How short-term rental taxes work for US hostsWhat the census counts
How much of Lake Havasu City is already a second home
The Census Bureau counts 5,293 of Lake Havasu City's 35,394 homes as vacant for seasonal, recreational or occasional use — 150 out of every 1,000. That ranks Lake Havasu City 5th of the 16 Arizona cities on this site for the share of its housing stock kept for part-year use.
- Rank in the state
- 5th of 16
- Share of housing
- 150 per 1,000
- Median home value
- $455,400
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ACS 5-year estimates, tables B25004, B25001, B01003 and B25077.
Nearby and comparable
Where Lake Havasu City sits among its neighbors
Sedona, AZ
Permit required
1,260 seasonal homes, 189 per 1,000 housing units.
Rules in SedonaPayson, AZ
Registration required
1,323 seasonal homes, 129 per 1,000 housing units.
Rules in PaysonCarefree, AZ
Permit required
444 seasonal homes, 192 per 1,000 housing units.
Rules in CarefreeFountain Hills, AZ
Permit required
1,565 seasonal homes, 119 per 1,000 housing units.
Rules in Fountain HillsFAQ
Lake Havasu City short-term rental questions
What does a Lake Havasu City vacation rental permit cost?
Can I apply before getting a state tax licence?
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
- Vacation Rentals, Lake Havasu City, 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
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Check-in instructions
The message a guest reads before getting in: access, keys, WiFi, parking, contact. English or bilingual output.