Prescott, AZ short-term rental registration
Short stays in Prescott start with registering the property with the city. The city limits overnight occupancy but sets no cap on nights. Inside the city limits, the rental remits transaction privilege tax on its gross income, and Prescott's page publishes no rate.[4]
Every rule below links to the official source it comes from, verified October 2, 2026.
Can you rent short term in Prescott?
Register before you list
What you apply for: Vacation Rental Registration
- Seasonal homes
- 2,144
- Housing units
- 25,683
- Residents
- 47,400
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ACS 5-year estimates
- City ruleRegistration required
- City feeNone published
- Tax on each staySet locally
- Seasonal homes84 per 1,000
Prescott vacation rental rules
Prescott requires any property offered for rent for twenty-nine consecutive days or less to be registered with the city first. It then sets the operating conditions that shape the business. Overnight occupancy is capped at two people aged thirteen or over per bedroom, plus two additional people for the rental. A three-bedroom vacation rental sleeps a maximum of eight. A local contact person must be able to respond in person at the property within forty-five minutes. That applies to the first complaint and to every one that follows. Before occupancy, the owner or the owner's agent enters into a written rental agreement with the guest. The owner also notifies the property owners in immediate proximity on all sides, giving them the name and 24-hour telephone number of that local contact. A transaction privilege tax license from the Arizona Department of Revenue is required on top.[4]
What Prescott asks of you
Vacation rentals must register with the city before the property is offered for rent for a period of twenty-nine consecutive days or less.[4]
Maximum overnight occupancy is two people aged thirteen or over per bedroom, plus two additional people per rental: a three-bedroom rental sleeps eight.[4]
A local contact person must be able to respond in person at the property within forty-five minutes, to the first complaint and to any that follow.[4]
Before occupancy the owner or agent enters into a written rental agreement with the guest.[4]
The owner notifies the property owners in immediate proximity on all sides that the property is a vacation rental, giving the name and 24-hour telephone number of the local contact.[4]
A transaction privilege tax license from the Arizona Department of Revenue is required, and the rental collects and remits that tax on its gross income.[4]
What Arizona asks wherever you host
These rules apply at this address whatever the city decides.
Arizona cities may not ban short-term rentals. A restriction by classification, use or occupancy is allowed only where the statute lists it.[1]
A city permit fee is capped at $250, or at the city's actual cost of issuing it if that is lower. The application may ask for six things only.[1]
A city may make you notify the adjacent, opposite and diagonally opposite properties before the first booking. It may also require the permit number on every advertisement.[1]
Stays shorter than thirty consecutive days are taxed under the state's transient lodging classification. Longer stays fall outside it.[2]
What a guest pays on top of your nightly rate in Prescott
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[3] | 5.5% | The state revenue department |
| City transient lodging tax[4] | Not published | The city |
Prescott states the obligation without publishing a rate on that page. A vacation rental operating inside the city limits collects and remits transaction privilege tax on the gross income of the activity.[4]
What the census counts
How much of Prescott is already a second home
The Census Bureau counts 2,144 of Prescott's 25,683 homes as vacant for seasonal, recreational or occasional use. That is 84 out of every 1,000. It ranks Prescott 15th of the 25 Arizona cities on this site for the share of its housing stock kept for part-year use.
- Rank in the state
- 15th of 25
- Share of housing
- 84 per 1,000
- Median home value
- $564,100
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ACS 5-year estimates, tables B25004, B25001, B01003 and B25077.
Nearby and comparable
Where Prescott sits among its neighbors
Camp Verde, AZ
No city ordinance
187 seasonal homes, 37 per 1,000 housing units.
Camp Verde short-term rental rulesPrescott Valley, AZ
License required
711 seasonal homes, 32 per 1,000 housing units.
Prescott Valley short-term rental rulesCottonwood, AZ
Registration required
164 seasonal homes, 23 per 1,000 housing units.
Cottonwood short-term rental rulesWickenburg, AZ
Permit required
388 seasonal homes, 78 per 1,000 housing units.
Wickenburg short-term rental rulesFAQ
Prescott short-term rental questions
How many guests can sleep in a Prescott vacation rental?
What does the 45-minute rule mean?
Does Prescott require a written rental agreement?
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 October 2, 2026
- A.R.S. § 42-5010, Rates; distribution base, Arizona State Legislature, read on October 2, 2026
- Vacation Rentals, Neighborhood Services, City of Prescott, read on September 20, 2026
This page is not legal advice. It summarizes the official sources listed on this page as they read on October 2, 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 host fee calculator
What Airbnb takes on a booking under the 15.5% host-only fee or the old split fee, what the guest pays on top, and the payout that reaches you.
Airbnb house rules
Generate a complete PDF house rules document for your property: rules, schedule, amenities, emergency contacts.
Check-in instructions
The message a guest reads before getting in: access, keys, WiFi, parking, contact. English or bilingual output.