Scottsdale, AZ short-term rental registration
Scottsdale holds more short-term rental stock than any other city in this silo, and it regulates at the edge of what Arizona allows. Ordinance 4566 requires a city licence for each property, at $250 a year, and attaches to it the full list of conditions the statute permits: safety and health requirements, $500,000 of liability cover, a laminated notice on the inside of the front and back doors, and a letter to every immediate neighbour within thirty days of the licence being issued, or whenever the contact details change.[3]
Every rule below links to the official source it comes from, verified September 20, 2026.
Can you rent short term in Scottsdale?
Get a permit first
What you apply for: City of Scottsdale short-term rental license
- Seasonal homes
- 12,314
- Housing units
- 139,168
- Residents
- 243,821
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ACS 5-year estimates
- City rulePermit required
- City fee$250
- Tax on each staySet locally
- Seasonal homes89 per 1,000
Scottsdale short-term rental license
Scottsdale requires owners and operators to obtain a city licence for each short-term or vacation rental property, under Ordinance 4566, and the annual fee is $250 per property, all of which the city says goes to the cost of licensing. Within thirty days of receiving the licence, or whenever the contact information changes, the owner must notify every single-family property adjacent to, directly across from and diagonally across the street from the rental, or, in a multi-family building, every unit on the same floor. That notification letter has to carry the short-term rental licence number, the physical address of the rental, and the name, address and twenty-four-hour telephone number of the emergency point of contact. A prescribed notice must be printed in fourteen-point or larger bold type on laminated or similarly shielded paper and displayed prominently on the inside of the front door and the primary door to the backyard. Every property must also carry liability insurance of at least $500,000, either directly or through the online lodging marketplace.[3]
What Scottsdale asks of you
Ordinance 4566 requires owners and operators to obtain a Scottsdale licence for each property and to meet a list of safety, health and neighbourhood notification requirements.[3]
The annual licence fee is $250 per property, and the city states that all of it covers the cost of licensing vacation and short-term rentals.[3]
Within thirty days of receiving the licence, or whenever the contact information changes, the owner must notify every single-family property adjacent to, directly across from and diagonally across the street from the rental, or every unit on the same floor of a multi-family building.[3]
The notification letter must include the short-term rental licence number, the physical address of the rental, and the name, address and twenty-four-hour telephone number of the emergency point of contact.[3]
A prescribed notice must be printed in fourteen-point or larger bold type, laminated or similarly shielded, and displayed prominently inside the front door and the primary door to the backyard.[3]
Every short-term rental must carry liability cover of at least $500,000, held either directly or through the online lodging marketplace.[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 Scottsdale
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 |
Scottsdale's own transient lodging rate is published by the city, not by the state table this page could read. Confirm it with the tax and licence office before pricing a stay.[3]
How short-term rental taxes work for US hostsWhat the census counts
How much of Scottsdale is already a second home
The Census Bureau counts 12,314 of Scottsdale's 139,168 homes as vacant for seasonal, recreational or occasional use — 89 out of every 1,000. That ranks Scottsdale 9th of the 16 Arizona cities on this site for the share of its housing stock kept for part-year use.
- Rank in the state
- 9th of 16
- Share of housing
- 89 per 1,000
- Median home value
- $789,800
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ACS 5-year estimates, tables B25004, B25001, B01003 and B25077.
Nearby and comparable
Where Scottsdale sits among its neighbors
Fountain Hills, AZ
Permit required
1,565 seasonal homes, 119 per 1,000 housing units.
Rules in Fountain HillsWickenburg, 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 CreekCarefree, AZ
Permit required
444 seasonal homes, 192 per 1,000 housing units.
Rules in CarefreeFAQ
Scottsdale short-term rental questions
Who do I have to write to in Scottsdale, and when?
What has to be on the door?
Does my platform's insurance count?
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 and Short-Term Rentals, information for owners and operators, City of Scottsdale, 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
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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.