Cochise County, AZ

Short-term rental rules in Tombstone, AZ

Tombstone's city code, current through October 14, 2025, sets no short-term rental rule of its own. What reaches a host is the business license chapter and two lodging taxes, one of them earmarked for promoting the city.[3]

Every rule below links to the official source it comes from, verified October 1, 2026.

Can you rent short term in Tombstone?

State and county rules only

Seasonal homes
102
Housing units
848
Residents
1,026

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

  • City ruleNo city ordinance
  • City feeNone published
  • Tax on each staySet locally
  • Seasonal homes120 per 1,000

Tombstone AZ short-term rental rules

No city permit is needed to host short-term guests in Tombstone. Its business license rules apply instead to businesses earning at least a quarter of their revenue inside the city limits. The privilege license tax is $30 for a first-year license. After that it is $50 for a home-based business with no outside employees, or $150 otherwise. On lodging, the city taxes hotels at 3.5% of gross income. A further 4% applies to lodging charged to any transient.[3]

What Tombstone asks of you

  • Up to Ordinance 2025-06 of October 14, 2025, Tombstone's code creates no short-term rental permit and keeps no host registry.[3]

  • The two ordinances adopted in 2026 deal with personnel rules and the primary property tax levy.[4]

  • A business earning 25% or more of its gross annual revenue in the city needs a city license before it starts. The clerk checks that issuing it would not breach the zoning regulations.[5]

  • Every day of business without that license counts as a separate violation.[5]

  • Section 4-2-7 raised the city rate on hotels from 2.5% to 3.5%, effective July 1, 2013.[7]

  • Section 4-2-4 adds 4% of gross income on lodging furnished to a transient, meaning a stay of 30 consecutive days or fewer.[6]

  • Section 4-2-6, adopted with the 4% tax in 2011, designates the revenue received for promoting the city.[6]

  • When a stay includes other services, the lodging portion must be billed as a separate item. Otherwise the whole charge is taxed as lodging.[6]

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]

Arizona short-term rental rules

What a guest pays on top of your nightly rate in Tombstone

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

Short-term rental tax layers in Tombstone
LayerRateRemitted to
Arizona transient lodging transaction privilege tax[2]Not publishedThe state revenue department
Tombstone privilege tax on hotels[7]3.5%The city
Tombstone hotel tax upon transient lodging[6]4%The city
Airbnb taxes for hosts

What the census counts

How much of Tombstone is already a second home

The Census Bureau counts 102 of Tombstone's 848 homes as vacant for seasonal, recreational or occasional use. That is 120 out of every 1,000. It ranks Tombstone 10th of the 25 Arizona cities on this site for the share of its housing stock kept for part-year use.

Rank in the state
10th of 25
Share of housing
120 per 1,000
Median home value
$182,600

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

Nearby and comparable

Where Tombstone sits among its neighbors

Bisbee, AZ

License required

328 seasonal homes, 101 per 1,000 housing units.

Bisbee short-term rental rules

Apache Junction, AZ

No city ordinance

2,801 seasonal homes, 128 per 1,000 housing units.

Apache Junction short-term rental rules

Camp Verde, AZ

No city ordinance

187 seasonal homes, 37 per 1,000 housing units.

Camp Verde short-term rental rules

Bullhead City, AZ

Permit required

3,023 seasonal homes, 120 per 1,000 housing units.

Bullhead City short-term rental rules
StatewideEvery 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.Arizona short-term rental rules

Keep exploring

FAQ

Tombstone short-term rental questions

Does Tombstone have a short-term rental ordinance?

No. Its two ordinances of 2026 cover personnel rules and the primary tax levy. None of the six adopted in 2025 concerns rentals either.[4]

How much is a Tombstone business license?

A first-year license is $30. After that, a home-based business with no outside employees pays $50, while other businesses pay $150.[5]

What city taxes apply to lodging in Tombstone?

Hotels pay 3.5% of gross income under section 4-2-7. Lodging furnished to transients carries another 4% under section 4-2-4, for 7.5% in city tax.[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. Tombstone City Code, 2026 S-7, current through Ordinance 2025-06 of October 14, 2025, City of Tombstone, hosted by American Legal Publishing, read on October 1, 2026
  4. Ordinances & Resolutions, City of Tombstone, read on October 1, 2026
  5. Tombstone City Code § 4-1-1, License required, City of Tombstone, hosted by American Legal Publishing, read on October 1, 2026
  6. Tombstone City Code §§ 4-2-4 to 4-2-6, Hotel tax upon transient lodging, City of Tombstone, hosted by American Legal Publishing, read on October 1, 2026
  7. Tombstone City Code § 4-2-7, Tax increase, City of Tombstone, hosted by American Legal Publishing, read on October 1, 2026

This page is not legal advice. It summarizes the official sources listed on this page as they read on October 1, 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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