Williams, AZ short-term rental permit
In Williams the paperwork goes by another name: the city's 2025 form is titled Short-Term/Vacation Rental Registration Form. It asks for a City of Williams business license number. Each property needs a separate application, with its own fees.[4]
Every rule below links to the official source it comes from, verified October 1, 2026.
Can you rent short term in Williams?
Get a permit first
What you apply for: Annual vacation rental permit, Chapter 117
- Seasonal homes
- 309
- Housing units
- 1,756
- Residents
- 3,369
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ACS 5-year estimates
- City rulePermit required
- City fee$125
- Tax on each staySet locally
- Seasonal homes176 per 1,000
Williams AZ short-term rental permit
Williams requires an annual vacation rental permit before any property is used as a vacation rental. First comes a fire safety inspection, signed off by the Fire Marshal for a non-refundable $65. The permit costs $125 on first application, then $75 at each renewal. Council can adjust that fee each year by the consumer price index. All permits run until December 31, with renewal due by January 1. The $65 inspection is repeated yearly before renewal. Proof of at least $500,000 in liability insurance reaches the city no later than 15 days before the rental is first offered. The owner or the online marketplace platform may provide that coverage.[3]
What Williams asks of you
Chapter 117 was adopted through Ordinance 995, passed October 13, 2022.[3]
The city's 2025 form calls the same filing a registration. It charges a first-time registration fee of $125, then $75 every January 1.[4]
The application proves a valid transaction privilege tax license. The county side is covered by registering the rental with the Coconino County Assessor, as A.R.S. § 33-1902 requires.[3]
An individual applicant gives proof of lawful presence in the United States.[3]
No registration is approved without a current Williams business license. A valid Arizona transaction privilege tax license is the other condition.[4]
Each advertisement must carry the city-issued permit number. A noncompliant ad counts as its own violation.[3]
A sign posted within 20 feet of the primary entrance faces the street. It measures six to eight square feet.[3]
The sign names the property and its emergency contact, with contact details. It also states maximum occupancy and maximum parking.[3]
Before the first rental, a written notice goes to every adjacent single-family property. Homes directly across the street get one too, as do diagonal neighbors.[3]
Each notice carries the permit number, the rental's address and the emergency contact's 24-hour telephone number.[3]
Any later change to that information needs a fresh notice at least five days ahead.[3]
When police or fire personnel ask, the emergency contact named on the application must reach the rental within one hour. Other complaints get an answer within 24 hours.[3]
The 2025 registration form sets faster times for the emergency contact. It asks for a reply by text or phone within 30 minutes. In-person response at the property is expected within 60 minutes.[4]
Anyone present in a rental after 10:00 p.m. local time is presumed to be a guest.[3]
Within 24 hours of every booking, each guest gets a sex offender background check. The owner can run it, as can the online lodging marketplace.[3]
A full copy of each check is kept 12 months after the booking date. The owner stays liable if the marketplace skips the check.[3]
Caps on fines climb from $500 to $1,000, then $3,500, within the same 12 months. Each step can instead equal one, two or three nights' advertised rent, if that is more.[3]
After a written violation notice, the owner has 30 days to apply before monthly penalties of up to $1,000 can start.[3]
Three verified violations within 12 months can suspend the permit for up to 12 months.[3]
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 Williams
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[4] | Not published | The city |
Williams tells hosts on its registration form to pay transaction privilege tax at the hotel rate. The form also calls it transient occupancy tax. The license itself is issued by the Arizona Department of Revenue.[4]
Airbnb taxes for hostsWhat the census counts
How much of Williams is already a second home
The Census Bureau counts 309 of Williams's 1,756 homes as vacant for seasonal, recreational or occasional use. That is 176 out of every 1,000. It ranks Williams 6th of the 25 Arizona cities on this site for the share of its housing stock kept for part-year use.
- Rank in the state
- 6th of 25
- Share of housing
- 176 per 1,000
- Median home value
- $477,200
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ACS 5-year estimates, tables B25004, B25001, B01003 and B25077.
Nearby and comparable
Where Williams sits among its neighbors
Flagstaff, AZ
License required
1,999 seasonal homes, 63 per 1,000 housing units.
Flagstaff short-term rental rulesJerome, AZ
License required
51 seasonal homes, 179 per 1,000 housing units.
Jerome short-term rental rulesLake Havasu City, AZ
Permit required
5,293 seasonal homes, 150 per 1,000 housing units.
Lake Havasu City short-term rental rulesFAQ
Williams short-term rental questions
How much does a Williams vacation rental permit cost?
What does the Williams registration form ask for?
Does Williams require a sign at the rental?
What happens if a Williams listing omits the permit number?
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
- Code of Ordinances, Chapter 117, Short-Term Rentals and Vacation Rentals, City of Williams, read on October 1, 2026
- Short-Term/Vacation Rental Registration Form, 2025, City of Williams, 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
Free tools for new hosts
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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.
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