Flagstaff
Flagstaff Short-Term Rental Rules: What Changed July 1, 2026
The July 1, 2026 ordinance updates added $500,000 insurance, guest background checks and fire-safety standards on top of a license fee that rose to $250.
Arizona STR Rules
Arizona Short-Term Rental Rules, City by City
Arizona limits what cities can ban, but it lets them license, inspect and fine. Every guide below is written from the actual ordinance and city documentation, cites its sources, and shows the date it was verified. No legal advice, no guessing.
Published guides
Start with your city.
Scottsdale
Scottsdale Short-Term Rental License: The 2026 Compliance Guide
Five steps, $250 per property per year, and a public license lookup anyone can search. Minimum fines start at $1,000.
Statewide taxes
Arizona Short-Term Rental Taxes: TPT Explained for Hosts
Transaction privilege tax, the state–county–city rate stack, what Airbnb actually covers, and why you still file a $0 return in an empty month.
The one rule that applies everywhere
Arizona defines a short-term rental stay as fewer than 30 consecutive days. That single line decides whether you owe transient lodging tax, whether you need a city license, and which ordinance applies to you. Cross 30 days and you are in a different legal category entirely.
State law also bars cities from banning short-term rentals outright, while expressly allowing licensing, insurance requirements, guest screening and civil penalties — which is exactly why the rules differ so much between Flagstaff, Scottsdale and Phoenix (A.R.S. § 9-500.39).
In progress
Cities I'm writing next.
Want one of these sooner? Tell me which city and I'll prioritise it.
Phoenix
Short-term rental registry and the ADU owner-occupancy attestation.
Sedona
Permit requirements and the city's enforcement posture.
Tucson
Registration, taxes, and what differs from Maricopa County.
Paradise Valley
One of the strictest ordinances in the state.
Tempe & Mesa
Registration rules for the East Valley.
You can be fully licensed and still under-booked.
I spent years as an Airbnb Market Manager looking at listings all day. Send me yours and I'll tell you the top three things limiting your visibility in 15 minutes. Free, no card, and I don't manage properties so there's nothing to upsell you into.