Scottsdale, AZ Accessory Structures: ADU Rental Restrictions (2026)

Sec. 3 sets the ownership and rental rules that ride along with every Accessory Dwelling Unit approval. First, an ADU on a single-family lot cannot be sold separately from the main dwelling, and the lot cannot be subdivided, including by condominium plat, to create separate ownership boundaries for the main house and the ADU. Second, if an ADU is rented, leased, offered for rent or lease, or used as a Vacation Rental or Short-term Rental, that use is routed through Sec. 203's short-term rental requirements rather than exempted from them.

Third, the Restricted-Affordable Detached ADU option carries its own income-restricted rental structure: it can only be rented to households earning up to 80 percent of area median income, rent is set using the rent and income limits the Arizona Department of Housing publishes at the time of the lease, and this unit type is barred outright from being offered as a Vacation Rental or Short-term Rental. Sec. 5 backs this up procedurally, requiring the property owner to record a private deed restriction acknowledging the income cap and the short-term rental ban before the City will issue any permit for a Restricted-Affordable Detached ADU. That deed restriction must be in a form satisfactory to the City and stays attached to the property regardless of ownership changes.