Mesa, AZ Short-Term Rentals: Night Caps (2026)
Key Facts
- Night cap
- Prohibited
- Statute
- ARS §9-500.39(A)
- Season blackouts
- Not allowed
- Tax
- Lodging tax still owed
Summary
Mesa cannot cap the number of nights a property is rented short-term per year. ARS §9-500.39 bars cities from imposing usage limits that effectively prohibit vacation rentals, leaving operators free to book year-round.
A. A city or town may not prohibit vacation rentals or short-term rentals.
B. A city or town may not restrict the use of or regulate vacation rentals or short-term rentals based on their classification, use or occupancy except as provided in this section. A city or town may regulate vacation rentals or short-term rentals as follows:
1. To protect the public's health and safety, including rules and regulations related to fire and building codes, health and sanitation, transportation or traffic control and solid or hazardous waste and pollution control, if the city or town demonstrates that the rule or regulation is for the primary purpose of protecting the public's health and safety.
Full Breakdown
Many coastal and mountain cities cap STRs at 90 or 120 nights per year to preserve long-term housing. Arizona forecloses that tool. ARS §9-500.39(A) prohibits municipalities from restricting the use of a property as a vacation rental or short-term rental except for narrow health, safety, and noise enforcement purposes. Mesa interprets the statute to bar annual day-count limits, season-based blackouts, or graduated registration tiers tied to nights booked. Operators may rent every night of the year provided they remit transient lodging tax and respond to nuisance complaints under generally applicable rules.
Violations & Fines
Mesa enforces nuisance, parking, and noise rules per incident rather than night-count limits, citing operators based on documented violations not booking volume.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Mesa limit me to 90 nights?
Do peak-season blackouts apply?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Mesa
Compare Mesa to another location·View the Arizona short-term rentals overview
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Night Caps in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Maricopa County handle night caps.