Phoenix, AZ Short-Term Rentals: Night Caps (2026)

Under Arizona Revised Statutes § 9-500.39 (originally SB 1350, 2016; expanded by SB 1168 in 2022), a city or town may not prohibit vacation rentals or short-term rentals or restrict their use, classification or occupancy except to protect health and safety through fire, building, sanitation, traffic, noise, nuisance and zoning rules. State preemption blocks Phoenix from enacting an annual cap on the number of nights a property may be rented or a city-wide cap on the total number of STR units. Phoenix's vacation rental ordinance (City Code Sec. 10-195, Ord. G-7156, effective Nov 6, 2023) accordingly contains no nightly cap; it focuses on permitting, $500,000 liability insurance, emergency contacts, neighbor notice and nuisance enforcement. The only stay-length threshold built into state law is the 30-consecutive-day definition: rentals of less than 30 consecutive days are short-term and subject to the City of Phoenix transient lodging tax (combined state TPT + city lodging totals roughly 14.5%); rentals of 30 days or more are treated as long-term tenancies and fall outside the STR ordinance. Confirm any pending changes with STR staff at vacation.rental@phoenix.gov or 602-534-9723.