Tucson, AZ Short-Term Rentals: Short-Term Rental Permits (2026)

Tucson requires anyone who rents lodging to transients, stays under 30 consecutive days, to register and license before doing business, whether the property is a traditional hotel or a short-term rental house or apartment. City Code § 19-1 defines 'hotel' broadly to include 'any structure, or any portion of any structure, which is occupied or intended or designed for occupancy by transients for dwelling, lodging or sleeping purposes,' expressly naming lodging houses, rooming houses, and apartment houses among covered structures. Section 19-67 requires that operator to register with the Director of Finance in the operator's own name within thirty days after commencing business; a transient rental tax license is then issued and must be posted at all times in a conspicuous place on the premises.

Operators who already hold a city business privilege license receive the first transient rental license automatically, but that does not excuse them from separately registering under § 19-67. 00 fee, and cannot engage in business until the license issues. Partnerships must list every general partner's name and address, and corporations must list the CEO and CFO, per § 19-72. Anyone operating at two or more locations or under two or more business names needs a separate license for each. Under § 19-73, the license stays valid until the licensee cancels or surrenders it, is nontransferable between owners or locations, and a licensee who loses it pays the current fee again for reissuance.