Mesa, AZ Short-Term Rentals: Repeat Violator Strikes (2026)
Key Facts
- Strike window
- 12 months
- Threshold
- Three verified violations
- Suspension length
- Up to one year
- Authority
- ARS §9-500.39
Summary
Mesa may suspend or revoke a short-term rental registration after repeat verified violations within a twelve-month window. ARS §9-500.39 authorizes cities to enforce three documented nuisance strikes against the operator and the property.
D. A city or town that requires a local regulatory permit or license pursuant to this section shall adopt an ordinance to allow the city or town to initiate an administrative process to suspend a local regulatory permit or license for a period of up to twelve months for the following verified violations associated with a property:
1. Three verified violations within a twelve-month period, not including any verified violation based on an aesthetic, solid waste disposal or vehicle parking violation that is not also a serious threat to public health and safety.
2. One verified violation that results in or constitutes any of the following:
(a) A felony offense committed at or in the vicinity of a vacation rental or short-term rental by the vacation rental or short-term rental owner or owner's designee.
(b) A serious physical injury or wrongful death at or related to a vacation rental or short-term rental resulting from the knowing, intentional or reckless conduct of the vacation rental or short-term rental owner or owner's designee.
(c) An owner or owner's designee knowingly or intentionally housing a sex offender, allowing offenses related to adult-oriented businesses, sexual offenses or prostitution, or operating or maintaining a sober living home, in violation of a regulation or ordinance adopted pursuant to subsection B, paragraph 3 of this section.
(d) An owner or owner's designee knowingly or intentionally allowing the use of a vacation rental or short-term rental for a special event that would otherwise require a permit or license pursuant to a city or town ordinance or a state law or rule or for a retail, restaurant, banquet space or other similar use.
3. Notwithstanding paragraphs 1 and 2 of this subsection, any attempted or completed felony offense, arising from the occupancy or use of a vacation rental or short-term rental, that results in a death, or actual or attempted serious physical injury, shall be grounds for judicial relief in the form of a suspension of the property's use as a vacation rental or short-term rental for a period of time that shall not exceed twelve months.
Full Breakdown
While Arizona broadly preempts STR bans, the legislature amended ARS §9-500.39 to permit cities to suspend a registration after three or more verified violations within twelve months. Mesa applies that authority through its STR registration ordinance under Zoning Ordinance §11-3. Qualifying violations include unlawful gatherings, unruly events as defined in Mesa code, sex-offender residency breaches, and serious health-code failures. Strikes attach to both the operator and the parcel, so a transfer does not reset the count. After three strikes, the city may suspend the registration for up to twelve months and notify the platform.
Violations & Fines
A third strike within twelve months allows registration suspension up to one year and removal from booking platforms after Mesa's notice to the host's platform of record.
Frequently Asked Questions
What counts as a strike?
Does selling the property reset strikes?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Mesa
Compare Mesa to another location·View the Arizona short-term rentals overview
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