What are the short-term rental rules and taxes in Scottsdale, Arizona?

Scottsdale lets you run a short-term rental, and state law limits how far the city can regulate one. You still need three registrations before your first guest (state tax license, city license and county registration), a posted safety notice and a neighbor letter. This page covers what the city, the Arizona Department of Revenue (ADOR) and the platforms say, for stays of less than 30 days.

Checked on Nov 4, 2026. Rules and rates change, so open the official links before you act. This is not legal or tax advice; confirm your situation with ADOR, the city or a CPA.

Do you need a permit or registration

Yes. Scottsdale's owner and operator page (opens in a new tab) (last updated Jul 31, 2026, per the page) lists these steps, in order:

1. Arizona TPT license from ADOR, one per property. List Scottsdale (region code SC) on the application. The city needs your TPT number.
2. City short-term rental license, applied for through the city's Accela portal (linked from the same page). The fee is $250 per property, renewed every year.
3. Neighbor notice within 30 days of getting the license, and again whenever your contact details change. It goes to the homes next to you, directly across the street and diagonally across. In a multifamily building it goes to every unit on your floor. The letter must give your license number, the address and a 24-hour emergency contact.
4. Liability insurance of at least $500,000, held yourself or provided through a booking platform.
5. Attestation that you sent the neighbor notice and have the insurance.
6. Maricopa County Assessor registration before anyone stays. The city says renting before you register is illegal.
7. Posted notice inside the front door and the main backyard door (or close to each), in bold 14-point type or larger, laminated or similarly protected. It shows where the fire and life-safety equipment is and the city's waste rules. The city page links a form that generates it.

ADOR's short-term lodging page (opens in a new tab) says your TPT license number must appear on every advertisement. The city's tax brochure (opens in a new tab) says it can go anywhere in the listing description, and that renting without a license or leaving the number off an ad can bring a $250 penalty, then $1,000 for a later offense.

Occupancy and sales taxes

Arizona taxes lodging through its transaction privilege tax (TPT), which works like a sales tax charged to the business. Three layers apply in Scottsdale. The rates below are from ADOR's rate table effective Nov 1, 2026 (opens in a new tab) and its Scottsdale city profile (opens in a new tab).

Combined: 7.27% + 1.70% + 5.00% = 13.97% of the taxable rent.

A few notes on those numbers:

• ADOR's table shows the state and county lodging rate as one figure for Maricopa County. Airbnb's Arizona article lists the state part on its own as 5.5%. ADOR's table does not split out the county part, so check it with ADOR if you need it.
• The city's tax page (opens in a new tab) describes the same city layers in words: a 5.0% transient lodging tax on stays of 29 days or less, on top of the 1.7% city privilege tax.
• ADOR's Scottsdale profile lists 5.00% for code 144 but also contains older amendment text describing a 3% bed tax. The current rate table shows 5.00%. If you file direct bookings, confirm with Scottsdale Business Regulations (480-312-7788).
• ADOR says fees count once they stop being refundable, including cleaning, cancellation and nonrefundable deposit amounts.

What Airbnb and Vrbo collect for you there

Airbnb. Airbnb's Arizona tax article (opens in a new tab) says it collects and remits, on the listing price including any cleaning fee:

• Arizona TPT at 5.5%, on stays of 29 nights or fewer
• County excise tax (varies by county), on stays of 29 nights or fewer
• Local taxes such as city TPT, transient lodging, bed or hotel-motel tax (varies by city). It says city TPT typically applies regardless of length of stay

The article does not name Scottsdale, and it gives county and city taxes only as ranges. It says hosts must assess all other tax obligations.

Vrbo. Vrbo's US tax list (states A to E) (opens in a new tab) shows it collects and remits Arizona TPT, county excise tax and local transient occupancy taxes statewide for stays under 30 nights, starting Jan 1, 2019. It lists no rates.

What stays your job:

• File your TPT return on time, even when the platforms paid all the tax. ADOR says to report the platform income and deduct it with deduction code 775. Platforms give you Form 5018 as evidence. Keep it.
• Collect and pay all three layers yourself on direct bookings and any channel that doesn't remit for you.
• File a $0 return for periods with no rentals. ADOR's page says so directly.
• A property manager can file for you, but ADOR says the owner stays liable.

Filing and registering for the taxes you must file yourself

• Register and file: at AZTaxes.gov (opens in a new tab), the portal ADOR names for licensing, filing and paying. ADOR says you can choose a seasonal filing frequency when you apply for a seasonal TPT license.
• Frequency: Scottsdale's tax brochure ties it to your expected yearly combined state, county and city TPT. Under $2,000 files annually, $2,000 to $8,000 files quarterly, and over $8,000 files monthly.
• Codes on the return: 025 for state and county transient lodging, 044 for the city hotel tax and 144 for the city additional hotel tax, with region codes MAR and SC.
• Questions: ADOR's short-term rental line is (602) 716-7368.

A city license is separate from the TPT license. The city issues one and ADOR issues the other, so you need both.

Other local rules

What state law lets the city do. A.R.S. 9-500.39 (opens in a new tab) bars Arizona cities from banning short-term rentals or regulating them by use or occupancy, except as the statute allows. Cities can require a permit (fee capped at the lesser of cost or $250), an emergency contact who can respond at any time, a neighbor notice, $500,000 in liability coverage and a license number on ads. They can enforce health, safety, noise and nuisance rules that apply to other homes too. The statute also sets civil penalties for verified violations at the same property within 12 months:

• First: up to $500 or one night's advertised rent, whichever is greater
• Second: up to $1,000 or two nights' rent
• Third and later: up to $3,500 or three nights' rent

Three verified violations in 12 months, or one serious one (such as a felony at the property), can lead to a permit suspension of up to 12 months.

Occupancy. The city's short-term rental guide (opens in a new tab) (dated May 30, 2023) says the zoning ordinance defines a family as up to six adults plus their related dependent children. Its good neighbor guide for owners (opens in a new tab) says listings must state that limit. The guide says enforcement focuses on problems like nuisance parties rather than headcounts.

Parties and events. You can't rent the home for non-residential uses such as corporate events, weddings or bachelor and bachelorette parties. Under city code SRC 18-121, owners can be held accountable for repeated unruly gatherings.

Noise. The city judges excessive noise by a reasonable-person standard, for example noise loud enough to wake someone. The guides give no set quiet hours. A noise monitor helps you hear about problems before neighbors call; follow Airbnb's camera and noise monitor rules.

Parking. The city guide says guests may park on the street unless a private restriction, such as an HOA or deed rule, says otherwise.

Pools and spas. Homes with a pool, hot tub or spa must meet the city's pool barrier rules (SRC 31-68). The owner guide also says to tell guests to watch children at all times.

Trash. Use the bins properly, set them out on collection day and bring them back in. Give guests the schedule. Put it in your house manual.

Guest houses. The city guide says a guest house or guest room cannot be rented separately from the main house.

The city page does not set occupancy limits beyond zoning, a parking count or a required response time for your emergency contact. If you need those, check Article IX of the city code or call the Short-Term Rental Hotline at 480-312-7368.

Where to check for changes

• Scottsdale vacation and short-term rentals (opens in a new tab)
• ADOR short-term lodging (opens in a new tab)
• ADOR TPT rate tables (opens in a new tab), updated when rates change
• A.R.S. 9-500.39 (opens in a new tab) for what cities may and may not require
• Airbnb Arizona taxes (opens in a new tab) and Vrbo tax list (opens in a new tab)

For income tax on the same rent, see short-term rental taxes for US hosts. To see what a stay leaves you after platform fees, use the Airbnb fee calculator.