City ordinance requires short-term/vacation rental property owners/operators to obtain a Scottsdale license for each property and comply with several safety, health and neighbor notification requirements. Scottsdale's licensing portal opened Nov. 28, 2022, owners must obtain licenses by Jan. 8, 2023. 

The city has notified all known short-term/vacation rental properties about the licensing requirement via direct mail. However, as of Dec. 14, only 530 of an estimated 5,000 properties in Scottsdale have applied for or received their Scottsdale license.

“I’m concerned that only a small percentage of all properties currently advertising in Scottsdale have applied for the license we require," said Scottsdale Mayor David D. Ortega. "I urge all owners to act now and obtain the license - doing so is simple, and it's the law in Scottsdale."

Failure to receive the city's letter does not alleviate an owner’s responsibility to obtain a license or comply with other ordinance and legal requirements. 

Beginning Jan. 9, any short-term/vacation rental property operating in Scottsdale without a license will be violating the law. The owner/operator will be subject to enforcement action by the city that includes being cited with a minimum fine of $1,000 per violation.

• Review the requirements and apply for a Scottsdale rental property license here
• Download a step-by-step licensing process guide here (PDF)

A short-term/vacation rental covers rentals of less than 30 days. Owners that rent for 30 days or longer do not need to obtain a license through this process.

Visit ScottsdaleAZ.gov and search “short-term rental” to learn more about the city, county and state requirements for short-term/vacation rental properties, apply for a license, and find resources for neighborhoods.