Maricopa County

Operating rules

Primary residence

conditional

Min stay (nights)

—

Max nights / year

—

Max occupancy

The STR must be rented as a whole unit to a single party or individual; partial rentals (by the room or by the bed) are prohibited (MCZO 1208.1.2). Only one (1) STR unit may be rented per parcel at any given time (MCZO 1208.1.3). No fixed maximum-occupant headcount is set by the county STR standards.

Zoning-restricted

Yes

Cap on licenses

—

Grandfathering: The owner-occupancy requirement for ADU-containing STR properties does NOT apply where the ADU's certificate of occupancy, certificate of completion, or similar final approval was issued by the County on or before September 13, 2024. This mirrors A.R.S. 11-269.17(B)(9) (verbatim: owner must reside 'if a certificate of occupancy ... was issued by the county on or after September 14, 2024. This paragraph does not apply ... if ... issued on or before September 13, 2024.') and MCZO 1208.1.2 (verbatim: 'The owner of a short-term rental must reside on the property if the property contains an accessory dwelling unit unless a certificate of occupancy, certificate of completion or similar final approval for the accessory dwelling unit was issued by the County on or before September 13, 2024.').

Zoning: Governed by the modernized Maricopa County Zoning Ordinance (MCZO) STR standards (Section 1208), effective January 9, 2026, in unincorporated areas. STR = a single-family dwelling or an approved accessory dwelling unit leased for no more than 30 consecutive days, without signage. No more than one ADU per parcel may be used as a short-term rental. Prohibited in connection with any STR (MCZO 1208.1.4): use of the property for commercial events, public assembly, or special gatherings (e.g., weddings, banquets, or similar functions); signage, site-specific websites, or any external identification suggesting commercial operation; and operation of any retail, food service, or other commercial enterprise from the STR. State law A.R.S. 11-269.17(K) independently bars nonresidential uses (verbatim: 'A vacation rental or short-term rental may not be used for nonresidential uses, including for a special event ... or for a retail, restaurant, banquet space or other similar use.').

• primary_residence_required is CONDITIONAL: the owner must reside on the property ONLY if the property contains an accessory dwelling unit whose certificate of occupancy/completion was issued after September 13, 2024 (i.e., on or after September 14, 2024). A standalone single-family STR without a post-cutoff ADU has NO owner-occupancy requirement. (VERIFIED — the September 13 and September 14, 2024 dates are two sides of the same boundary and are both correct.)
• No county-wide numeric cap on the number of STRs and no cap on licenses; the 'one STR unit per parcel' rule is a per-parcel operational limit, not a jurisdiction-wide cap. (VERIFIED against MCZO 1208 and A.R.S. 11-269.17.)
• No minimum-stay requirement and no maximum-nights-per-year limit is imposed by the county; A.R.S. 11-269.17 preempts most such restrictions. (VERIFIED — no such provision in MCZO 1208 or the statute.)
• A registered sex offender may not rent, lease, or occupy an STR, and the lessee may not include such an individual in the renting party (MCZO 1208.1.5, verbatim). (VERIFIED.)
• These county standards apply ONLY to UNINCORPORATED Maricopa County; incorporated municipalities (Phoenix, Scottsdale, Mesa, Tempe, etc.) each have separate STR ordinances not covered by this county record. (VERIFIED — A.R.S. 11-269.17(B) authorizes county regulation only 'within the unincorporated areas of the county.')
• Liability insurance: A.R.S. 11-269.17(B)(8) PERMITS (does not require) a county to mandate at least $500,000 liability coverage or equal/greater marketplace-provided coverage. The verified MCZO Section 1208 STR standards (as in TA250002) do NOT impose any insurance requirement. Reconfirm against the final adopted MCZO text posted January 9, 2026 if the exact insurance posture is material.

Enforcement

Active enforcement

unknown

Fines

—

Notes

Enforcement authorities are drawn from Arizona state statute A.R.S. 11-269.17 (verbatim from the county's TA250002 statutory attachment). County-specific administrative enforcement procedures under the modernized MCZO were not separately quote-verified in this pass.