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Arizona · Mesa

Mesa

city Allowed with registration Needs review · last verified 2026-07-15

Short-term rentals (defined as residential lodging offered for transient use of 29 days or fewer / less than 30 days) are legal in Mesa but must be licensed under Mesa City Code Title 5, Chapter 15, enacted by Ordinance No. 5734 (adopted 10-17-2022; effective February 1, 2023). Every unit requires a separate Mesa Short-Term Rental License at $250 per unit, issued only to the property owner, valid one year and renewable annually for $250 (complete renewal due at least 45 calendar days before expiration; a courtesy reminder is emailed ~90 days out). Applying requires a valid Arizona Transaction Privilege Tax (TPT) license listing the rental unit's location (MCC 5-15-3). Operational mandates include: liability insurance of at least $500,000 in the aggregate (satisfiable via an online lodging marketplace's coverage); a designated emergency point of contact who must respond IN PERSON within one hour when public-safety personnel (Mesa Police / Fire and Medical) are dispatched, and otherwise respond in a timely manner in person, by phone, or by email (the draft's flat '24-hour' figure is not supported by the ordinance text located and was removed); posting that contact conspicuously at the primary entrance; displaying the license number on every advertisement; written notice to neighbors (single-residence: adjacent/directly-across/diagonally-across lots, commonly described as owners within ~200 ft) before renting; and maintaining registration with the Maricopa County Assessor per A.R.S. §§ 33-1901 to 33-1907. Mesa is preempted by A.R.S. § 9-500.39 from banning STRs or capping licenses; there is no owner-occupancy requirement, no license cap, and no annual night cap. Enforcement includes escalating civil penalties for verified violations (state framework under A.R.S. § 9-500.39 caps local penalties at up to $500 / $1,000 / $3,500 for 1st / 2nd / 3rd+ violations in 12 months — the draft's specific '$500/$1,000/$2,000' Mesa amounts could not be quote-anchored and the third tier is UNVERIFIED), monthly failure-to-license penalties of $250 / $500 / $750 / $900, and TPT-license/registration suspension of up to 12 months after three verified violations in a 12-month period. Taxes on stays under 30 days total 14.27%: 5.0% Mesa Transient Lodging Tax + 2.0% Mesa transaction privilege (sales) tax + 7.27% Arizona state transient-lodging classification rate plus applicable surcharges (state/county); online lodging marketplaces (Airbnb/Vrbo) collect and remit these taxes. NOTE: the primary official sources (Municode Ch. 15 and mesaaz.gov) returned HTTP 403 to automated fetch, so quoted ordinance text below is corroborated in substance by multiple independent sources but was not verbatim-verified against the primary source.

Not legal advice. Last verified 2026-07-15 · sources linked below.

Requirements checklist

  • city Mesa Short-Term Rental License (Mesa City Code Title 5, Ch. 15) Required
    Fee: $250 / annual · Renewal: Valid 1 year from issuance; renewal application + fee due at least 45 calendar days prior to expiration; courtesy reminder emailed ~90 calendar days before expiration. CORROBORATED. · Applies to: Every residential unit offered for transient use of 29 days or fewer; a separate license per unit; issued only to the property owner · official page ↗
  • state Arizona Transaction Privilege Tax (TPT) License Required
    Fee: — · Renewal: Per AZDOR TPT license rules · Applies to: Each STR unit (including units listed on an online lodging marketplace such as Airbnb or Vrbo); each rental unit's location must be listed on the TPT license; a prerequisite to obtaining the Mesa STR license (MCC 5-15-3) · official page ↗
  • city Liability insurance (bodily injury and property damage) Required
    Fee: — · Renewal: Must be maintained at all times · Applies to: Each short-term rental; may be satisfied by renting through an online lodging marketplace that provides equal or greater coverage · official page ↗
  • city Emergency point of contact (in-person 1-hour public-safety response + conspicuous posting) Required
    Fee: — · Renewal: Notify Licensing Administrator / re-notify neighbors within 10 calendar days of any change · Applies to: Owner or owner's designee must respond IN PERSON within one hour when public-safety personnel (Mesa Police / Fire and Medical) are dispatched, and must otherwise respond in a timely manner in person, by phone, or by email; contact info must be posted conspicuously at the primary entrance. CORRECTED: the draft's flat '24 hours otherwise' figure was not found in the ordinance text and was removed. · official page ↗
  • city Written notice to neighboring properties Required
    Fee: — · Renewal: Re-notify within 10 calendar days if emergency contact information changes · Applies to: Single-residence units: adjacent, directly-across, and diagonally-across lots (news sources describe owners/residents within ~200 ft); multi-residence: same-floor units; notice must include license number, address, and emergency contact (MCC 5-15-4) · official page ↗
  • county Maricopa County Assessor rental registration (A.R.S. §§ 33-1901 to 33-1907) Required
    Fee: — · Renewal: Maintain on file · Applies to: Owner or owner's designee of each STR must maintain required residential-rental information with the Maricopa County Assessor · official page ↗
  • city Display license number on every advertisement Required
    Fee: — · Renewal: — · Applies to: All advertisements/listings for the short-term rental · official page ↗

Taxes

TaxRateAdministered byAirbnb remitsVrbo remits
Mesa Transient Lodging Tax — — — —
Mesa Transaction Privilege (Sales) Tax on lodging — — — —
Arizona State transient-lodging classification rate plus applicable surcharges (state + Maricopa County) — — — —
Combined transient lodging tax — — — —

Operating rules

Primary residence
No
Min stay (nights)
—
Max nights / year
—
Max occupancy
—
Zoning-restricted
No
Cap on licenses
—

Zoning: No owner-occupancy requirement, no license cap, and no annual night cap — Mesa is preempted by A.R.S. § 9-500.39 from banning STRs, using zoning to prohibit them, or capping licenses. STRs must comply with the Mesa Zoning Ordinance (MCC Title 11), noise limits (Title 6, Ch. 12), and public-nuisance/property-maintenance/neighborhood-preservation rules (Title 8, Ch. 6). Prohibited uses reported under MCC 5-15-5(H): housing registered sex offenders, sober-living homes, adult-oriented businesses, retail/restaurant/banquet/commercial uses, sale of liquor or illegal drugs, pornography, and use for special events — consistent with what A.R.S. § 9-500.39 permits cities to prohibit. The exact subsection numbering and prohibited-use list could not be verbatim-verified (Municode returned HTTP 403); treat the specific list as substance-corroborated but not primary-source-confirmed.

Enforcement

Active enforcement
unknown
Fines
—
Notes
Enforcement specifics (base penalty, exact Mesa per-violation escalation) not verbatim-verified against Municode Ch. 15 (HTTP 403); the state statutory framework and failure-to-license monthly schedule are corroborated.

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Frequently asked questions

Is Airbnb legal in Mesa?
Short-term rentals (defined as residential lodging offered for transient use of 29 days or fewer / less than 30 days) are legal in Mesa but must be licensed under Mesa City Code Title 5, Chapter 15, enacted by Ordinance No. 5734 (adopted 10-17-2022; effective February 1, 2023). Every unit requires a separate Mesa Short-Term Rental License at $250 per unit, issued only to the property owner, valid one year and renewable annually for $250 (complete renewal due at least 45 calendar days before expiration; a courtesy reminder is emailed ~90 days out). Applying requires a valid Arizona Transaction Privilege Tax (TPT) license listing the rental unit's location (MCC 5-15-3). Operational mandates include: liability insurance of at least $500,000 in the aggregate (satisfiable via an online lodging marketplace's coverage); a designated emergency point of contact who must respond IN PERSON within one hour when public-safety personnel (Mesa Police / Fire and Medical) are dispatched, and otherwise respond in a timely manner in person, by phone, or by email (the draft's flat '24-hour' figure is not supported by the ordinance text located and was removed); posting that contact conspicuously at the primary entrance; displaying the license number on every advertisement; written notice to neighbors (single-residence: adjacent/directly-across/diagonally-across lots, commonly described as owners within ~200 ft) before renting; and maintaining registration with the Maricopa County Assessor per A.R.S. §§ 33-1901 to 33-1907. Mesa is preempted by A.R.S. § 9-500.39 from banning STRs or capping licenses; there is no owner-occupancy requirement, no license cap, and no annual night cap. Enforcement includes escalating civil penalties for verified violations (state framework under A.R.S. § 9-500.39 caps local penalties at up to $500 / $1,000 / $3,500 for 1st / 2nd / 3rd+ violations in 12 months — the draft's specific '$500/$1,000/$2,000' Mesa amounts could not be quote-anchored and the third tier is UNVERIFIED), monthly failure-to-license penalties of $250 / $500 / $750 / $900, and TPT-license/registration suspension of up to 12 months after three verified violations in a 12-month period. Taxes on stays under 30 days total 14.27%: 5.0% Mesa Transient Lodging Tax + 2.0% Mesa transaction privilege (sales) tax + 7.27% Arizona state transient-lodging classification rate plus applicable surcharges (state/county); online lodging marketplaces (Airbnb/Vrbo) collect and remit these taxes. NOTE: the primary official sources (Municode Ch. 15 and mesaaz.gov) returned HTTP 403 to automated fetch, so quoted ordinance text below is corroborated in substance by multiple independent sources but was not verbatim-verified against the primary source.
Do I need a license or registration for a short-term rental in Mesa?
Yes — Mesa requires: Mesa Short-Term Rental License (Mesa City Code Title 5, Ch. 15); Arizona Transaction Privilege Tax (TPT) License; Liability insurance (bodily injury and property damage). See the requirements checklist for fees, renewal, and official links.
What taxes apply to short-term rentals in Mesa?
Mesa Transient Lodging Tax, Mesa Transaction Privilege (Sales) Tax on lodging, Arizona State transient-lodging classification rate plus applicable surcharges (state + Maricopa County), Combined transient lodging tax. Use the lodging-tax estimator on this page for a specific stay.

Official sources

Related coverage

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Informational summary of publicly available sources; not legal advice. Verify against the linked official sources.