Scottsdale advances new STR accountability measures, supports statewide reform effort
Staff Writer | Mayor of Scottsdale
Scottsdale City Council voted unanimously last week to strengthen the city’s ability to address complaints and emergencies related to vacation and short-term rentals through Ordinance No. 4720.
The measure, which passed 7-0, updates the city code to require designated emergency contacts for short-term rental properties to be reachable around the clock for both complaints and emergencies. The action comes as Arizona cities continue pursuing additional tools to address neighborhood impacts associated with disruptive short-term rental operations.
Earlier this year, Scottsdale worked with communities across the state through the League of Arizona Cities and Towns on a legislative proposal for the next legislative session that would prohibit multifamily housing properties, including condominiums, apartments, and mobile home communities, from being classified and operated as short-term rentals.
During the League’s annual conference earlier this month, Sedona Mayor Holli Ploog accepted a friendly amendment from Scottsdale Mayor Lisa Borowsky to specifically include condominiums in the resolution, which has now been approved by League members for consideration during the 2027 Arizona legislative session.
These new efforts come on the heels of the adoption of Scottsdale Ordinance No. 4720, which also defines an “event center,” gives the city stronger local enforcement tools by amending Section 18-172 of the Scottsdale Revised Code to expand on existing requirements that previously focused only on emergency situations.
Under the new ordinance, designated emergency contacts must be reachable 24 hours a day, seven days a week by phone or email for the purpose of responding to complaints and emergencies related to vacation and short-term rental properties. The ordinance also retains the existing requirement that emergency contacts respond in person within one hour when requested by public safety personnel during an emergency. It does not require that emergency contacts respond in person to complaints, only emergencies.
State law requires vacation rental owners to identify a person responsible for responding to complaints and emergencies in a timely manner any time of day. The new ordinance aligns Scottsdale’s code with the state requirement and provides clear accountability when designated contacts are unreachable. It gives the city an additional enforcement tool to address recurring problems while remaining consistent with Arizona law.
Of Note: Nothing in the ordinance requires a short-term vacation operator to be able to instantly resolve complaints, only that the designated emergency contact be reachable.
“This ordinance gives Scottsdale another tool to protect neighborhoods and improve accountability when problems arise at short-term rental properties,” Mayor Borowsky said. “Residents deserve confidence that complaints won’t go unanswered and that someone can be reached quickly when issues impact the quality of life in their neighborhood.”
