Arizona statutes address long-term ADU leasing and short-term rentals through separate provisions. The distinction matters: a rule that protects long-term tenancy does not decide whether an ADU may be used for vacation or short stays, and the short-term-rental provision does not impose an automatic statewide owner-residence rule.

Long-term leasing under § 9-461.18

For municipalities with more than 75,000 people, the statute requires zoning regulations to allow at least one attached and one detached ADU as permitted uses on qualifying single-family lots, subject to the statute’s limits and exclusions. A municipality may not prohibit separately leased long-term use of the primary dwelling or ADU or require the owner or occupants to have a preexisting family, marital, employment, or other relationship. The statute defines long-term rental as a lease of 90 days or longer or month-to-month.

The statute also limits local ADU restrictive-covenant requirements, but it does not erase restrictions created by private parties. Check the municipality’s population and statutory applicability, the local code, private title or association documents, and the unit’s approval history. A permitted use is not proof that a particular ADU was built or occupied lawfully.

Short-term rental under § 9-500.39

A separate law permits a city or town to require the owner of a vacation or short-term rental to reside on the property when it contains an ADU, but only where municipal final approval for that ADU was issued on or after September 14, 2024. The statute excludes ADUs with a certificate of completion, certificate of occupancy, or similar final approval issued on or before September 13, 2024. Local adoption is required; the state provision is permission for a local rule, not a statewide mandate.

Check the City’s current ordinance, the ADU’s exact approval record, the intended rental category, and the current short-term-rental licence requirements. Phoenix has its own published ADU owner-residence guidance and application evidence; see the Phoenix guide. Do not apply the state date boundary as if it issued a permit or decided a property’s use.