Arizona Short-Term Rental Bill Dies As Legislative Session Ends Without Key Hearings
Agent
Rep. Selina Bliss' House Bill 2429, which would have allowed Arizona cities and towns to limit the number of short-term rentals, is dead for the year after failing to secure a hearing in the state Senate.
The bill's failure means that vacation towns across Arizona face continued pressure from exploding numbers of Airbnb and Vrbo properties, with no new rules to help local communities manage the impact.
What the bill would have done:
- Limit the number of overnight guests in short-term rentals to two per bedroom
- Allow cities to immediately suspend a local license after three violations in 24 months
- Require host checks against sex offender registries
- Let cities refuse permits if hosts have unpaid fines
- Enable immediate action on serious health and safety violations
I don't want to walk out of here at the end of session thinking I left a stone unturned. This is too important to too many people, too many districts.
— Rep. Selina Bliss
The Legislative Timeline
The bill passed the House of Representatives on March 10 on a 36-19 vote, then again on March 17 on a 37-14 count after Bliss pulled it back for a mandatory sex offender check amendment.
The number of STR's has exploded in Arizona since then-Gov. Doug Ducey signed legislation in 2016 he strongly backed, barring regulations of the industry. That led to big problems in vacation towns like Sedona, where average workers can't find housing, and even Scottsdale, where rental properties are increasingly scarce because of the number of Airbnbs.
— Capitol Media Services
Despite that delay, Bliss hoped to get the bill on the Senate Appropriations Committee's March 31 agenda, but it did not make the chairman's cut.
She was also told Senate President Warren Petersen was willing to support it. Petersen told his staff he was open to putting the bill to a vote and said it "sounded like a reasonable compromise."
But Bliss was never able to speak to Petersen directly to hash out a way forward.
I missed the deadline because I thought Farnsworth was going to do it for me on the Senate side, and then the agendas got published at the same time, and then I lost both opportunities. That was the point when I knew it was officially dead, when Farnsworth did not have it on his approps agenda.
— Rep. Selina Bliss
The Strike-Everything Dilemma
Bliss had hoped to use a strike-everything amendment to add her bill to a previously-passed Senate measure, but the timing worked against her.
By the time the final Senate committee agenda was posted, it was too late to get the bill onto the companion House committee agenda the same day, leaving few options to resurrect it.
What This Means for Arizona Communities
At least for this year, Arizona faces:
- No limits on the number of people who can stay in short-term rentals
- No new rules to help communities shut down bad actors
- No sex offender checks for short-term rental hosts
Bliss, R-Prescott, has been pushing for three years for new rules on short-term rentals, including giving municipalities the ability to limit their numbers.
The bill aimed to address problems that have grown since Gov. Doug Ducey signed legislation in 2016 that strongly backed barring regulations of the industry.
That led to documented issues in vacation towns like Sedona, where average workers can't find housing, and Scottsdale, where rental properties are increasingly scarce.
Despite calls from many municipalities, she was unable to win backing for proposals allowing cities and towns to limit the number of new STR's or add new regulations because of opposition from the industry and from some lawmakers who support free-market principles.
— Capitol Media Services
But earlier this year, Bliss negotiated a deal with the industry, Realtors, and cities and towns that would have allowed at least some new rules.
That deal would have:
- Limited overnight guests to two per bedroom
- Allowed cities to suspend local licenses after three violations in 24 months
- Enabled immediate action on serious health and safety violations
- Required permits to be refused if hosts have unpaid fines
- Allowed cities to require sex offender checks for renters
That last item was one of the reasons the bill was late getting to the Senate.
She said she spoke with Sen. David Farnsworth, R-Mesa, the committee's chair, and that he was supportive and would put it on his agenda. But that didn't happen.
— Capitol Media Services
Not Giving Up
Despite the setback, Bliss said she's not giving up, but realizes her chances between slim and none.
I don't want to walk out of here at the end of session thinking I left a stone unturned. This is too important to too many people, too many districts.
— Rep. Selina Bliss
The bill faces nearly impossible odds after missing key deadlines when the final scheduled committee hearings of the legislative session passed in both chambers without it being heard.
She had hoped to get it on the Senate Appropriations Committee's March 31 agenda, but it did not make the chairman's cut.
And it was too late to make it onto the companion House committee agenda the same day, leaving few options for her to resurrect it.
Sources
- Arizona Capitol Times: https://azcapitoltimes.com/news/2026/04/07/arizona-short-term-rental-bill-likely-dead-for-the-year/
- KNAU Arizona Public Radio: https://www.knau.org/knau-and-arizona-news/2026-04-08/arizona-short-term-rental-bill-likely-dead-for-the-year
- Tucson.com: https://tucson.com/news/state-regional/government-politics/article_d8522e64-67f9-4515-a39a-84831ae5fa70.html