By Marty Macurak, Communications Manager
Sedona AZ (August 16, 2019) – There has been a great deal of interest in, and talk about, vacation rentals in Sedona lately. For more than 20 years, the practice of operating short-term rentals within the Sedona city limits was against city code. That changed in May 2016 when Gov. Doug Ducey signed Senate Bill 1350, which allowed short-term rentals throughout the state. The bill, which became effective on January 1, 2017, had the effect of preempting local jurisdictions from enacting ordinances that prohibit the rental of residential properties for fewer than 30 days. Current Arizona law law requires cities to treat short-term rentals the same as long-term rentals or owner-occupied homes.
Following the restrictions created by SB 1350, during the 2018 legislative session the city of Sedona took the lead in advancing SB 1382, signed by Gov. Ducey in April 2018, which ensured that all online platforms such as Airbnb, VRBO and Home Away would be responsible for collecting and remitting sales and bed taxes on behalf of their short-term rental owner clients. This change will result in significant additional revenues to the city of Sedona.
In May 2019, in response to complaints about “party houses,” the governor signed House Bill 2672 to prohibit short-term rentals from being used for special events that would normally require a permit, and allows cities to collect contact information for the person responsible for addressing complaints about a property prior to a property being used as a rental. The bill allows for the application of civil penalties for proven violations of city codes and also requires online lodging marketplaces to display the owner’s Transaction Privilege Tax number.
Short-term rentals have become big business across the United States and worldwide. According to a March 2019 story in the online journal Wired, the marketing forum Airbnb – one of many such brokerages on the Web – offers 6 million places to stay in more than 191 countries, with listings outnumbering the top six hotel chains combined. Forbes magazine, in an article published in February, predicted that in the coming years “investors who see the revenue potential in short-term rentals (rather than the traditional long-term leases) will continue to buy up properties in locations that double as a hub for both urban short-term rentals and traditional vacation rentals.”
The Sedona City Council continues to work with statewide organizations and state legislators to address concerns about short-term rentals and whether or how cities can enforce rules to protect neighborhoods, public safety and ensure responsible and safe business operations.
There are many property owners in Sedona for whom short-term rentals provide an important source of income for themselves and their families, and who maintain and operate their properties responsibly.
If you happen to live near a property that is a problem, I’d like to offer some resources.
For noise issues, call the Sedona Police Department at (928) 282-3100. The city does have noise ordinances and our officers will respond to ensure that issues are addressed.
For non-emergency problems such as violations of our dark sky / light ordinances, parking violations, pet or property maintenance concerns, use the city’s online Report It tool. When you report problems online, our code enforcement team will inspect the situation, contact the property owner and set a date by which violations must be corrected. Visit our website, give us the what-and-where information, upload a photo if you wish, and then track the progress as we respond to your complaint. Visit sedonaaz.gov/reportit.
I also encourage you, when possible, to take the time to educate visitors you see in your neighborhood about protecting Sedona’s beautiful environment, sustainable practices off and on the trails, and about safety and Sedona’s community norms, including wildfire prevention. Many visitors from other areas simply have no experience with wildfires, as we do here in the West.
If you have feelings about short-term rentals and whether or not they need more – or less – community-based oversight, your comments are best directed to the elected officials who are responsible for shaping Arizona law:
Gov. Doug Ducey
engage@az.gov
(602) 542-4331
Sen. Sylvia Allen
sallen@azleg.gov
602-926-5409
Rep. Bob Thorpe
bthorpe@azleg.gov
928-310-8811
Rep. Walter Blackman
wblackman@azleg.gov
602-926-3043
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13 Comments
Thank you for this well informed article.
It seems so me the problem is not people renting a room or separate apt in their home as much as corporations such as the Marriot, buying up available houses and converting them to STRs, which essentially destroy a neighborhood.
This is all well and good.
However, in spite of the many tourist related problems Sedona is actively facing, why does the City hand over $2.4M every year to the Sedona Chamber to market & advertise for more traffic,STR and homeless visitors.
This appears to be very short term & erroneous thinking on the the part of the current council. Perhaps, if the funds were reduced by 50-75% the problems would be reduced accordingly. This is far better than begging the State for amendments. Doing nothing is not the answer.
Cheers
RJ
We moved to Sedona in 1994 so our daughter could attend Verde Valley School. Tiny little Sedona. We fell in love, of course, with this place. Except for 7 years of my study in Ojai, California, we have remained here. We have quite a few friends who are doing very well financially from AirBnB, and we stay in Air BnB’s when we travel. Wonderful concept. It seems, though, when a town is chosen as The Most Beautiful Place in America, that we should b able to see that this is only going to get to be a bigger and more unmanageable problem… Let’s keep talking with the State.
I agree with Peggy Sands that when corporations take over properties for multiple units, we are heading down a scary road. When Ojai found that visitors were disrespecting their environment, they passed a restrictive ordinance, reducing much of the rental traffic. Of course, here, we are under the thumb of the state.
All best, Kenyon Taylor
short-term rental owner clients. This change will result in significant additional revenues to the city of Sedona…………….spoken well by the city, it is about the MONEY
I would rather have less money than more temporary residents
I HAVE 6 RENTALS WITHIN 1/2 BLOCK OF ME
The rental on Cougar DR had 6 cars this past weekend – no noise but too many cars
Rentals always seem to attract traffic even with one couple renting…..recently a rental on Badger DR and Sage DR all of a sudden had people from California and other places visiting them
Two people rent and attract lost friends and relatives to add to the traffic and neighborhood congestion for several days
Also the City Council does not want to address garbage cans left on the street sometimes for days before and after the renters have moved on
The cans should be put out 1 day early for pickup and put away within 2 days after pickup by the owners or rental management company
Last the can lids should be labeled with boat sticky letters noting – for example – TAKE TO STREET MONDAY FOR TUESDAY PICKUP
TAKE TO STREET 1st AND 3rd MONDAYS
Very good issues that the lack luster council should be made aware of.
Thanks for posting.
Cheers
RJ
ARIZONA ATTORNEY GENERAL ISSUES OPINION ON CITY-CHAMBER CONTRACT
The Office of the Arizona Attorney General finds that the city contract with the Sedona Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Bureau for tourism promotion and visitor center services is lawful and has been appropriately administered by the city.
Read the release and access the full AG report at http://sedonaaz.gov/Home/Components/News/News/4905/473
Apparently STRs are not a problem for City Council because they keep approving more and more and more hotels. The city has the ability, no the RIGHT to say NO to additional hotel rooms being built — they COULD tell those developers that the ONLY thing that the city will allow is apartment buildings. But they don’t. They don’t do this because, obviously, the City Council approves every hotel development that crosses their desks. They also think the traffic is fine too because they keep gifting the Chamber will $2.5 million every year for destination marketing. Until the CITY steps up and does the right thing, there’s no need to go to the state for anything.
Confidential to Steve Segner: It’s not over buddy. way not over.
Archie, Just what hotel are you talking about . People that own commercial property zoned for hotels have a right to build a visit limits hotels The add on to the Marriott in West Sedona because that’s the last 80 rooms oh my god , we have over 4000 places to stay now with air band b ,thanks to sb 1350 and our governor so I don’t get mad at the local politicians , all the new hotels are going to be in the village they don’t have a local government to stop it, We have miles of undeveloped property along 89A do you think it’s just going to sit empty, did you think it was going to sit empty when you moved here . What are you really mad about that the attorney general came back and found the city did nothing wrong and that the 5% and Bed tax bailed Sedona out during the master session Sedona is growing all cities room it’s just the way it is city is going on again to plan for growrh
Steve Segner – hahaha! OMG, man! Take a breath. hahaha!
The city approved all the hotels, the extra rooms at the Marriott – they didn’t have to do that. Yes, we have a lot of rooms for a lot of tourist – thanks for repeating my direct statement that the city wants a lot of rooms. More and more and more rooms. Free market – any body with the money can pave paradise and put up another hotel. More and more rooms. More and more Strs. Sedona loves them some tourists dollars, my oh my! Traffic? Why city council loves traffic. A wallet in the purse of every car pulling thru. Yes yes. More rooms, more traffic. More gifting to the Chamber, more and more land disappearing. Good for you Segner, you like it.
To the village of Oak Creek – How do you like not having any government out there. How is it that you look as great as you do with NO laws you have to uphold? According to Segner, they are NOT building any hotels in Sedona – on Cook’s Hill, where Biddell’s used to be, nor will a hotel be built inside city limits – only in the village and there’s nothing they can do about it because they have no government? Isn’t that what you said, Segner?
And every car on the road is the fault of SB1350, and has NOTHING to do with the fact that Sedona gifts millions and millions and millions to advertise the city, when that money could actually be helping a local group or society, or even set aside for affordable housing.
The city can demand that developers build apartments, not hotels, but hotels bring in bigger tax dollars. The end.
There is no hotel approved at the moment for the biddles property.The one on Cook Hill By the mariposa was authorized three councils back and is under 50 units. The city Council has done a good job of keeping an eye on hotels ,it’s the 2000+ Airbnb there a problem why don’t we focus on that , you know “no growth “is not in the city charter we are a city with thousands of empty home lots and miles of empty commercial lots Along 89 a. Better to plan for growth then to fight it.Sedona in motion it’s a good start . I find it interesting that it’s OK to build multimillion dollar homes but somehow it’s evil to build another hotel with 50 units NIMBY talk.
I am not a fan of STR’s for a variety of reasons. The hotels and tourism in Sedona and VOC certainly generate traffic, but nothing compared to traffic generated by Oak Creek Canyon thru Sedona.
I just drove thru Oak Creek Canyon. People are literally camped out on the side of the highway BBQ’ing. They’re pushing baby carriages and pulling coolers up the highway. Cars are parked on both sides of the highway… in the traffic lanes… from Bacon Rind park past Slide rock. It’s like trying to drive thru Disneyland.
The Forest Service and State Parks need to get their act together and implement a reservation system for the trailheads, campgrounds, Slide Rock, etc. and severely restrict road side parking. Oak Creek Canyon is an illustration of total government mismanagement of a recreational resource. And it has a huge negative impact the traffic thru Sedona.
The City will not mitigate the impacts of Oak Creek Canyon traffic with million dollar SIM improvements and limits on hotel development and tourism while the USFS and State Parks allows unimpeded access to Oak Creek Canyon…and destroys the resource in the process.
Make complaints to the US Forest Service and State Parks and Recreation and demand they make some changes before someone gets killed.