A resort in Scottsdale can legally charge you $150 to bring your dog, but that same resort cannot charge you a cent if your dog is a trained service animal, even though both animals walk through the same lobby on the same leash. That contrast is the whole story behind can hotels charge pet fees in Arizona, and the answer depends far less on breed or species than on the legal category your animal falls into.
Below, you’ll find out what Arizona hotels can charge for ordinary pets, why service animals are treated completely differently, where emotional support animals land in between, and what to do if a front desk tries to bill you for a fee that isn’t legally theirs to collect.
Can Hotels Charge Regular Pet Fees in Arizona
For ordinary household pets, yes. Arizona has no statute that specifically regulates what a hotel, resort, or short-term rental can charge a guest traveling with a dog or cat that isn’t a service animal. Pet fees at hotels fall under general contract and innkeeper law, meaning each property is free to set its own policy.
This is different from residential rentals in Arizona, where the law places at least one guardrail on refundable charges. Landlord-tenant rules allow pet rent, nonrefundable pet fees, and refundable pet deposits, but the total refundable security a landlord holds, however labeled, cannot exceed 1.5 times the monthly rent under A.R.S. § 33-1321. Hotels operate under a separate legal framework, so that cap simply doesn’t apply to a nightly stay…