Mount Lemmon, AZ, Water Restrictions Squeeze STRs During Peak Season

7/14/2026

Stage 3 water restrictions on Mount Lemmon in Arizona are pressuring short-term rental owners operating in one of the busiest tourism seasons. Owners are cautioning that renters who use more water than allotted could face fees, as doing so could result in the properties having their water completely shut off for days. Each property on Mount Lemmon has been capped at 2,400 gallons of water per month, or about 80 gallons per day. Property owners warn that amount can be exhausted quickly. This, in turn, has prompted many to actively monitor daily usage and take more time than usual educating renters. Leanne Mack, owner of Leanne’s Lemon Fresh Cleaning Services, works with dozens of STR property owners. She has observed that many are using such platforms as Airbnb to get ahead of the issue. Mack notes, "The owners will educate the renters through the Airbnb app."

KOLD.com (AZ) (07/11/26) Sean Mahoney