The rules for changing the locks, state by state
Most states have no statute specifically on changing the locks. Two impose a rekeying duty at tenant turnover (Texas statewide, and Illinois in Cook County only).
Fourteen states and the District of Columbia require a lock change on request from a tenant who is a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking. Everywhere else, the lease and your state’s general landlord-tenant law govern.
One thing to be careful about. Changing the locks to force a tenant out is a self-help eviction, and it is unlawful in most states. Texas is the notable exception (Property Code § 92.0081) permits a lock change for unpaid rent, but only where that right is written into the lease, you give advance written notice, and you post a contact staffed 24 hours a day where the tenant can collect the new key whether or not they pay the arrears.
The table below covers every state with a lock-specific provision. Your obligations as the landlord come first, what the tenant may do second, then the deadline and who pays.
| State | What the landlord must or may do | What the tenant may do | Deadline and who pays | Statute |
|---|
| Arizona | Must install a new lock on request from a tenant who is a victim of domestic violence or sexual assault. May comply by rekeying a lock in good working order, or replacing the mechanism with one of equal or better quality. May keep a key, and may refuse a key to the person named in an order of protection or police report | May require the new lock. Not addressed for any other reason | No deadline stated. Tenant pays | Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 33-1318(E)-(F) |
| Arkansas | May change the locks where the tenant is a victim of domestic abuse, and must give the tenant a copy of the new key immediately, or as soon as possible if the tenant is unavailable. Must not terminate, refuse or retaliate because of the abuse | May change them, unless they are the abuse offender, but only with the landlord's prior consent | No deadline stated. Tenant pays. Needs a court-documented incident within the previous 60 days | Ark. Code § 18-16-112(b)(2) |
| California | Must change the locks once given a court order excluding a co-tenant | Only if the landlord misses the deadline. Must fit similar or better locks, tell the landlord within 24 hours and hand over a key | 24 hours. Landlord pays, or reimburses the tenant within 21 days | Cal. Civ. Code §§ 1941.5, 1941.6 |
| District of Columbia | Must change all entrance-door locks on written request from a victim of an intrafamily offence. Documentation is only needed if the perpetrator is a co-tenant | Not addressed | 5 business days. Provider pays, tenant reimburses within 45 days | D.C. Code § 42-3505.08 |
| Hawaii | Must change the locks on request from a victim of domestic violence. A court order to vacate is needed first if the perpetrator is a co-tenant | May change them if the landlord misses the deadline, and must then give the landlord a key | 3 days. Tenant pays | Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521-81 |
| Illinois | Must rekey between tenancies in counties over 3 million, which is Cook County only, before the new tenant takes possession. Exempt if the building has four units or fewer and the owner lives in one, or it is a room in an owner-occupied home. Separately, must act on a documented domestic violence request | May change them where the lease grants the right, or where the landlord misses the domestic violence deadline | Turnover rekey, before possession. Domestic violence requests, 48 hours, and the landlord may charge a reasonable fee. Failing to rekey at turnover makes the landlord liable for theft and related damages | 765 ILCS 705/15; 765 ILCS 750/20 |
| Indiana | Must change the locks on written request with a copy of the court order, and must give the tenant a key. May not let the perpetrator back in unless the order allows it | May change them if the landlord misses the deadline | 48 hours if the perpetrator is not a co-tenant, 24 hours if they are. Tenant reimburses the landlord's actual cost, but if the landlord is late the landlord reimburses the tenant | Ind. Code §§ 32-31-9-9 to 32-31-9-11 |
| Maine | Standard access rules apply. No lock-change duty | May change the locks, but must tell the landlord and give a duplicate key. A victim may change them at their own expense | Duplicate key within 48 hours, or 72 hours for a victim. Tenant pays | Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 14, § 6025 |
| Maryland | Must change the locks on written request from a victim of domestic violence or sexual assault, where a protective or peace order requires the respondent to stay out or vacate. Must give the requesting tenant a key | May use a certified locksmith without permission if the landlord misses the deadline, then must give the landlord a duplicate key by close of the next business day | Close of the next business day. Landlord may charge reasonable cost, payable within 45 days, and must give a key within 48 hours | Md. Code, Real Prop. § 8-5A-06 |
| Massachusetts | Must change the locks on request where the tenant reasonably believes there is an imminent threat. May deny a key to a co-tenant perpetrator on a protective order or court record | May change them with the owner's permission, or if the owner misses the deadline | 2 business days, including giving the tenant a key. Owner may charge the customary local cost | Mass. Gen. Laws c. 186 §§ 26-29 |
| New Hampshire | Must replace or reconfigure the lock once given a copy of a protective order granting the tenant exclusive possession, and must not give new keys to the excluded person. Not liable for damage caused by the change | May request the change. The statute does not give the tenant a right to do it themselves | No deadline stated. Tenant pays | N.H. Rev. Stat. § 540:2 |
| North Carolina | Must change the locks, or give permission to, on oral or written request. No documentation needed unless the perpetrator is a co-tenant, when a stay-away order is required first | May change them if the landlord misses the deadline, then must give the landlord a key within 48 hours | 48 hours, or 72 hours where the perpetrator is a co-tenant. Tenant pays | N.C. Gen. Stat. § 42-42.3 |
| Oregon | Must act promptly on actual notice, changing the locks or giving permission. No verification needed to start. A move-out court order is needed first if the perpetrator is a co-tenant | May change them if the landlord does not act promptly, then must give the landlord a key | "Promptly", no fixed period. Tenant pays | Or. Rev. Stat. § 90.459 |
| Texas | Must rekey at the landlord's own expense no later than the seventh day after each tenant turnover date. Rekeying for the landlord's own master key is also at the landlord's expense. Separately, and unusually, Texas permits a lock change for unpaid rent where the right is in the lease, advance written notice is given, and a notice on the door gives a contact staffed 24 hours a day where the tenant can collect the new key whether or not they pay | May request unlimited additional rekeying at their own expense. No permission needed to ask. Where a lockout for arrears is used, the tenant is entitled to the new key regardless of payment | 7 days after turnover, landlord pays. Extra requests at the tenant's cost. Deducting from a deposit needs a bold or underlined lease clause | Tex. Prop. Code § 92.156; § 92.0081 |
| Utah | Must install a new lock for a renter who is a crime victim, once given documentation and the cost. May rekey a lock in good working order or replace it with equal or better quality. May keep a key, and must refuse one to the perpetrator | May require the new lock. Not addressed for any other reason | No deadline stated. Renter pays | Utah Code § 57-22-5.1(3) |
| Virginia | Must install a new lock at the landlord's actual cost, or permit the tenant to, once given a court order for exclusive possession. Separately, a locality may require deadbolts and peepholes in buildings of five or more units | May install it themselves if permitted, provided no permanent damage is done and duplicate keys are given to the landlord | No deadline stated. Landlord's actual cost. Tenant pays for removal and repairs when the tenancy ends | Va. Code § 55.1-1230 |
| Washington | Must comply with a lock-change request once given a court order granting the tenant possession to the exclusion of a co-tenant | Not addressed by this section | No deadline stated. Tenant pays | RCW 59.18.585 |
| Wisconsin | Must change the locks, or may give the tenant permission to, on request with a certified copy of a qualifying court document | May change them with the landlord's permission, then must give the landlord a key within a reasonable time | 48 hours. Tenant pays | Wis. Stat. § 704.16 |
Last checked: September 2026. Lock rules change, and a city ordinance can be stricter than the state rule. For the current wording, start with the statute linked in the table, then check your city. Our state-by-state landlord-tenant law guides cover the wider rules for each state. This table is for general informational and educational purposes only and should not be used as a substitute for competent legal and/or other advice from a licensed professional.
States with no lock-specific statute
This review found no statute addressing lock changes in Alabama, Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont, West Virginia or Wyoming.
In these states three things follow. You may generally change the locks between tenancies, and it is good practice to do so. You may not change them to remove a sitting tenant. And whether your tenant may change the locks, and whether they must give you a key, is a matter for the lease, so put it in writing, because without a clause you have no answer.
Installing a safe and secure landlord lock is part of a landlord’s responsibility to provide a safe and habitable home for their tenants. This means that, as well as providing a comfortable residence that is well maintained, free of mold and pests, the security of the property also must be considered.
A key concern (excuse the pun) for rental property security is the locks. Must you change them between tenancies? When is a tenant allowed to change them without asking you first? And who pays? This article covers the legal side. If you are choosing hardware rather than checking the rules, see our guide to the best locks for a rental property.
Landlord locks and the landlord’s responsibility for tenant safety
When it comes to thinking about the security and safety of your tenants the landlord lock is probably one of the first things that come to mind. In order for your rental property to be deemed safe, all locks (front door, back door and building if your property is a multi-unit) must be secure and functioning and both you and the tenant must have the ability to open or close them.
In almost every state it is unlawful to lock a tenant out of the property, even during eviction proceedings and even where rent has gone unpaid for months. This is a “self-help” eviction. Texas is the narrow exception described above, and its conditions are strict.
Furthermore, if you do not change the locks when it is your responsibility to do so, you may end up facing legal action for failing to provide a safe rental.
When you might need to change the landlord lock
A properly functioning landlord lock will not only provide protection and peace of mind for your tenants, but will also reduce the likelihood of break-ins and subsequent damage. It’s in your best interest (and your tenants’) to change the locks when needed.
There are a few different circumstances in which you may need to change the locks on your property. These are:
- Between tenancies
- If the lock is broken or is no longer functioning properly
- If the tenant has changed the lock without your permission and not given you a key
- If the keys have gone missing or are in the wrong hands
- If there has been a security breach
- If your tenant is a victim of domestic violence or stalking (whether or not the perpetrator lives in the same building)
When should a tenant change the locks?
Who pays depends on the state and the reason. Where a state requires a lock change for a tenant who is a victim of domestic violence, the tenant usually bears the cost, and the table above gives the position for each state. California is the main exception, and in Texas the seven-day rekey at turnover is at the landlord’s expense. Outside those rules, a change you choose to make is yours to pay for, and one your tenant makes without permission, or because they lost the keys, is theirs.
While the tenant may be living in the rental property full-time, the landlord needs to retain a means of entering it, should they need to carry out an inspection when the tenant is not home, or in the case of an emergency. This does not mean that the landlord can enter the property without proper notice.
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Disclaimer
We hope you found this blog interesting! However, do note that the information in this article does not constitute advice. This blog is for general informational and educational purposes only and should not be used as a substitute for competent legal and/or other advice from a licensed professional.
