What a Landlord Cannot Do in Alaska
The main limits Alaska law puts on landlords — lockouts and utility shutoffs, entering without notice, retaliation, deposits, fees and discrimination — each with the statute or official source.
In short: a Alaska landlord cannot evict without a court order, cannot punish a tenant for asserting legal rights where state law protects them, and must follow the state's rules on entry, deposits and fees shown below.
| Lockouts & utility shutoffs | Self-help eviction is prohibited: no shutting off utilities, changing locks, taking belongings, or retaking the unit without a court hearing, even if the lease says otherwise. If the landlord unlawfully removes or excludes the tenant or willfully cuts services, the tenant may recover possession or terminate, and in either case may recover up to 1.5 times actual damages. Police should not remove a tenant on a criminal-trespass theory without a court order (AS 11.56.850). Source: AS 34.03.210; AS 34.03.040(a)(1) |
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| Landlord entry notice | 24 hours' notice, at reasonable times, and only to make repairs, supply services, inspect, show the unit, or remove the landlord's property. Entry without notice is allowed in an emergency, when 24 hours' notice is not reasonably possible, or when the tenant has been gone more than 7 days without notice. If the landlord abuses access, the tenant may get an injunction and recover actual damages or one month's rent, whichever is greater, or terminate on 10 days' notice. If the tenant unreasonably refuses entry, the landlord has the same remedies, including termination on 10 days' notice. Source: AS 34.03.140; AS 34.03.300 |
| Landlord retaliation | A landlord may not raise rent, decrease services, or bring or threaten an eviction because the tenant complained about the landlord's failure to meet its duties, sought to enforce rights under the Act, organized or joined a tenants' union, or complained to a government agency responsible for housing, wage, price, or rent controls. The tenant may terminate or defend against eviction, and in either case may recover up to 1.5 times actual damages. The Department of Law handbook gives no statutory presumption period. Good-faith exceptions include unpaid rent, code-required repairs that need the unit vacant, illegal activity, owner use, substantial remodeling, or sale. Source: AS 34.03.310; AS 34.03.210 |
| Security deposit limit | Security deposits plus prepaid rent may not total more than two months' rent. Units renting for more than $2,000 per month are exempt from this cap. The landlord may require an additional pet deposit of up to one more month's rent; no pet deposit may be charged for service animals. Deposits must be kept in a trust account and may not be commingled with other funds (AS 34.03.070(c)). The pet deposit may be used only for damage caused by the pet (AS 34.03.070(h)(2)). Re-verified and corrected 2026-10-27. Source: AS 34.03.070(a), (h) |
| Penalty for withholding | If the landlord willfully fails to comply, the tenant may recover up to twice the amount wrongfully withheld. The penalty applies to a willful failure to return the deposit and itemize deductions as AS 34.03.070(b) requires. Re-verified and corrected 2026-10-27. Source: AS 34.03.070(d) |
| Late fees | No statutory cap; the Act does not address late fees. A late fee is enforceable only if the rental agreement sets it in advance. Per the Department of Law, it should be a small flat fee that reasonably approximates the landlord's actual costs. A tenant cannot be evicted for unpaid late fees if rent is current. The 'reasonable flat fee' guidance comes from the Department of Law handbook, not a statute. Source: AS 34.03 (no provision) |
| Rent control / increase limits | No statewide rent control. Without a lease, a landlord may raise rent by any amount on at least 30 days' notice for a month-to-month tenancy. No state statute preempting local rent control was verified. HB 115 (34th Legislature) proposed a 90-day notice and a once-a-year limit on increases; it was referred to House State Affairs on Feb. 26, 2025 and had no further action, and it is not among the bills the Legislature passed in 2025 or 2026 (https://www.akleg.gov/basis/Bill/Detail/34?Root=HB%20115). Re-verified 2026-10-27. |
| Statewide ban on refusing Section 8 / source of income | No. State fair housing law bars refusing to rent because of sex, race, religion, national origin, color, physical or mental disability, pregnancy, marital status, or change in marital status. Source of income and housing vouchers are not on the list. AS 18.80.240 lists sex, marital status, changes in marital status, pregnancy, race, religion, physical or mental disability, color and national origin; source of income is not listed. Re-verified and corrected 2026-10-27. Source: AS 18.80.240 |
| Cameras & privacy | No landlord-specific statute. General laws apply: using a device to hear or record an oral conversation without the consent of a party to it is illegal eavesdropping, and knowingly viewing or photographing a person's private exposure of intimate parts where they reasonably expect not to be seen is a crime (a security-surveillance defense requires posted notice and use only for crime prevention). A landlord may enter the unit only with 24 hours' notice at reasonable times (except emergencies) and may not abuse the right of access or use it to harass the tenant (AS 34.03.140). Re-verified 2026-10-27. |
| Other rental fees | No statewide junk-fee or fee-disclosure law was found. 'Nonrefundable' cleaning fees and automatic deposit forfeitures are treated as unlawful deposits. The Act does not address late or NSF fees. Such a fee is enforceable only if agreed in advance, and should be a small flat amount that approximates the landlord's actual costs. A tenant who is current on rent cannot be evicted for unpaid late fees. A lease may not require the tenant to pay the landlord's attorney fees. Mobile home parks may not charge fees to sell or transfer a home, or to move a home into or out of the park. Department of Law handbook (2024). The late-fee guidance is the Department's reading, not statute text. |
Can I sue my landlord in Alaska? · All Alaska tenant rights
General legal information, not legal advice. Laws change and local rules can differ; check the linked official source or talk to a lawyer about your situation.