Does a landlord have to provide air conditioning?
Short answer: Most states do not require landlords to provide air conditioning, but if the lease includes it, the landlord generally must keep it working. A few states and a growing number of cities now require cooling or set maximum indoor temperatures.
Check your city page: local cooling rules (for example in some Texas, Arizona, Washington and California cities) can be stricter than state law.
The rule in every state
Each answer below links to the statute or official page it comes from (51 of 51 jurisdictions verified).
| State | Air conditioning |
|---|---|
| Alabama | No state requirement to provide air conditioning and no maximum indoor temperature. If the landlord supplies air conditioning, the landlord must keep it in good and safe working order. Ala. Code § 35-9A-204(a)(4) |
| Alaska | No state requirement to provide air conditioning and no maximum indoor temperature. If the landlord supplies air conditioning, it must be kept in good and safe working order. AS 34.03.100(a)(3) |
| Arizona | Yes, where air conditioning or cooling units are installed and offered. The landlord must supply reasonable air conditioning or cooling when required by seasonal weather and keep those systems in good working order. Failure to supply it is treated like a failure to supply heat or water, with the same tenant remedies. State law sets no maximum indoor temperature and does not require a landlord to install AC. A.R.S. §§ 33-1324(A)(4), (6), 33-1364(A) |
| Arkansas | A functioning air-conditioning system is required only if air conditioning served the premises when the lease was signed (leases entered into or renewed after November 1, 2021). There is no requirement to install AC and no maximum indoor temperature. The remedy is the same 30-day notice and lease termination as for heat. Ark. Code Ann. § 18-17-502(a)(6), (d) |
| California | No state requirement to provide air conditioning and no state maximum indoor temperature for rentals. The state housing department has recommended that the Legislature consider a maximum safe indoor air temperature of 82°F for dwellings, but that recommendation is not law. Cal. Civ. Code § 1941.1; HCD, Policy Recommendations: Recommended Maximum Safe Indoor Air Temperature (2025 Report to the Legislature, under AB 209 of 2022) |
| Colorado | No state requirement to provide air conditioning or maximum indoor temperature. However, a landlord may not prohibit or restrict a tenant from installing or using a portable cooling device (such as a window or portable AC unit) unless it would violate codes or law, violate the manufacturer's safety guidelines, damage the premises, or exceed the electrical capacity. A landlord that restricts them must disclose the restrictions in writing and give information on cooled common spaces or nearby community cooling spaces. Violating these cooling rules makes the unit uninhabitable. C.R.S. § 38-12-505(1)(b)(XVI), (7) |
| Connecticut | No state requirement to provide air conditioning and no maximum indoor temperature. The landlord must keep any facilities and appliances it supplies in good and safe working order, and the tenant must use air conditioning and other facilities reasonably. Conn. Gen. Stat. §§ 47a-7(a)(4), 47a-11(e) |
| Delaware | No state requirement to provide air conditioning and no maximum indoor temperature. The landlord must keep any electrical, plumbing and other facilities it supplies in good working order. 25 Del. C. § 5305(a)(5) |
| District of Columbia | Where an air-conditioning system is provided, it must be operated and maintained from no later than May 15 through no earlier than September 15, keeping the rooms it serves at the greater of 78°F or at least 15°F below the outside temperature. The Housing Code does not require a landlord to install air conditioning where none is provided. D.C. Property Maintenance Code (12G DCMR) / Housing Code (14 DCMR), as summarized by the Department of Buildings |
| Florida | No statute — Florida law does not require landlords to provide air conditioning or set a maximum indoor temperature. If the lease or unit includes A/C, local codes and the lease govern repair. Fla. Stat. § 83.51 |
| Georgia | No statute requires landlords to provide air conditioning or sets a maximum indoor temperature. Where cooling equipment is provided, the state handbook says the landlord must keep it in working order as part of the repair duty. O.C.G.A. § 44-7-13; Georgia Landlord-Tenant Handbook (DCA, rev. 8-29-24), p. 11 |
| Hawaii | No statute — landlords are not required to provide air conditioning, and there is no maximum indoor temperature. If the landlord supplies A/C or fans, they must be maintained in good working order, subject to reasonable wear and tear. HRS § 521-42(a)(4) |
| Idaho | No statute requires landlords to provide air conditioning or sets a maximum indoor temperature. If the landlord supplies cooling facilities, the landlord must keep them in good working order, and a tenant may sue for damages and specific performance if it does not. Idaho Code § 6-320(a)(2) |
| Illinois | No statute — Illinois does not require landlords to provide air conditioning or set a maximum indoor temperature for private rentals. Illinois Attorney General, Landlord and Tenant Rights and Laws, p. 1 |
| Indiana | No duty to install air conditioning, but if heating, ventilating, and air conditioning systems are provided when the lease is entered into, the landlord must provide and maintain them in good and safe working condition. No maximum indoor temperature is set. IC 32-31-8-5(4)(D) |
| Iowa | No duty to install air conditioning and no maximum indoor temperature. Air-conditioning facilities supplied or required to be supplied by the landlord must be maintained in good and safe working order. Iowa Code § 562A.15(1)(a)(4) |
| Kansas | No duty to install air conditioning and no maximum indoor temperature. Air-conditioning appliances supplied or required to be supplied by the landlord must be maintained in good and safe working order. K.S.A. 58-2553(a)(3) |
| Kentucky | No duty to install air conditioning and no maximum indoor temperature. In URLTA areas, air-conditioning facilities supplied or required to be supplied by the landlord must be kept in good and safe working order. KRS 383.595(1)(d) |
| Louisiana | No statute — Louisiana does not require landlords to provide air conditioning or set a maximum indoor temperature. If AC is provided as part of the lease, the general maintenance and repair duty applies. La. C.C. arts. 2682, 2691 |
| Maine | No statute — Maine law does not require landlords to provide air conditioning or set a maximum indoor temperature. If the lease includes AC, the landlord must keep that promise. 14 M.R.S. ch. 710 (§§ 6021-6030-K checked) |
| Maryland | No statewide requirement to provide air conditioning. Under the rent-escrow statute, there is a rebuttable presumption that the absence of air conditioning is not a covered serious defect, unless it poses a serious and substantial threat to life, health or safety. Md. Code, Real Prop. § 8-211(e)(2)(iv) |
| Massachusetts | No statewide requirement to provide air conditioning. The Sanitary Code does set a ceiling: during the heating season, the heating system may not cause the temperature in any room to exceed 78°F. 105 CMR 410.180(B) |
| Michigan | No statute — Michigan law does not require landlords to provide air conditioning or set a maximum indoor temperature. If the landlord supplies AC, it falls under the general fitness and repair covenants. MCL 554.139; MCL 125.471 (checked) |
| Minnesota | No statute requires landlords to provide air conditioning or sets a maximum indoor temperature. But if AC is included in the lease, a nonfunctioning air conditioner is a listed emergency that the tenant can use to seek an emergency tenant remedies order. Minn. Stat. § 504B.381, subd. 1(2)(viii) |
| Mississippi | No statute requires landlords to provide air conditioning or sets a maximum indoor temperature. But if the unit has a cooling system, the landlord must maintain it in substantially the same condition as at the start of the lease, reasonable wear and tear excluded, unless the tenant damaged it deliberately or negligently. Miss. Code Ann. § 89-8-23(1)(b) |
| Missouri | No statute — Missouri law does not require landlords to provide air conditioning or set a maximum indoor temperature. RSMo ch. 441 and 535 (checked) |
| Montana | No state requirement to provide air conditioning or a maximum indoor temperature. If the landlord supplies air conditioning, it must be maintained in good and safe working order. Mont. Code Ann. § 70-24-303(1)(d) |
| Nebraska | No state requirement to provide air conditioning or a maximum indoor temperature. Air conditioning supplied or required to be supplied by the landlord must be kept in good and safe working order. Neb. Rev. Stat. § 76-1419(1)(d) |
| Nevada | No state requirement to provide air conditioning or a maximum indoor temperature. Air conditioning supplied or required to be supplied by the landlord must be kept in good repair, and air conditioning is treated as an essential service when the lease or the chapter requires the landlord to supply it. NRS 118A.290(1)(i); NRS 118A.380 |
| New Hampshire | No state requirement to provide air conditioning or a maximum indoor temperature. RSA 48-A:14 |
| New Jersey | No state requirement to provide air conditioning or a maximum indoor temperature. Air conditioning that was part of the original tenancy may be treated as a 'vital facility' whose failure affects habitability. Implied warranty of habitability (Marini v. Ireland, 56 N.J. 130 (1970)); N.J.A.C. 5:10 subchapter 14 (heat only) |
| New Mexico | No state requirement to provide air conditioning or evaporative cooling, or a maximum indoor temperature. Air conditioning supplied or required to be supplied by the owner must be kept in good and safe working order. NMSA 1978, § 47-8-20(A)(4) |
| New York | No state requirement to provide air conditioning or a maximum indoor temperature. N.Y. Mult. Dwell. Law § 79 (heat only); N.Y. Real Prop. Law § 235-b |
| North Carolina | No state requirement to provide air conditioning or a maximum indoor temperature. Air conditioning supplied or required to be supplied by the landlord must be kept in good and safe working order and promptly repaired after written notice (except emergencies). N.C. Gen. Stat. § 42-42(a)(4) |
| North Dakota | No state requirement to provide air conditioning or a maximum indoor temperature. If the landlord supplies air conditioning, it must be maintained in good and safe working order. N.D.C.C. § 47-16-13.1(1)(d) |
| Ohio | No state requirement to provide air conditioning or a maximum indoor temperature. Air-conditioning fixtures and appliances supplied by the landlord must be kept in good and safe working order. Ohio Rev. Code § 5321.04(A)(4) |
| Oklahoma | No state requirement to provide air conditioning or a maximum indoor temperature. If supplied by the landlord, air-conditioning must be maintained in good and safe working order. 41 O.S. § 118(A)(3) |
| Oregon | Partly. For units in buildings whose construction permits were issued on or after April 1, 2024, the landlord must provide adequate cooling in at least one room (not a bathroom) — central air, a heat pump or a landlord-provided portable air conditioner. For all tenancies, a landlord generally may not prohibit a tenant from installing or using a portable air conditioner or evaporative cooler, subject to listed safety, building-code, electrical-capacity and window-installation exceptions; written restrictions must say whether the landlord will offer a community cooling space kept at no more than 80°F during extreme heat events. No state maximum indoor temperature for older buildings. ORS 90.320(1)(n); ORS 90.355 |
| Pennsylvania | No state requirement to provide air conditioning or a maximum indoor temperature. Landlord and Tenant Act of 1951, 68 P.S. § 250.101 et seq. (no provision) |
| Rhode Island | No state requirement to provide air conditioning or a maximum indoor temperature. Landlord-supplied air-conditioning must be maintained in good and safe working order. R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-22(a)(4) |
| South Carolina | No state requirement to provide air conditioning or a maximum indoor temperature. If the landlord supplies air conditioning, it must be kept in reasonably good and safe working order; appliances in the unit are presumed landlord-supplied unless the rental agreement specifically excludes them. S.C. Code § 27-40-440(a)(5) |
| South Dakota | No state requirement to provide air conditioning or a maximum indoor temperature. SDCL ch. 43-32 (no provision) |
| Tennessee | No statute — Tennessee law does not require air conditioning or set a maximum indoor temperature. If the landlord supplies air conditioning, a failure that materially affects health and safety may be treated under the general repair duty or the 'essential services' remedy (which covers obligations materially affecting health and safety) in URLTA counties. T.C.A. § 66-28-304; § 66-28-502(a)(3) |
| Texas | No statewide air-conditioning requirement or maximum indoor temperature. If the landlord agreed in the lease to furnish cooling equipment that is producing inadequate cooled air, and a local official has notified the landlord in writing that the lack of cooling materially affects health or safety, the tenant may repair and deduct if the landlord fails to repair within 3 days after notice. A landlord that submeters or allocates electricity may not cut off a tenant's electricity for nonpayment during a National Weather Service heat advisory for the county (that day or either of the two preceding days). Tex. Prop. Code Sec. 92.0561(d)(3)(C); 92.008 |
| Utah | No duty to install air conditioning and no maximum indoor temperature. If the unit has an air conditioning system, the owner must maintain it in an operable condition. Utah Code 57-22-4(1) |
| Vermont | No statute — Vermont law and the Rental Housing Health Code do not require air conditioning or set a maximum indoor temperature. The code requires ventilation to the outdoors and screens on operable windows. 9 V.S.A. ch. 137 (checked); Vermont Rental Housing Health Code § 8.1 |
| Virginia | No duty to install air conditioning, but if air conditioning is provided the landlord must supply reasonable air conditioning and keep it in good and safe working order. Central air conditioning supplied by the landlord and operating (or represented as operating) when the lease takes effect is an 'essential service' so a willful or negligent failure to supply it triggers the same tenant remedies. State law sets no maximum indoor temperature. Va. Code § 55.1-1220(A)(4), (7); § 55.1-1200; § 55.1-1239 |
| Washington | No duty to provide air conditioning and no maximum indoor temperature. Since 2026, a landlord generally may not prohibit or restrict a tenant from installing a portable cooling device (air conditioner or portable heat pump) and may not charge a fee for its use, inspection or installation. Exceptions: the unit already has a permanent, fully operational heat pump; installation would violate codes or manufacturer safety guidelines, cause unreasonable damage, or exceed the electrical supply; and window units may be restricted for egress, lock, mounting, security or written insurance-policy reasons (which must be disclosed in the lease). The tenant must give 2 days' notice before installing a window unit. Also, a landlord may not cut off electric or water service for nonpayment on a day the National Weather Service has issued a heat-related alert for the area. RCW 59.18.740; 59.18.060(11)(a) |
| West Virginia | No duty to provide air conditioning and no maximum indoor temperature. If air conditioning is supplied (or required by agreement or law), the landlord must maintain it in good and safe working order. W. Va. Code § 37-6-30(a)(5) |
| Wisconsin | No state requirement to provide air conditioning and no maximum indoor temperature. If the landlord has expressly or impliedly agreed to provide air conditioning, it must keep that equipment in a reasonable state of repair. Wis. Stat. 704.07(2)(a)2. |
| Wyoming | No statute — Wyoming law does not require air conditioning or set a maximum indoor temperature. If the rental agreement specifically provides air conditioning, the owner must maintain it as a contracted appliance or facility. W.S. 1-21-1203(a)(iv) |
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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.