Alaska Stat. § 34.03. § 34.03.120

Tenant obligations

In Force
Verified 10/28/2026 · Next check 11/4/2026
AlaskaHabitability & Repair

Operative Text

Alaska Stat. § 34.03. § 34.03.120
(a) The tenant
(1) shall keep that part of the premises occupied and used by the tenant as clean and safe as the condition of the premises permit;

(2) shall dispose all ashes, rubbish, garbage, and other waste from the dwelling unit in a clean and safe manner;

(3) shall keep all plumbing fixtures in the dwelling unit or used by the tenant as clean as their condition permits;

(4) shall use in a reasonable manner all electrical, plumbing, sanitary, heating, ventilating, air-conditioning, kitchen, and other facilities and appliances, including elevators, in the premises;

(5) may not deliberately or negligently destroy, deface, damage, impair, or remove a part of the premises or knowingly permit any person to do so;

(6) may not unreasonably disturb, or permit others on the premises with the tenant's consent to unreasonably disturb, a neighbor's peaceful enjoyment of the premises;

(7) shall maintain smoke detection devices and carbon monoxide detection devices as required under AS 18.70.095;

(8) may not, except in an emergency when the landlord cannot be contacted after reasonable effort to do so, change the locks on doors of the premises without first securing the written agreement of the landlord and, immediately after changing the locks, providing the landlord a set of keys to all doors for which locks have been changed; in an emergency, the tenant may change the locks and shall, within five days, provide the landlord a set of keys to all doors for which locks have been changed and written notice of the change;

(9) may not unreasonably engage in conduct, or permit others on the premises to engage in conduct, that results in the imposition of a fee under a municipal ordinance adopted under AS 29.35.125; and

(10) may not allow the number of individuals occupying the premises to exceed the number allowed by applicable law, by a covenant limiting the landlord's use of the premises, or the rental agreement.

(b) The tenant may not knowingly engage at the premises in prostitution, an illegal activity involving a place of prostitution, an illegal activity involving alcoholic beverages, an illegal activity involving gambling or promoting gambling, an illegal activity involving a controlled substance, or an illegal activity involving an imitation controlled substance, or knowingly permit others in the premises to engage in one or more of those activities at the rental premises.

(c) When terminating the tenancy, the tenant shall leave the premises in substantially the same condition, except for normal wear and tear, as the condition of the premises at the beginning of the tenancy, including, in the landlord's discretion, professionally cleaning the carpets if the carpets were professionally cleaned immediately before the tenancy began. In this subsection, “normal wear and tear” has the meaning given in AS 34.03.070.
Source: Legislative text reproduced verbatim
Plain English

Alaska Statute AS 34.03.120 sets out a comprehensive list of obligations that tenants must meet during and at the end of a tenancy. These include keeping occupied areas clean and safe, properly disposing of waste, using appliances and fixtures reasonably, maintaining smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, avoiding property damage, and refraining from illegal activities on the premises. The statute also prohibits unauthorized lock changes (with a narrow emergency exception), excessive occupancy, and conduct that disturbs neighbors or triggers municipal nuisance fees. When a tenancy ends, the tenant must return the premises in substantially the same condition as when they moved in, accounting for normal wear and tear.

Written by anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.6 · Reviewed on October 28, 2026

Plain English — not legal advice.

For Property Managers

Under AS 34.03.120, compliant landlords typically document the condition of the premises at the start of a tenancy—including whether carpets were professionally cleaned—so that the move-out standard is clearly established. Operators generally include lease language that mirrors the statute's requirements around cleanliness, appliance use, occupancy limits, and prohibited illegal activities, giving both parties a shared reference point. When a tenant requests a lock change, landlords operating under this provision typically require written agreement in advance and confirm receipt of a new key set, except in the narrow emergency scenario the statute describes.

General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.

For Tenants

AS 34.03.120 outlines the responsibilities tenants in Alaska are expected to meet, including maintaining cleanliness, avoiding property damage, keeping smoke and carbon monoxide detectors operational, and not engaging in or permitting illegal activities on the premises. Tenants should be aware that the move-out condition standard under this section—substantially the same as move-in, minus normal wear and tear—can affect security deposit disputes, and documenting the unit's condition at both move-in and move-out is a common protective step. If a landlord raises an alleged violation of AS 34.03.120 in a dispute, tenants may wish to consult a tenant-rights organization or legal aid provider to understand how the statute's definitions and exceptions, such as the emergency lock-change provision, might apply to their circumstances.

General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.

Generated October 28, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.

Effective Timeline

Click on timeline segments to view historical versions.

References Out

Rules and statutes cited by this regulation

References In

Rules and statutes that cite this regulation

AS 34.03.220
AS 34.03.120
AS 34.03.310
AS 34.03.225
AS 34.03.290
AS 34.03.360
AS 34.03.220
AS 34.03.310
AS 34.03.360
AS 34.03.360
AS 34.03.020
AS 34.03.100
AS 34.03.120
AS 34.03.290
AS 34.03.100
AS 34.03.290
AS 34.03.020
AS 34.03.070
AS 34.03.070
AS 34.03.020
AS 34.03.070
AS 34.03.230
AS 34.03.100
AS 34.03.070
AS 34.03.090
AS 34.03.100
AS 34.03.160
AS 34.03.070
AS 34.03.070
AS 34.03.120
AS 34.03.130
AS 34.03.150
AS 34.03.140
AS 34.03.020
AS 34.03.080
AS 34.03.150
AS 34.03.100
AS 34.03.210
AS 34.03.160
AS 34.03.080
AS 34.03.130
AS 34.03.360
AS 34.03.130

Related Rules

§ 244.260
Compliance required
§ 14.567
ADOPTED BY REFERENCE
§ 244.340
Sewer and water connections

Source Information

Snapshot SHA:
Fetched:Oct 28, 2026, 10:33 AM UTC