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Arizona lockout law: what A.R.S. 33-1367 and 33-1364 cost a landlord who shuts off services or changes the locks

DoorKeeping team

3 min read

In Arizona a landlord who unlawfully removes or excludes a tenant, or willfully interrupts electric, gas, water or another essential service, faces A.R.S. 33-1367: the tenant may recover possession or end the lease and collect not more than two months' rent or twice the actual damages, whichever is greater. A second section, 33-1364, bars terminating utilities the lease provides.

What does Arizona prohibit?

Section 33-1367 covers two acts. The first is unlawfully removing or excluding the tenant from the premises, which includes changing the locks. The second is willfully diminishing services by "interrupting or causing the interruption of electric, gas, water or other essential service to the tenant." Either way, the tenant may recover possession or terminate the rental agreement. If the agreement ends, you must return all security recoverable under 33-1321.

Section 33-1364(C) adds a rule about utilities provided as part of the rental agreement: a landlord "shall not terminate utility services ... except as necessary to make needed repairs or as provided in section 33-1368." After signing, a landlord may not move responsibility for those utilities to the tenant without written consent. Subsection E says a lease cannot contain terms contrary to the section.

What does it cost?

Under 33-1367, the tenant recovers "an amount not more than two months' periodic rent or twice the actual damages sustained by him, whichever is greater." Under 33-1364(D), a landlord who violates subsection C is liable for damages, costs and reasonable attorneys' fees, and the tenant can obtain injunctive relief. The sections are cumulative: nothing in 33-1364 precludes recovery under 33-1367.

Example a made-up Tucson owner turns off the water to a unit that rents for $1,300 to pressure a late tenant. The tenant's actual damages are $1,000 for hotel nights. Twice the actual damages is $2,000. Two months' rent is $2,600. The greater figure is $2,600, plus costs and attorneys' fees under 33-1364(D).

What is the lawful path instead?

For unpaid rent, A.R.S. 33-1368(B) lets the landlord terminate by filing a special detainer action after the tenant fails to pay within five days of written notice of nonpayment. Utilities are different: 33-1368(D) says the landlord may discontinue utility services the landlord provides "on the day following the day that a writ of restitution or execution is executed pursuant to section 12-1181," and only through a person authorized by the utility. The same day-after timing applies to handling the tenant's property under 33-1370 (33-1368(E)).

  1. Serve the written notice the statute requires.
  2. File the special detainer action if the tenant does not comply.
  3. Wait for the writ of restitution to be executed by the officer.
  4. Only then discontinue utilities you provide or deal with property, following 33-1370.

What if the tenant seems to have left?

Do not treat a quiet unit as an abandoned one. Section 33-1370(J) defines abandonment narrowly, and subsection A requires a certified-mail notice of abandonment plus five days of posting before you retake the unit, with property rules after that. A lockout based on a guess is the situation 33-1367 was written for.

The safe rule in every state is the same: the only lawful way to take back a unit from a tenant who will not leave is the court process, carried out by the officer the court names.

How DoorKeeping helps in Arizona

DoorKeeping keeps each lease, notice and court date in one place, so you can ask Claude or ChatGPT where a tenant stands before anyone touches a lock or a utility. Anything that goes to a tenant waits for your one-tap approval. DoorKeeping never holds your money and sends a payment only when you approve it. This is general information, not legal advice: check the current statute and your own lease.

Sources

  1. Arizona Revised Statutes 33-1367, Tenant's remedies for landlord's unlawful ouster (Arizona Legislature), read Oct 30, 2026
  2. Arizona Revised Statutes 33-1364, Wrongful failure to supply heat, water or essential services (Arizona Legislature), read Oct 30, 2026
  3. Arizona Revised Statutes 33-1368, Noncompliance by tenant; utility discontinuation (Arizona Legislature), read Oct 30, 2026
  4. Arizona Revised Statutes 33-1370, Abandonment; notice; remedies (Arizona Legislature), read Oct 30, 2026

Questions

What is the penalty for an illegal lockout in Arizona?
The tenant may recover possession or terminate and collect up to two months' rent or twice actual damages, whichever is greater (A.R.S. 33-1367).
Can an Arizona landlord shut off utilities for nonpayment?
Not until the day after a writ of restitution or execution is executed, and only by a person the utility authorizes (33-1368(D)).
Can a lease let an Arizona landlord skip the court process?
No. A.R.S. 33-1364(E) says a lease cannot contain terms contrary to the utility section.

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