Can a landlord change the locks to force a tenant out in Texas?

No. A landlord who locks out, removes property or cuts a utility to force a tenant out is liable for one month’s rent plus $1,000, actual damages, attorney fees and costs. Tex. Prop. Code §§ 92.0081, 92.008. In Texas a tenant may be removed only through the court process, which is set by Tex. Prop. Code §§ 24.005, 24.00505, 24.0051, 24.005107, 24.0053, 24.0061, 92.0081; Tex. R. Civ. P. 510.

WhatTexas
Changing the locks, cutting a utility or removing belongingsUnlawful
Who may remove a tenantOnly a court officer acting on a court order

Notes

SB 38 rewrote Texas eviction procedure for suits filed on or after January 1, 2026: a sworn petition, notice-delivery methods set by statute, a pay-or-vacate notice for a tenant who was never late before, five business days for the constable to serve, and a trial 10 to 21 days after filing. The three-day notice period itself is unchanged and the lease may still shorten it — many Texas leases set 24 hours.

Source

Tex. Prop. Code §§ 24.005, 24.00505, 24.0051, 24.005107, 24.0053, 24.0061, 92.0081; Tex. R. Civ. P. 510

Read the statute in the Texas Statutes (Texas Legislature): statutes.capitol.texas.gov.

Checked against the statute on October 23, 2026.

This is a summary of the published procedure, not legal advice. Courts, local rules and the facts of a tenancy change what applies, and a defect in a notice or a filing can end a case. Have a lawyer review anything before it is served or filed.

How Seayora uses this rule

Seayora does not file, serve or appear in an eviction, and is not anybody’s lawyer. When a tenant has stopped paying, it lays out these steps for the property’s own state and city with the statute beside each one, holds back any step that would come too early, keeps an append-only record of the case — and shows the resident what would end it, legal-aid links included.

Guides on this rule

Compare this rule in every state

More Texas rules

The same question in other states

Related