Self-Defense
AS 11.81.335 — deadly force against death, serious injury, kidnapping, sexual assault or robbery, and no duty to leave where a person has a right to be
A person may use nondeadly force when, and as far as, they reasonably believe it necessary to defend against what they reasonably believe is unlawful force.
Who handles this in Alaska: legal aid programs, lawyer referral and the state offices, listed in the Alaska directory.
- Mutual combat the law does not authorize.
- Provoking the other person meaning to injure them.
- Being the initial aggressor.
Any of those removes the defense, unless the person withdrew from the encounter, made that clear to the other person, and the other person kept on with unlawful force.
Deadly force is allowed when a person reasonably believes it necessary against death, serious physical injury, kidnapping, sexual assault in the first or second degree, sexual abuse of a minor in the first degree, or robbery in any degree.
Leaving first. Deadly force is not allowed if the person knows they can avoid it with complete safety for themselves and others by leaving, except that there is no duty to leave on premises they own, lease, live in or are a guest at, in a building where they work, while protecting a child or a household member, or in any other place they have a right to be.
Sources for this section (3)
- AS 11.81.330 — Justification: Use of nondeadly force in defense of self
- AS 11.81.335 — Justification: Use of deadly force in defense of self
- AS 11.81.900 — Definitions
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of October 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Alaska attorney.