diff --git a/backend/remote-state/consul/backend.go b/backend/remote-state/consul/backend.go
index 979dc368c..79aeea402 100644
--- a/backend/remote-state/consul/backend.go
+++ b/backend/remote-state/consul/backend.go
@@ -60,6 +60,13 @@ func New() backend.Backend {
 				Description: "Compress the state data using gzip",
 				Default:     false,
 			},
+
+			"lock": &schema.Schema{
+				Type:        schema.TypeBool,
+				Optional:    true,
+				Description: "Lock state access",
+				Default:     true,
+			},
 		},
 	}
 
@@ -71,13 +78,18 @@ func New() backend.Backend {
 type Backend struct {
 	*schema.Backend
 
+	// The fields below are set from configure
 	configData *schema.ResourceData
+	lock       bool
 }
 
 func (b *Backend) configure(ctx context.Context) error {
 	// Grab the resource data
 	b.configData = schema.FromContextBackendConfig(ctx)
 
+	// Store the lock information
+	b.lock = b.configData.Get("lock").(bool)
+
 	// Initialize a client to test config
 	_, err := b.clientRaw()
 	return err
diff --git a/backend/remote-state/consul/backend_state.go b/backend/remote-state/consul/backend_state.go
index 0339dd79a..4c0851871 100644
--- a/backend/remote-state/consul/backend_state.go
+++ b/backend/remote-state/consul/backend_state.go
@@ -89,7 +89,7 @@ func (b *Backend) State(name string) (state.State, error) {
 	gzip := b.configData.Get("gzip").(bool)
 
 	// Build the state client
-	stateMgr := &remote.State{
+	var stateMgr state.State = &remote.State{
 		Client: &RemoteClient{
 			Client: client,
 			Path:   path,
@@ -97,19 +97,27 @@ func (b *Backend) State(name string) (state.State, error) {
 		},
 	}
 
+	// If we're not locking, disable it
+	if !b.lock {
+		stateMgr = &state.LockDisabled{Inner: stateMgr}
+	}
+
+	// Get the locker, which we know always exists
+	stateMgrLocker := stateMgr.(state.Locker)
+
 	// Grab a lock, we use this to write an empty state if one doesn't
 	// exist already. We have to write an empty state as a sentinel value
 	// so States() knows it exists.
 	lockInfo := state.NewLockInfo()
 	lockInfo.Operation = "init"
-	lockId, err := stateMgr.Lock(lockInfo)
+	lockId, err := stateMgrLocker.Lock(lockInfo)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to lock state in Consul: %s", err)
 	}
 
 	// Local helper function so we can call it multiple places
 	lockUnlock := func(parent error) error {
-		if err := stateMgr.Unlock(lockId); err != nil {
+		if err := stateMgrLocker.Unlock(lockId); err != nil {
 			return fmt.Errorf(strings.TrimSpace(errStateUnlock), lockId, err)
 		}
 
diff --git a/backend/remote-state/consul/backend_test.go b/backend/remote-state/consul/backend_test.go
index 14133d44f..64f3a0eb3 100644
--- a/backend/remote-state/consul/backend_test.go
+++ b/backend/remote-state/consul/backend_test.go
@@ -38,14 +38,44 @@ func TestBackend(t *testing.T) {
 	srv := newConsulTestServer(t)
 	defer srv.Stop()
 
-	// Get the backend
-	b := backend.TestBackendConfig(t, New(), map[string]interface{}{
+	path := fmt.Sprintf("tf-unit/%s", time.Now().String())
+
+	// Get the backend. We need two to test locking.
+	b1 := backend.TestBackendConfig(t, New(), map[string]interface{}{
 		"address": srv.HTTPAddr,
-		"path":    fmt.Sprintf("tf-unit/%s", time.Now().String()),
+		"path":    path,
+	})
+
+	b2 := backend.TestBackendConfig(t, New(), map[string]interface{}{
+		"address": srv.HTTPAddr,
+		"path":    path,
 	})
 
 	// Test
-	backend.TestBackend(t, b)
+	backend.TestBackend(t, b1, b2)
+}
+
+func TestBackend_lockDisabled(t *testing.T) {
+	srv := newConsulTestServer(t)
+	defer srv.Stop()
+
+	path := fmt.Sprintf("tf-unit/%s", time.Now().String())
+
+	// Get the backend. We need two to test locking.
+	b1 := backend.TestBackendConfig(t, New(), map[string]interface{}{
+		"address": srv.HTTPAddr,
+		"path":    path,
+		"lock":    false,
+	})
+
+	b2 := backend.TestBackendConfig(t, New(), map[string]interface{}{
+		"address": srv.HTTPAddr,
+		"path":    path + "different", // Diff so locking test would fail if it was locking
+		"lock":    false,
+	})
+
+	// Test
+	backend.TestBackend(t, b1, b2)
 }
 
 func TestBackend_gzip(t *testing.T) {
diff --git a/backend/testing.go b/backend/testing.go
index 5298131cf..7039de5ad 100644
--- a/backend/testing.go
+++ b/backend/testing.go
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import (
 	"testing"
 
 	"github.com/hashicorp/terraform/config"
+	"github.com/hashicorp/terraform/state"
 	"github.com/hashicorp/terraform/terraform"
 )
 
@@ -40,8 +41,15 @@ func TestBackendConfig(t *testing.T, b Backend, c map[string]interface{}) Backen
 // assumed to already be configured. This will test state functionality.
 // If the backend reports it doesn't support multi-state by returning the
 // error ErrNamedStatesNotSupported, then it will not test that.
-func TestBackend(t *testing.T, b Backend) {
-	testBackendStates(t, b)
+//
+// If you want to test locking, two backends must be given. If b2 is nil,
+// then state lockign won't be tested.
+func TestBackend(t *testing.T, b1, b2 Backend) {
+	testBackendStates(t, b1)
+
+	if b2 != nil {
+		testBackendStateLock(t, b1, b2)
+	}
 }
 
 func testBackendStates(t *testing.T, b Backend) {
@@ -138,3 +146,77 @@ func testBackendStates(t *testing.T, b Backend) {
 		}
 	}
 }
+
+func testBackendStateLock(t *testing.T, b1, b2 Backend) {
+	// Get the default state for each
+	b1StateMgr, err := b1.State(DefaultStateName)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("error: %s", err)
+	}
+	if err := b1StateMgr.RefreshState(); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("bad: %s", err)
+	}
+
+	// Fast exit if this doesn't support locking at all
+	if _, ok := b1StateMgr.(state.Locker); !ok {
+		t.Logf("TestBackend: backend %T doesn't support state locking, not testing", b1)
+		return
+	}
+
+	t.Logf("TestBackend: testing state locking for %T", b1)
+
+	b2StateMgr, err := b2.State(DefaultStateName)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("error: %s", err)
+	}
+	if err := b2StateMgr.RefreshState(); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("bad: %s", err)
+	}
+
+	// Reassign so its obvious whats happening
+	lockerA := b1StateMgr.(state.Locker)
+	lockerB := b2StateMgr.(state.Locker)
+
+	infoA := state.NewLockInfo()
+	infoA.Operation = "test"
+	infoA.Who = "clientA"
+
+	infoB := state.NewLockInfo()
+	infoB.Operation = "test"
+	infoB.Who = "clientB"
+
+	lockIDA, err := lockerA.Lock(infoA)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal("unable to get initial lock:", err)
+	}
+
+	// If the lock ID is blank, assume locking is disabled
+	if lockIDA == "" {
+		t.Logf("TestBackend: %T: empty string returned for lock, assuming disabled", b1)
+		return
+	}
+
+	_, err = lockerB.Lock(infoB)
+	if err == nil {
+		lockerA.Unlock(lockIDA)
+		t.Fatal("client B obtained lock while held by client A")
+	}
+
+	if err := lockerA.Unlock(lockIDA); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal("error unlocking client A", err)
+	}
+
+	lockIDB, err := lockerB.Lock(infoB)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal("unable to obtain lock from client B")
+	}
+
+	if lockIDB == lockIDA {
+		t.Fatalf("duplicate lock IDs: %q", lockIDB)
+	}
+
+	if err = lockerB.Unlock(lockIDB); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal("error unlocking client B:", err)
+	}
+
+}
diff --git a/state/lock.go b/state/lock.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..b3a03b3ef
--- /dev/null
+++ b/state/lock.go
@@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
+package state
+
+import (
+	"github.com/hashicorp/terraform/terraform"
+)
+
+// LockDisabled implements State and Locker but disables state locking.
+// If State doesn't support locking, this is a no-op. This is useful for
+// easily disabling locking of an existing state or for tests.
+type LockDisabled struct {
+	// We can't embed State directly since Go dislikes that a field is
+	// State and State interface has a method State
+	Inner State
+}
+
+func (s *LockDisabled) State() *terraform.State {
+	return s.Inner.State()
+}
+
+func (s *LockDisabled) WriteState(v *terraform.State) error {
+	return s.Inner.WriteState(v)
+}
+
+func (s *LockDisabled) RefreshState() error {
+	return s.Inner.RefreshState()
+}
+
+func (s *LockDisabled) PersistState() error {
+	return s.Inner.PersistState()
+}
+
+func (s *LockDisabled) Lock(info *LockInfo) (string, error) {
+	return "", nil
+}
+
+func (s *LockDisabled) Unlock(id string) error {
+	return nil
+}
diff --git a/state/lock_test.go b/state/lock_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..d7246ac9d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/state/lock_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+package state
+
+import (
+	"testing"
+)
+
+func TestLockDisabled_impl(t *testing.T) {
+	var _ State = new(LockDisabled)
+	var _ Locker = new(LockDisabled)
+}
diff --git a/website/source/docs/backends/types/consul.html.md b/website/source/docs/backends/types/consul.html.md
index 24d45fe14..f03e6dcc0 100644
--- a/website/source/docs/backends/types/consul.html.md
+++ b/website/source/docs/backends/types/consul.html.md
@@ -54,3 +54,4 @@ The following configuration options / environment variables are supported:
  * `http_auth` / `CONSUL_HTTP_AUTH` - (Optional) HTTP Basic Authentication credentials to be used when
    communicating with Consul, in the format of either `user` or `user:pass`.
  * `gzip` - (Optional) `true` to compress the state data using gzip, or `false` (the default) to leave it uncompressed.
+ * `lock` - (Optional) `false` to disable locking. This defaults to true, but will require session permissions with Consul to perform locking.