diff --git a/jupyter_server/auth/decorator.py b/jupyter_server/auth/decorator.py
index 72a489dbe9..930d79be47 100644
--- a/jupyter_server/auth/decorator.py
+++ b/jupyter_server/auth/decorator.py
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@
 from tornado.log import app_log
 from tornado.web import HTTPError
 
-from .utils import HTTP_METHOD_TO_AUTH_ACTION, warn_disabled_authorization
+from .utils import HTTP_METHOD_TO_AUTH_ACTION
 
 
 def authorized(
@@ -57,18 +57,13 @@ def inner(self, *args, **kwargs):
             if not user:
                 app_log.warning("Attempting to authorize request without authentication!")
                 raise HTTPError(status_code=403, log_message=message)
-
-            # Handle the case where an authorizer wasn't attached to the handler.
-            if not self.authorizer:
-                warn_disabled_authorization()
-                return method(self, *args, **kwargs)
-
-            # Only return the method if the action is authorized.
+            # If the user is allowed to do this action,
+            # call the method.
             if self.authorizer.is_authorized(self, user, action, resource):
                 return method(self, *args, **kwargs)
-
-            # Raise an exception if the method wasn't returned (i.e. not authorized)
-            raise HTTPError(status_code=403, log_message=message)
+            # else raise an exception.
+            else:
+                raise HTTPError(status_code=403, log_message=message)
 
         return inner
 
diff --git a/jupyter_server/auth/utils.py b/jupyter_server/auth/utils.py
index b939b87ae0..3f129dce63 100644
--- a/jupyter_server/auth/utils.py
+++ b/jupyter_server/auth/utils.py
@@ -8,16 +8,11 @@
 
 
 def warn_disabled_authorization():
+    """DEPRECATED, does nothing"""
     warnings.warn(
-        "The Tornado web application does not have an 'authorizer' defined "
-        "in its settings. In future releases of jupyter_server, this will "
-        "be a required key for all subclasses of `JupyterHandler`. For an "
-        "example, see the jupyter_server source code for how to "
-        "add an authorizer to the tornado settings: "
-        "https://github.com/jupyter-server/jupyter_server/blob/"
-        "653740cbad7ce0c8a8752ce83e4d3c2c754b13cb/jupyter_server/serverapp.py"
-        "#L234-L256",
-        FutureWarning,
+        "jupyter_server.auth.utils.warn_disabled_authorization is deprecated",
+        DeprecationWarning,
+        stacklevel=2,
     )
 
 
diff --git a/jupyter_server/base/handlers.py b/jupyter_server/base/handlers.py
index 42f7fb3d5e..fc4a8026c2 100644
--- a/jupyter_server/base/handlers.py
+++ b/jupyter_server/base/handlers.py
@@ -193,7 +193,23 @@ def login_available(self):
 
     @property
     def authorizer(self):
-        return self.settings.get("authorizer")
+        if "authorizer" not in self.settings:
+            warnings.warn(
+                "The Tornado web application does not have an 'authorizer' defined "
+                "in its settings. In future releases of jupyter_server, this will "
+                "be a required key for all subclasses of `JupyterHandler`. For an "
+                "example, see the jupyter_server source code for how to "
+                "add an authorizer to the tornado settings: "
+                "https://github.com/jupyter-server/jupyter_server/blob/"
+                "653740cbad7ce0c8a8752ce83e4d3c2c754b13cb/jupyter_server/serverapp.py"
+                "#L234-L256",
+            )
+            from jupyter_server.auth import AllowAllAuthorizer
+
+            self.settings["authorizer"] = AllowAllAuthorizer(
+                config=self.settings.get("config", None)
+            )
+        return self.settings["authorizer"]
 
 
 class JupyterHandler(AuthenticatedHandler):
diff --git a/jupyter_server/base/zmqhandlers.py b/jupyter_server/base/zmqhandlers.py
index 28e296c722..826c22663c 100644
--- a/jupyter_server/base/zmqhandlers.py
+++ b/jupyter_server/base/zmqhandlers.py
@@ -19,8 +19,6 @@
 from tornado import ioloop, web
 from tornado.websocket import WebSocketHandler
 
-from jupyter_server.auth.utils import warn_disabled_authorization
-
 from .handlers import JupyterHandler
 
 
@@ -321,10 +319,7 @@ def pre_get(self):
             raise web.HTTPError(403)
 
         # authorize the user.
-        if not self.authorizer:
-            # Warn if there is not authorizer.
-            warn_disabled_authorization()
-        elif not self.authorizer.is_authorized(self, user, "execute", "kernels"):
+        if not self.authorizer.is_authorized(self, user, "execute", "kernels"):
             raise web.HTTPError(403)
 
         if self.get_argument("session_id", False):
diff --git a/jupyter_server/terminal/handlers.py b/jupyter_server/terminal/handlers.py
index fde65e4a0a..ec7ec5649f 100644
--- a/jupyter_server/terminal/handlers.py
+++ b/jupyter_server/terminal/handlers.py
@@ -5,7 +5,6 @@
 from tornado import web
 
 from jupyter_server._tz import utcnow
-from jupyter_server.auth.utils import warn_disabled_authorization
 
 from ..base.handlers import JupyterHandler
 from ..base.zmqhandlers import WebSocketMixin
@@ -30,10 +29,7 @@ def get(self, *args, **kwargs):
             raise web.HTTPError(403)
 
         # authorize the user.
-        if not self.authorizer:
-            # Warn if there is not authorizer.
-            warn_disabled_authorization()
-        elif not self.authorizer.is_authorized(self, user, "execute", self.auth_resource):
+        if not self.authorizer.is_authorized(self, user, "execute", self.auth_resource):
             raise web.HTTPError(403)
 
         if not args[0] in self.term_manager.terminals: