diff --git a/changelog.d/12206.misc b/changelog.d/12206.misc
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..df59bb56c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changelog.d/12206.misc
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Remove unnecessary `pass` statements.
diff --git a/synapse/handlers/device.py b/synapse/handlers/device.py
index d90cb259a..d5ccaa0c3 100644
--- a/synapse/handlers/device.py
+++ b/synapse/handlers/device.py
@@ -371,7 +371,6 @@ class DeviceHandler(DeviceWorkerHandler):
                 log_kv(
                     {"reason": "User doesn't have device id.", "device_id": device_id}
                 )
-                pass
             else:
                 raise
 
@@ -414,7 +413,6 @@ class DeviceHandler(DeviceWorkerHandler):
                 # no match
                 set_tag("error", True)
                 set_tag("reason", "User doesn't have that device id.")
-                pass
             else:
                 raise
 
diff --git a/synapse/handlers/presence.py b/synapse/handlers/presence.py
index 9927a30e6..34d9411bb 100644
--- a/synapse/handlers/presence.py
+++ b/synapse/handlers/presence.py
@@ -267,7 +267,6 @@ class BasePresenceHandler(abc.ABC):
             is_syncing: Whether or not the user is now syncing
             sync_time_msec: Time in ms when the user was last syncing
         """
-        pass
 
     async def update_external_syncs_clear(self, process_id: str) -> None:
         """Marks all users that had been marked as syncing by a given process
@@ -277,7 +276,6 @@ class BasePresenceHandler(abc.ABC):
 
         This is a no-op when presence is handled by a different worker.
         """
-        pass
 
     async def process_replication_rows(
         self, stream_name: str, instance_name: str, token: int, rows: list
diff --git a/synapse/http/matrixfederationclient.py b/synapse/http/matrixfederationclient.py
index 40bf1e06d..6b98d865f 100644
--- a/synapse/http/matrixfederationclient.py
+++ b/synapse/http/matrixfederationclient.py
@@ -120,7 +120,6 @@ class ByteParser(ByteWriteable, Generic[T], abc.ABC):
         """Called when response has finished streaming and the parser should
         return the final result (or error).
         """
-        pass
 
 
 @attr.s(slots=True, frozen=True, auto_attribs=True)
@@ -601,7 +600,6 @@ class MatrixFederationHttpClient:
                             response.code,
                             response_phrase,
                         )
-                        pass
                     else:
                         logger.info(
                             "{%s} [%s] Got response headers: %d %s",
diff --git a/synapse/http/server.py b/synapse/http/server.py
index 09b412548..31ca84188 100644
--- a/synapse/http/server.py
+++ b/synapse/http/server.py
@@ -233,7 +233,6 @@ class HttpServer(Protocol):
             servlet_classname (str): The name of the handler to be used in prometheus
                 and opentracing logs.
         """
-        pass
 
 
 class _AsyncResource(resource.Resource, metaclass=abc.ABCMeta):
diff --git a/synapse/rest/media/v1/_base.py b/synapse/rest/media/v1/_base.py
index 9b40fd8a6..c35d42fab 100644
--- a/synapse/rest/media/v1/_base.py
+++ b/synapse/rest/media/v1/_base.py
@@ -298,7 +298,6 @@ class Responder:
         Returns:
             Resolves once the response has finished being written
         """
-        pass
 
     def __enter__(self) -> None:
         pass
diff --git a/synapse/server.py b/synapse/server.py
index 7741ff29d..2fcf18a7a 100644
--- a/synapse/server.py
+++ b/synapse/server.py
@@ -328,7 +328,6 @@ class HomeServer(metaclass=abc.ABCMeta):
         Does nothing in this base class; overridden in derived classes to start the
         appropriate listeners.
         """
-        pass
 
     def setup_background_tasks(self) -> None:
         """
diff --git a/synapse/storage/databases/main/registration.py b/synapse/storage/databases/main/registration.py
index dc6665237..a698d10cc 100644
--- a/synapse/storage/databases/main/registration.py
+++ b/synapse/storage/databases/main/registration.py
@@ -48,8 +48,6 @@ class ExternalIDReuseException(Exception):
     """Exception if writing an external id for a user fails,
     because this external id is given to an other user."""
 
-    pass
-
 
 @attr.s(frozen=True, slots=True, auto_attribs=True)
 class TokenLookupResult:
diff --git a/synapse/storage/schema/main/delta/30/as_users.py b/synapse/storage/schema/main/delta/30/as_users.py
index 22a7901e1..4b4b166e3 100644
--- a/synapse/storage/schema/main/delta/30/as_users.py
+++ b/synapse/storage/schema/main/delta/30/as_users.py
@@ -36,7 +36,6 @@ def run_upgrade(cur, database_engine, config, *args, **kwargs):
         config_files = config.appservice.app_service_config_files
     except AttributeError:
         logger.warning("Could not get app_service_config_files from config")
-        pass
 
     appservices = load_appservices(config.server.server_name, config_files)
 
diff --git a/synapse/util/caches/treecache.py b/synapse/util/caches/treecache.py
index 563845f86..e78305f78 100644
--- a/synapse/util/caches/treecache.py
+++ b/synapse/util/caches/treecache.py
@@ -22,8 +22,6 @@ class TreeCacheNode(dict):
     leaves.
     """
 
-    pass
-
 
 class TreeCache:
     """
diff --git a/tests/handlers/test_password_providers.py b/tests/handlers/test_password_providers.py
index 49d832de8..d401fda93 100644
--- a/tests/handlers/test_password_providers.py
+++ b/tests/handlers/test_password_providers.py
@@ -124,7 +124,6 @@ class PasswordCustomAuthProvider:
                 ("m.login.password", ("password",)): self.check_auth,
             }
         )
-        pass
 
     def check_auth(self, *args):
         return mock_password_provider.check_auth(*args)