diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 1dece529d0e8..397682c93751 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -68,6 +68,7 @@ Ref: https://keepachangelog.com/en/1.0.0/
 * [#16547](https://github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/pull/16547) Ensure a transaction's gas limit cannot exceed the block gas limit.
 * (x/auth/types) [#16554](https://github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/pull/16554) `ModuleAccount.Validate` now reports a nil `.BaseAccount` instead of panicking.
 * (baseapp) [#16613](https://github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/pull/16613) Ensure each message in a transaction has a registered handler, otherwise `CheckTx` will fail.
+* [#16639](https://github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/pull/16639) Make sure we don't execute blocks beyond the halt height.
 
 ## [v0.50.0-alpha.0](https://github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/releases/tag/v0.50.0-alpha.0) - 2023-06-07
 
diff --git a/baseapp/abci.go b/baseapp/abci.go
index 9ea032aaebcc..42dda0b48099 100644
--- a/baseapp/abci.go
+++ b/baseapp/abci.go
@@ -4,10 +4,8 @@ import (
 	"context"
 	"crypto/sha256"
 	"fmt"
-	"os"
 	"sort"
 	"strings"
-	"syscall"
 	"time"
 
 	"github.com/cockroachdb/errors"
@@ -649,6 +647,10 @@ func (app *BaseApp) VerifyVoteExtension(req *abci.RequestVerifyVoteExtension) (r
 func (app *BaseApp) FinalizeBlock(req *abci.RequestFinalizeBlock) (*abci.ResponseFinalizeBlock, error) {
 	var events []abci.Event
 
+	if err := app.checkHalt(req.Height, req.Time); err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
 	if err := app.validateFinalizeBlockHeight(req); err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
@@ -748,6 +750,24 @@ func (app *BaseApp) FinalizeBlock(req *abci.RequestFinalizeBlock) (*abci.Respons
 	}, nil
 }
 
+// checkHalt checkes if height or time exceeds halt-height or halt-time respectively.
+func (app *BaseApp) checkHalt(height int64, time time.Time) error {
+	var halt bool
+	switch {
+	case app.haltHeight > 0 && uint64(height) > app.haltHeight:
+		halt = true
+
+	case app.haltTime > 0 && time.Unix() > int64(app.haltTime):
+		halt = true
+	}
+
+	if halt {
+		return fmt.Errorf("halt per configuration height %d time %d", app.haltHeight, app.haltTime)
+	}
+
+	return nil
+}
+
 // Commit implements the ABCI interface. It will commit all state that exists in
 // the deliver state's multi-store and includes the resulting commit ID in the
 // returned abci.ResponseCommit. Commit will set the check state based on the
@@ -799,23 +819,6 @@ func (app *BaseApp) Commit() (*abci.ResponseCommit, error) {
 		app.prepareCheckStater(app.checkState.ctx)
 	}
 
-	var halt bool
-	switch {
-	case app.haltHeight > 0 && uint64(header.Height) >= app.haltHeight:
-		halt = true
-
-	case app.haltTime > 0 && header.Time.Unix() >= int64(app.haltTime):
-		halt = true
-	}
-
-	if halt {
-		// Halt the binary and allow CometBFT to receive the ResponseCommit
-		// response with the commit ID hash. This will allow the node to successfully
-		// restart and process blocks assuming the halt configuration has been
-		// reset or moved to a more distant value.
-		app.halt()
-	}
-
 	go app.snapshotManager.SnapshotIfApplicable(header.Height)
 
 	return resp, nil
@@ -839,28 +842,6 @@ func (app *BaseApp) workingHash() []byte {
 	return commitHash
 }
 
-// halt attempts to gracefully shutdown the node via SIGINT and SIGTERM falling
-// back on os.Exit if both fail.
-func (app *BaseApp) halt() {
-	app.logger.Info("halting node per configuration", "height", app.haltHeight, "time", app.haltTime)
-
-	p, err := os.FindProcess(os.Getpid())
-	if err == nil {
-		// attempt cascading signals in case SIGINT fails (os dependent)
-		sigIntErr := p.Signal(syscall.SIGINT)
-		sigTermErr := p.Signal(syscall.SIGTERM)
-
-		if sigIntErr == nil || sigTermErr == nil {
-			return
-		}
-	}
-
-	// Resort to exiting immediately if the process could not be found or killed
-	// via SIGINT/SIGTERM signals.
-	app.logger.Info("failed to send SIGINT/SIGTERM; exiting...")
-	os.Exit(0)
-}
-
 func handleQueryApp(app *BaseApp, path []string, req *abci.RequestQuery) *abci.ResponseQuery {
 	if len(path) >= 2 {
 		switch path[1] {
diff --git a/baseapp/abci_test.go b/baseapp/abci_test.go
index f19953a97406..5d1e56d7fed2 100644
--- a/baseapp/abci_test.go
+++ b/baseapp/abci_test.go
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import (
 	"strconv"
 	"strings"
 	"testing"
+	"time"
 
 	abci "github.com/cometbft/cometbft/abci/types"
 	cmtproto "github.com/cometbft/cometbft/proto/tendermint/types"
@@ -1466,3 +1467,42 @@ func TestABCI_Proposal_Reset_State_Between_Calls(t *testing.T) {
 		require.Equal(t, abci.ResponseProcessProposal_ACCEPT, resProcessProposal.Status)
 	}
 }
+
+func TestABCI_HaltChain(t *testing.T) {
+	testCases := []struct {
+		name        string
+		haltHeight  uint64
+		haltTime    uint64
+		blockHeight int64
+		blockTime   int64
+		expHalt     bool
+	}{
+		{"default", 0, 0, 10, 0, false},
+		{"halt-height-edge", 10, 0, 10, 0, false},
+		{"halt-height", 10, 0, 11, 0, true},
+		{"halt-time-edge", 0, 10, 1, 10, false},
+		{"halt-time", 0, 10, 1, 11, true},
+	}
+
+	for _, tc := range testCases {
+		t.Run(tc.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			suite := NewBaseAppSuite(t, baseapp.SetHaltHeight(tc.haltHeight), baseapp.SetHaltTime(tc.haltTime))
+			suite.baseApp.InitChain(&abci.RequestInitChain{
+				ConsensusParams: &cmtproto.ConsensusParams{},
+				InitialHeight:   tc.blockHeight,
+			})
+
+			app := suite.baseApp
+			_, err := app.FinalizeBlock(&abci.RequestFinalizeBlock{
+				Height: tc.blockHeight,
+				Time:   time.Unix(tc.blockTime, 0),
+			})
+			if !tc.expHalt {
+				require.NoError(t, err)
+			} else {
+				require.Error(t, err)
+				require.True(t, strings.HasPrefix(err.Error(), "halt per configuration"))
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}