diff --git a/sql/core/src/main/scala/org/apache/spark/sql/execution/streaming/state/StateStore.scala b/sql/core/src/main/scala/org/apache/spark/sql/execution/streaming/state/StateStore.scala
index 1891dd3befa40..a30234d17c4ed 100644
--- a/sql/core/src/main/scala/org/apache/spark/sql/execution/streaming/state/StateStore.scala
+++ b/sql/core/src/main/scala/org/apache/spark/sql/execution/streaming/state/StateStore.scala
@@ -1424,12 +1424,6 @@ object StateStore extends Logging {
     }
   }
 
-  // Pause maintenance for testing purposes only.
-  @volatile private var maintenancePaused: Boolean = false
-  private[spark] def setMaintenancePaused(maintPaused: Boolean): Unit = {
-      maintenancePaused = maintPaused
-  }
-
   /**
    * Execute background maintenance task in all the loaded store providers if they are still
    * the active instances according to the coordinator.
@@ -1439,10 +1433,6 @@ object StateStore extends Logging {
     if (SparkEnv.get == null) {
       throw new IllegalStateException("SparkEnv not active, cannot do maintenance on StateStores")
     }
-    if (maintenancePaused) {
-      logDebug("Maintenance paused")
-      return
-    }
 
     // Providers that couldn't be processed now and need to be added back to the queue
     val providersToRequeue = new ArrayBuffer[(StateStoreProviderId, StateStoreProvider)]()
diff --git a/sql/core/src/test/scala/org/apache/spark/sql/execution/streaming/state/StateStoreSuite.scala b/sql/core/src/test/scala/org/apache/spark/sql/execution/streaming/state/StateStoreSuite.scala
index 6bb64315e356b..d2f621d1c961a 100644
--- a/sql/core/src/test/scala/org/apache/spark/sql/execution/streaming/state/StateStoreSuite.scala
+++ b/sql/core/src/test/scala/org/apache/spark/sql/execution/streaming/state/StateStoreSuite.scala
@@ -253,6 +253,28 @@ private object FakeStateStoreProviderWithMaintenanceError {
   val errorOnMaintenance = new AtomicBoolean(false)
 }
 
+/**
+ * A fake StateStoreProvider for testing maintenance before unload.
+ * Extends HDFSBackedStateStoreProvider to get actual store functionality,
+ * but tracks the number of times doMaintenance is called.
+ */
+class MaintenanceCountingStateStoreProvider extends HDFSBackedStateStoreProvider {
+  import MaintenanceCountingStateStoreProvider._
+
+  override def doMaintenance(): Unit = {
+    maintenanceCallCount.incrementAndGet()
+    super.doMaintenance()
+  }
+}
+
+private object MaintenanceCountingStateStoreProvider {
+  val maintenanceCallCount = new java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicInteger(0)
+
+  def reset(): Unit = {
+    maintenanceCallCount.set(0)
+  }
+}
+
 @ExtendedSQLTest
 class StateStoreSuite extends StateStoreSuiteBase[HDFSBackedStateStoreProvider]
   with BeforeAndAfter {
@@ -1010,32 +1032,25 @@ class StateStoreSuite extends StateStoreSuiteBase[HDFSBackedStateStoreProvider]
 
   // Ensure that maintenance is called before unloading
   test("SPARK-40492: maintenance before unload") {
+    // Reset the maintenance call counter
+    MaintenanceCountingStateStoreProvider.reset()
+
     val conf = new SparkConf()
       .setMaster("local")
       .setAppName("SPARK-40492")
     val opId = 0
     val dir1 = newDir()
     val storeProviderId1 = StateStoreProviderId(StateStoreId(dir1, opId, 0), UUID.randomUUID)
-    val sqlConf = getDefaultSQLConf(SQLConf.STATE_STORE_MIN_DELTAS_FOR_SNAPSHOT.defaultValue.get,
-      SQLConf.MAX_BATCHES_TO_RETAIN_IN_MEMORY.defaultValue.get)
-    sqlConf.setConf(SQLConf.MIN_BATCHES_TO_RETAIN, 10)
-    sqlConf.setConf(SQLConf.STREAMING_MAINTENANCE_INTERVAL, 10L)
+    val sqlConf = getDefaultSQLConf(
+      SQLConf.STATE_STORE_MIN_DELTAS_FOR_SNAPSHOT.defaultValue.get,
+      SQLConf.MAX_BATCHES_TO_RETAIN_IN_MEMORY.defaultValue.get
+    )
+    sqlConf.setConf(SQLConf.STREAMING_MAINTENANCE_INTERVAL, 5.seconds.toMillis)
+    sqlConf.setConf(SQLConf.STATE_STORE_PROVIDER_CLASS,
+      classOf[MaintenanceCountingStateStoreProvider].getName)
     val storeConf = StateStoreConf(sqlConf)
     val hadoopConf = new Configuration()
 
-    var latestStoreVersion = 0
-
-    def generateStoreVersions(): Unit = {
-      for (i <- 1 to 20) {
-        val store = StateStore.get(storeProviderId1, keySchema, valueSchema,
-          NoPrefixKeyStateEncoderSpec(keySchema),
-          latestStoreVersion, None, None, useColumnFamilies = false, storeConf, hadoopConf)
-        put(store, "a", 0, i)
-        store.commit()
-        latestStoreVersion += 1
-      }
-    }
-
     val timeoutDuration = 1.minute
 
     quietly {
@@ -1043,44 +1058,39 @@ class StateStoreSuite extends StateStoreSuiteBase[HDFSBackedStateStoreProvider]
         withCoordinatorRef(sc) { coordinatorRef =>
           require(!StateStore.isMaintenanceRunning, "StateStore is unexpectedly running")
 
-          // Generate sufficient versions of store for snapshots
-          generateStoreVersions()
+          // Load the store
+          StateStore.get(storeProviderId1, keySchema, valueSchema,
+            NoPrefixKeyStateEncoderSpec(keySchema),
+            0, None, None, useColumnFamilies = false, storeConf, hadoopConf)
+
+          // Ensure the store is loaded
           eventually(timeout(timeoutDuration)) {
-            // Store should have been reported to the coordinator
             assert(coordinatorRef.getLocation(storeProviderId1).nonEmpty,
               "active instance was not reported")
-            // Background maintenance should clean up and generate snapshots
-            assert(StateStore.isMaintenanceRunning, "Maintenance task is not running")
-            // Some snapshots should have been generated
-            tryWithProviderResource(newStoreProvider(storeProviderId1.storeId)) { provider =>
-              val snapshotVersions = (1 to latestStoreVersion).filter { version =>
-                fileExists(provider, version, isSnapshot = true)
-              }
-              assert(snapshotVersions.nonEmpty, "no snapshot file found")
-            }
+            assert(StateStore.isLoaded(storeProviderId1), "Store is not loaded")
           }
-          // Pause maintenance
-          StateStore.setMaintenancePaused(true)
 
-          // Generate more versions such that there is another snapshot.
-          generateStoreVersions()
+          // Record the current maintenance call count before deactivation
+          val maintenanceCountBeforeDeactivate =
+            MaintenanceCountingStateStoreProvider.maintenanceCallCount.get()
 
-          // If driver decides to deactivate all stores related to a query run,
-          // then this instance should be unloaded.
+          // Deactivate the store instance - this should trigger maintenance before unload
           coordinatorRef.deactivateInstances(storeProviderId1.queryRunId)
 
-          // Resume maintenance which should unload the deactivated store
-          StateStore.setMaintenancePaused(false)
+          // Wait for the store to be unloaded
           eventually(timeout(timeoutDuration)) {
-            assert(!StateStore.isLoaded(storeProviderId1))
+            assert(!StateStore.isLoaded(storeProviderId1), "Store was not unloaded")
           }
 
-          // Ensure the earliest delta file should be cleaned up during unload.
-          tryWithProviderResource(newStoreProvider(storeProviderId1.storeId)) { provider =>
-            eventually(timeout(timeoutDuration)) {
-              assert(!fileExists(provider, 1, isSnapshot = false), "earliest file not deleted")
-            }
-          }
+          // Get the maintenance count after unload
+          val maintenanceCountAfterUnload =
+            MaintenanceCountingStateStoreProvider.maintenanceCallCount.get()
+
+          // Ensure that maintenance was called at least one more time during unload
+          assert(maintenanceCountAfterUnload > maintenanceCountBeforeDeactivate,
+            s"Maintenance should be called before unload. " +
+              s"Before: $maintenanceCountBeforeDeactivate, " +
+              s"After: $maintenanceCountAfterUnload")
         }
       }
     }