How Much Notice to Move Out? Lease Notice-to-Vacate Clauses by State
Leases often set how far ahead you must tell the landlord you are leaving, and what happens if you don't: an extra month's rent, a lost deposit, or an automatic renewal. For month-to-month tenancies, most states set a notice period in statute, and some let the lease set a different one. A notice clause that is longer than your state's rule, or that punishes short notice with a penalty instead of actual losses, is worth questioning before you sign. Check your state in the table below.
What it looks like in a lease
- “Tenant must give Landlord at least 60 days' written notice of intent to vacate, or the full security deposit is forfeited.”
- “Notice to vacate must be delivered on the 1st of the month; notice received after the 1st is effective the following month.”
- “If Tenant fails to give proper notice, Tenant shall pay an additional two months' rent.”
Why it's a red flag
- A notice period longer than your state's rule can leave you paying for two homes at once.
- Losing the whole deposit for short notice is a penalty that may not match the landlord's actual loss.
- “Delivered by the 1st” wording can quietly add almost a month to the notice you must give.
What to ask your landlord
- Can the notice period match the state's month-to-month rule (see the table), for both of us?
- If I give short notice, can charges be limited to rent until the unit is re-rented, instead of a fixed penalty?
- Can notice be given by email, and does it run from the day it is sent?
State-by-state rules
Notice to end a month-to-month tenancy. Fixed-term leases usually end on the date in the lease, unless it renews. Each row links to the statute. Data as of 2026-10-19.
- Arizona
- Tenant notice
- 30 days (written, before the periodic rental date)
- Landlord notice
- 30 days (written, before the periodic rental date)
Source: A.R.S. § 33-1375
- California
- Tenant notice
- 30 days
- Landlord notice
- 30 days if tenancy under 1 year; 60 days if 1 year or more. After 12 months most tenancies also need 'just cause' (Tenant Protection Act).
- Colorado
- Tenant notice
- Written notice by tenancy period: 21 days for a month-to-month tenancy (1 month to <6 months); 28 days (6 months to <1 year); 91 days (1 year or longer); 3 days for week-to-week.
- Landlord notice
- Same notice periods, but since Apr 19, 2024 (HB24-1098) a landlord generally needs cause to evict, with certain exceptions; listed no-fault grounds include demolition or conversion, substantial renovation, landlord or family moving in, selling the home, the tenant refusing a new lease with reasonable terms, and a history of nonpayment.
Source: C.R.S. § 13-40-107; HB24-1098
- Florida
- Tenant notice
- 30 days' written notice before the end of a monthly period
- Landlord notice
- 30 days' written notice before the end of a monthly period
Source: Fla. Stat. § 83.57
- Georgia
- Tenant notice
- 30 days
- Landlord notice
- 60 days
Source: O.C.G.A. § 44-7-7
- Illinois
- Tenant notice
- 30 days
- Landlord notice
- 30 days
Source: 735 ILCS 5/9-207
- Kentucky
- Tenant notice
- 30 days' written notice before the periodic rental date (URLTA areas)
- Landlord notice
- 30 days' written notice before the periodic rental date (URLTA areas); elsewhere, one month's written notice to end a tenancy at will (KRS 383.195)
Source: KRS 383.695(2), 383.195
- Louisiana
- Tenant notice
- Written notice at least 10 calendar days before the end of the month.
- Landlord notice
- Written notice at least 10 calendar days before the end of the month.
- Maryland
- Tenant notice
- 30 days (oral or written notice before end of the tenancy; in Baltimore City written notice).
- Landlord notice
- 60 days written notice (month-to-month or lease term over 1 week); 90 days for year-to-year; shorter 30/60 days only in a foreclosure situation.
Source: Md. Code, Real Prop. § 8-402(c)
- Minnesota
- Tenant notice
- Written notice at least as long as the interval between rent due dates (or three months, whichever is less)
- Landlord notice
- Written notice at least as long as the interval between rent due dates (or three months, whichever is less)
Source: Minn. Stat. § 504B.135
- Missouri
- Tenant notice
- Written notice; tenancy ends on a rent-paying date at least one month after the landlord receives it
- Landlord notice
- Written notice; tenancy ends on a rent-paying date at least one month after the tenant receives it
Source: RSMo § 441.060.4
- Nevada
- Tenant notice
- Not verified yet
- Landlord notice
- At least 30 days' notice for monthly and other periodic tenancies (7 days week-to-week). A tenant aged 60+ or with a disability can ask in writing for 30 more days (not for week-to-week tenancies).
Source: NRS 40.251
- New York
- Tenant notice
- 1 month
- Landlord notice
- 30 days if tenancy under 1 year; 60 days for 1-2 years; 90 days for 2 years or more.
- North Carolina
- Tenant notice
- 7 days
- Landlord notice
- 7 days
Source: N.C.G.S. § 42-14
- Ohio
- Tenant notice
- 30 days
- Landlord notice
- 30 days
Source: Ohio Rev. Code § 5321.17
- Oregon
- Tenant notice
- 30 days written notice (10 days for week-to-week).
- Landlord notice
- 30 days written notice without cause only during the first year of occupancy; after that only for tenant cause, or with 90 days notice for a qualifying landlord reason (demolition or conversion, repairs that make the home unfit, landlord or immediate family moving in, sale to a buyer who will live there) plus one month's rent paid with the notice; landlords with an ownership interest in 4 or fewer units are exempt from the payment.
Source: ORS 90.427
- Pennsylvania
- Tenant notice
- Not verified yet
- Landlord notice
- Notice to quit: 15 days (lease of 1 year or less / indefinite) or 30 days (over 1 year) for eviction; tenants can waive this in the lease.
Source: 68 P.S. § 250.501
- South Carolina
- Tenant notice
- 30 days' written notice before the termination date (7 days for week-to-week)
- Landlord notice
- 30 days' written notice before the termination date (7 days for week-to-week)
- Tennessee
- Tenant notice
- 30 days written notice before the periodic rental date (10 days for week-to-week).
- Landlord notice
- 30 days written notice before the periodic rental date (10 days for week-to-week).
Source: Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-28-512
- Texas
- Tenant notice
- 1 month (unless the lease says otherwise)
- Landlord notice
- 1 month (unless the lease says otherwise)
Source: Tex. Prop. Code § 91.001
- Utah
- Tenant notice
- Not verified yet
- Landlord notice
- Notice served at least 15 calendar days before the end of the month or rental period.
Source: Utah Code § 78B-6-802(1)(b)
- Virginia
- Tenant notice
- 30 days (written, before the next rent due date), unless the rental agreement provides a different period
- Landlord notice
- 30 days (written, before the next rent due date), unless the rental agreement provides a different period; 60 days for certain mass non-renewals in multifamily premises
Source: Va. Code § 55.1-1253(A)-(B)
- Washington
- Tenant notice
- 20 days' written notice before the end of a rental period
- Landlord notice
- Only for a 'cause' listed in RCW 59.18.650, with the notice that cause requires (a 6–12 month initial lease that rolls to month-to-month may be ended without cause at the end of the initial term with 60 days' written notice).
Source: RCW 59.18.200, 59.18.650
Cities and counties can add stricter rules (e.g. Chicago, New York City). Other states: coming soon.
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General information only, not legal advice. Laws change — verify with the linked source or a licensed attorney.