Kentucky Eviction Notice
Create a free Kentucky eviction notice with the state's required notice periods built in. Pick the notice type, fill in the details, and download a PDF.
Kentucky notice periods
Nonpayment: 7 days · Lease violation (cure): 14 days · No-cause termination: 30 days.
Tenant Name(s)
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⚠ Kentucky requires a 7-day notice for a notice to pay rent or quit; the count runs from the date of SERVICE, and some states exclude weekends/holidays — verify before relying on a date. 7 calendar days after written notice of nonpayment (KRS 383.660(2)). The statute counts days generally (not business days) and requires the notice to state the landlord's intention to terminate if rent is not paid within the period. No statutory grace period before rent is "due"; the 7 days runs from notice. NOTE: this 7-day cure applies only in URLTA-adopting jurisdictions.
Notice to Pay Rent or Quit (Kentucky)
NOTICE TO PAY RENT OR QUIT
Date of Notice: ________________
From (Landlord/Agent): [LANDLORD/AGENT NAME], [LANDLORD ADDRESS]
To: [TENANT NAME(S)], Tenant(s) in possession of: [PROPERTY ADDRESS]
YOU ARE HEREBY NOTIFIED that rent is now due and unpaid in the amount of $________. This amount is for unpaid RENT only and excludes late fees, utilities, and other charges unless your state and lease allow them.
You are required to PAY the full amount of rent due within 7 days after this notice is served on you, OR to vacate and surrender possession of the property. Payment must be made to [LANDLORD/AGENT NAME] at [LANDLORD ADDRESS], by cash, check, or money order. If you mail payment, it must be RECEIVED by the deadline.
If you do not comply with this notice within the time stated, the landlord may begin legal proceedings to recover possession of the property under KRS 383.660 (noncompliance / failure to pay rent) and KRS 383.695 (periodic tenancy termination), part of the Kentucky Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (URLTA), KRS 383.500–383.715.
Only a court can order you to move out. The landlord may NOT lock you out, remove your belongings, or shut off your utilities; doing so is illegal.
This notice is given without waiving, and the landlord expressly reserves, all other rights and remedies, including the right to recover unpaid rent and damages.
How this notice may be served: Kentucky URLTA requires a WRITTEN notice delivered to the tenant. KRS 383.555 defines delivery/receipt: notice is "given" when delivered, and "received" when it comes to the tenant's attention or is delivered at the place held out as the place to receive it. The notice must specify the acts/omissions constituting the breach (for lease violations) and the termination date. After the notice period expires, the landlord enforces possession through a forcible-detainer (eviction) action filed in District Court, where a deputy/sheriff serves the warrant.
_______________________________________
[LANDLORD/AGENT NAME] — Landlord / Authorized Agent
[LANDLORD ADDRESS]
Date: ________________
PROOF OF SERVICE
I served this notice on the tenant(s) on ____________ (date).
Method of service (use a method permitted in your state — see the service note above):
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________ Date: ____________
Signature of person serving the notice
Email yourself a copy (PDF)
Self-help template, not legal advice. Notice periods, wording, and service rules vary by state and city. You cannot remove a tenant yourself — serve a proper notice and, if needed, file in court.
Kentucky Eviction Notice Requirements
In Kentucky, a landlord must serve a written notice before filing for eviction under KRS 383.660 (noncompliance / failure to pay rent) and KRS 383.695 (periodic tenancy termination), part of the Kentucky Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (URLTA), KRS 383.500–383.715. The required notice period depends on the reason:
- Nonpayment of rent: 7-day notice to pay or quit. 7 calendar days after written notice of nonpayment (KRS 383.660(2)). The statute counts days generally (not business days) and requires the notice to state the landlord's intention to terminate if rent is not paid within the period. No statutory grace period before rent is "due"; the 7 days runs from notice. NOTE: this 7-day cure applies only in URLTA-adopting jurisdictions.
- Curable lease violation: 14-day notice to cure or quit. 14 days under KRS 383.660(1): the notice must set a termination date "not less than fourteen (14) days after receipt." The tenant can stop termination by remedying the breach before that date. (Statutory text also references a 15-day phrase for non-remediation, but the operative tenant-facing minimum notice/cure window is 14 days.)
- No-cause termination (month-to-month): 30-day notice. 30 days' written notice before the periodic rental date to terminate a month-to-month tenancy (KRS 383.695(2)); not tenancy-length-dependent. Week-to-week is 7 days (383.695(1)).
Service: Kentucky URLTA requires a WRITTEN notice delivered to the tenant. KRS 383.555 defines delivery/receipt: notice is "given" when delivered, and "received" when it comes to the tenant's attention or is delivered at the place held out as the place to receive it. The notice must specify the acts/omissions constituting the breach (for lease violations) and the termination date. After the notice period expires, the landlord enforces possession through a forcible-detainer (eviction) action filed in District Court, where a deputy/sheriff serves the warrant.
- Pay-or-quit: KRS 383.660(2) gives the tenant 7 days after written notice of nonpayment (stating intent to terminate) to pay before the landlord may terminate the rental agreement.
- Cure-or-quit: KRS 383.660(1) requires a written notice with a termination date not less than 14 days after receipt; the tenant may avoid termination by adequately remedying the breach before the specified date.
- Repeat/no-cure: KRS 383.660(1) (last sentence) allows termination on at least 14 days' written notice — with NO right to cure — if substantially the same noncompliance recurs within 6 months of a prior noticed breach. Kentucky URLTA has no separate immediate/0-day unconditional-quit category.
- No-cause month-to-month: KRS 383.695(2) requires at least 30 days' written notice before the periodic rental date; week-to-week is 7 days (383.695(1)).
- CRITICAL JURISDICTIONAL CAVEAT: Kentucky URLTA (and these notice periods) applies ONLY in cities/counties that have locally adopted it under KRS 383.500 (e.g., Louisville-Jefferson, Lexington-Fayette, Covington, Newport, Florence, Georgetown, Oldham/Pulaski Co., and ~a dozen smaller cities). Outside URLTA jurisdictions the 7-day pay-or-quit and 14-day cure rules do NOT apply by statute; common law and the lease govern, and for a tenancy after a written lease ends KRS 383.695(3) lets the landlord terminate without notice if rent is unpaid 10 days past due.
- Kentucky has NO statewide just-cause eviction requirement; no-fault termination of a month-to-month tenancy is permitted with the 30-day notice.
Kentucky Eviction Notices by Type
Frequently Asked Questions
How many days notice to evict for nonpayment in Kentucky?
Kentucky requires a 7-day notice to pay rent or quit before a landlord can file for eviction. 7 calendar days after written notice of nonpayment (KRS 383.660(2)). The statute counts days generally (not business days) and requires the notice to state the landlord's intention to terminate if rent is not paid within the period. No statutory grace period before rent is "due"; the 7 days runs from notice. NOTE: this 7-day cure applies only in URLTA-adopting jurisdictions.
Can a landlord evict without notice in Kentucky?
No. A written notice is required before filing, and only a court can order a tenant removed. Self-help lockouts are illegal.
Does Kentucky require just cause to evict?
Kentucky does not have a statewide just-cause requirement, though some cities may. A month-to-month tenancy can generally be ended with a 30-day notice.
Disclaimer
This Kentucky eviction notice generator is a self-help tool for general informational purposes only and is not legal advice. Confirm Kentucky and local requirements before serving, and consult a landlord-tenant attorney for contested cases.