Tennessee Eviction Notice
Create a free Tennessee eviction notice with the state's required notice periods built in. Pick the notice type, fill in the details, and download a PDF.
Tennessee notice periods
Nonpayment: 14 days · Lease violation (cure): 14 days · No-cause termination: 30 days.
Tenant Name(s)
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⚠ Tennessee requires a 14-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. 14 days is the long-standing statutory pay-or-quit period and the safe default for existing (pre-July-2025) leases. Nonpayment of rent is a REMEDIABLE breach: URLTA Tenn. Code Ann. 66-28-505(a)(2) gives the tenant 14 days after receipt of written notice to pay (cure) before the agreement terminates; non-URLTA counties use 66-7-109(a)(1)(A) (14 days). CRITICAL REFORM: HB 1345 / SB 1088 (eff. July 1, 2025) amended 66-28-505(a)(2) AND 66-28-505(a)(3) AND 66-7-109(a)(1)/(a)(2), reducing the nonpayment notice from 14 days to SEVEN (7) days — but ONLY for rental agreements entered into, amended, or renewed on or after July 1, 2025. For leases predating 7/1/2025 the period remains 14 days. Calendar days. Note: the spec's earlier citation to (a)(3) for nonpayment was wrong — nonpayment is the (a)(2) remediable track; (a)(3) is the non-remediable track. Separately, 66-28-201 gives a 5-day grace period before rent is 'late' (no late fee until day 6); the grace period does not extend the cure window. Tenant may pay the full amount due before the termination date to stop the eviction.
Notice to Pay Rent or Quit (Tennessee)
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 14 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 Tenn. Code Ann. (TCA) Title 66, Ch. 28 (Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act) — 66-28-505 (noncompliance / failure to pay rent), 66-28-512 (termination of periodic tenancy), 66-28-517 (3-day termination for violence/danger/unauthorized occupant); and TCA Title 66, Ch. 7, 66-7-109 (non-URLTA counties), as amended by 2025 Pub. Ch. (HB 1345 / SB 1088), eff. July 1, 2025.
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: Statute requires 'written notice' delivered to / received by the tenant; the notice periods run from the tenant's RECEIPT of notice (66-28-505, 66-28-517). Tennessee URLTA does not enumerate one exclusive method — safe practice is personal delivery to the tenant, or posting on the unit, with mailing as backup. Electronic delivery is permitted only if the tenant signed an e-notice consent under 66-28-105. Notice must specify the breach (and, for 66-28-517, detail the specific violation). The detainer warrant (the eviction lawsuit itself) is separately served by the sheriff/officer.
_______________________________________
[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.
Tennessee Eviction Notice Requirements
In Tennessee, a landlord must serve a written notice before filing for eviction under Tenn. Code Ann. (TCA) Title 66, Ch. 28 (Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act) — 66-28-505 (noncompliance / failure to pay rent), 66-28-512 (termination of periodic tenancy), 66-28-517 (3-day termination for violence/danger/unauthorized occupant); and TCA Title 66, Ch. 7, 66-7-109 (non-URLTA counties), as amended by 2025 Pub. Ch. (HB 1345 / SB 1088), eff. July 1, 2025. The required notice period depends on the reason:
- Nonpayment of rent: 14-day notice to pay or quit. 14 days is the long-standing statutory pay-or-quit period and the safe default for existing (pre-July-2025) leases. Nonpayment of rent is a REMEDIABLE breach: URLTA Tenn. Code Ann. 66-28-505(a)(2) gives the tenant 14 days after receipt of written notice to pay (cure) before the agreement terminates; non-URLTA counties use 66-7-109(a)(1)(A) (14 days). CRITICAL REFORM: HB 1345 / SB 1088 (eff. July 1, 2025) amended 66-28-505(a)(2) AND 66-28-505(a)(3) AND 66-7-109(a)(1)/(a)(2), reducing the nonpayment notice from 14 days to SEVEN (7) days — but ONLY for rental agreements entered into, amended, or renewed on or after July 1, 2025. For leases predating 7/1/2025 the period remains 14 days. Calendar days. Note: the spec's earlier citation to (a)(3) for nonpayment was wrong — nonpayment is the (a)(2) remediable track; (a)(3) is the non-remediable track. Separately, 66-28-201 gives a 5-day grace period before rent is 'late' (no late fee until day 6); the grace period does not extend the cure window. Tenant may pay the full amount due before the termination date to stop the eviction.
- Curable lease violation: 14-day notice to cure or quit. CORRECTED from 30 to 14. URLTA (the major metros): a curable material noncompliance with the lease, or noncompliance materially affecting health and safety, is a 'remediable' breach under 66-28-505(a)(2) — the landlord's written notice specifies the breach and the agreement terminates if the tenant does not cure within FOURTEEN (14) days after receipt (reduced to 7 days by HB 1345 for leases entered/amended/renewed on/after July 1, 2025). The current statute contains NO 30-day cure-or-quit provision. A repeat of substantially the same noncompliance within 6 months allows termination on at least 7 days' notice with no cure (66-28-505(a)(2)(B)). BIFURCATION: in non-URLTA counties only, lease defaults that are NOT curable by payment of rent/repairs/damages ('all other defaults') require a 30-day termination notice under 66-7-109(b) — that is the only place a 30-day figure appears, and it does not apply in any URLTA county. For a general curable lease violation the safe/dominant statutory value is 14 days.
- No-cause termination (month-to-month): 30-day notice. Month-to-month tenancy: 30 days' written notice by either party before the periodic rental date (66-28-512(b), URLTA). Week-to-week: 10 days (66-28-512(a)). No tenancy-length escalation. Tennessee has no statewide just-cause requirement, so a landlord may end a month-to-month tenancy without stating a reason on 30 days' notice.
Service: Statute requires 'written notice' delivered to / received by the tenant; the notice periods run from the tenant's RECEIPT of notice (66-28-505, 66-28-517). Tennessee URLTA does not enumerate one exclusive method — safe practice is personal delivery to the tenant, or posting on the unit, with mailing as backup. Electronic delivery is permitted only if the tenant signed an e-notice consent under 66-28-105. Notice must specify the breach (and, for 66-28-517, detail the specific violation). The detainer warrant (the eviction lawsuit itself) is separately served by the sheriff/officer.
- Tennessee law is BIFURCATED: URLTA (Title 66, Ch. 28) governs counties with population over 75,000 (includes Davidson/Nashville, Shelby/Memphis, Knox/Knoxville, Hamilton/Chattanooga, Rutherford, Williamson, Sumner, Montgomery, etc.); all other counties use the general law at 66-7-109.
- Nonpayment of rent is a REMEDIABLE breach: 66-28-505(a)(2) gives 14 days to cure (the safe default for pre-July-2025 leases); HB 1345 / SB 1088 (eff. July 1, 2025) cut it to 7 days, but ONLY for leases entered, amended, or renewed on/after July 1, 2025. (66-28-505(a)(3) is the separate NON-remediable track, also 14→7 days.)
- Curable lease violation (URLTA 66-28-505(a)(2)): the operative period is a 14-day cure-or-quit (7 days for post-7/1/2025 leases) — NOT 30 days. Current URLTA contains no 30-day notice. A repeat of the same violation within 6 months allows a 7-day no-cure notice (66-28-505(a)(2)(B)).
- The only 30-day lease-violation figure is in the NON-URLTA statute 66-7-109(b) ('all other defaults' = 30-day termination notice), which applies solely in counties under 75,000 population for breaches not curable by payment of rent/repairs/damages.
- Severe/illegal/violent conduct: 3-day notice with no chance to cure (URLTA 66-28-517; non-URLTA housing-authority / drug-or-violent-activity / unauthorized-subtenant tracks under 66-7-109(d)).
- No-cause termination of a month-to-month tenancy: 30 days' notice; week-to-week: 10 days (66-28-512). Tennessee has no statewide just-cause requirement and preempts local rent-control/tenant ordinances.
- After the notice period expires without cure, the landlord files a 'detainer warrant' in General Sessions Court; the notice itself is a prerequisite, not the eviction.
Tennessee Eviction Notices by Type
Frequently Asked Questions
How many days notice to evict for nonpayment in Tennessee?
Tennessee requires a 14-day notice to pay rent or quit before a landlord can file for eviction. 14 days is the long-standing statutory pay-or-quit period and the safe default for existing (pre-July-2025) leases. Nonpayment of rent is a REMEDIABLE breach: URLTA Tenn. Code Ann. 66-28-505(a)(2) gives the tenant 14 days after receipt of written notice to pay (cure) before the agreement terminates; non-URLTA counties use 66-7-109(a)(1)(A) (14 days). CRITICAL REFORM: HB 1345 / SB 1088 (eff. July 1, 2025) amended 66-28-505(a)(2) AND 66-28-505(a)(3) AND 66-7-109(a)(1)/(a)(2), reducing the nonpayment notice from 14 days to SEVEN (7) days — but ONLY for rental agreements entered into, amended, or renewed on or after July 1, 2025. For leases predating 7/1/2025 the period remains 14 days. Calendar days. Note: the spec's earlier citation to (a)(3) for nonpayment was wrong — nonpayment is the (a)(2) remediable track; (a)(3) is the non-remediable track. Separately, 66-28-201 gives a 5-day grace period before rent is 'late' (no late fee until day 6); the grace period does not extend the cure window. Tenant may pay the full amount due before the termination date to stop the eviction.
Can a landlord evict without notice in Tennessee?
No. A written notice is required before filing, and only a court can order a tenant removed. Self-help lockouts are illegal.
Does Tennessee require just cause to evict?
Tennessee 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 Tennessee eviction notice generator is a self-help tool for general informational purposes only and is not legal advice. Confirm Tennessee and local requirements before serving, and consult a landlord-tenant attorney for contested cases.