Which state has the shortest eviction notice for unpaid rent?

Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Idaho and 10 more states allow a landlord to file after just 3 days' notice for non-payment — the shortest statutory period in the country. The exact statute for each state is linked in the table.

Which state gives tenants the most time?

District of Columbia requires 30 days' notice before an eviction case can be filed for unpaid rent — 10× the notice of the fastest states.

Are these calendar days or business days?

Day counts follow each statute: most are calendar days, but a few states count business or judicial days, and some periods vary by tenancy length or local just-cause rules. The statute linked on each row is the authoritative source — check it before acting.

Why do some states show no statutory period?

Missouri, New Jersey, South Dakota and West Virginia have no general statutory pay-or-quit period we could verify — in some, a landlord may file without a fixed notice window, or the rules come from case law or local ordinance. We list them separately rather than guessing a number.

Study · statute-sourced · 2026

Eviction Notice Periods in All 50 States

How much warning a tenant behind on rent legally gets before a landlord can file: from3 days in 16 states to 30 days inDistrict of Columbia — a 10× spread.Every figure is cited to the state statute.

days — the fastest (16 states)

days — the slowest (District of Columbia)

10×

spread between extremes

jurisdictions with a statutory period, all cited

Pay-or-quit notice, state by state — shortest first

Days of notice required for non-payment of rent before filing. Tap a state for its fillable notice with the statutory period built in.

Arkansas3 days

source: Ark. Code § 18-60-304; § 18-17-701; § 18-17-704

California3 days

source: Cal. Civ. Proc. Code § 1161; Cal. Civ. Code § 1946.1

Connecticut3 days

source: Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-23; § 47a-15

Florida3 days

source: Fla. Stat. § 83.56; § 83.57

Georgia3 days

source: O.C.G.A. § 44-7-50 (HB 404, eff. 7/1/2024); § 44-7-7

Idaho3 days

source: Idaho Code § 6-303; § 55-208

Iowa3 days

source: Iowa Code § 562A.27; § 562A.34(2)

Kansas3 days

source: K.S.A. § 58-2564; § 58-2570

Mississippi3 days

source: Miss. Code §§ 89-8-13, 89-8-19

Montana3 days

source: Mont. Code Ann. §§ 70-24-422, 70-24-441

New Mexico3 days

source: N.M. Stat. Ann. § 47-8-33; § 47-8-37

North Dakota3 days

source: N.D. Cent. Code § 47-32-01; § 47-16-15

Ohio3 days

source: Ohio Rev. Code § 1923.04; § 5321.11; § 5321.17

Texas3 days

source: Tex. Prop. Code § 24.005; § 91.001

Utah3 days

source: Utah Code § 78B-6-802

Wyoming3 days

source: Wyo. Stat. §§ 1-21-1002, 1-21-1003 (M2M not statutorily specified)

Arizona5 days

source: Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 33-1368; § 33-1375

Delaware5 days

source: 25 Del. C. § 5502; § 5513; § 5106/§ 5107

Illinois5 days

source: 735 ILCS 5/9-209; 5/9-210; 5/9-207

Louisiana5 days

source: La. Code Civ. Proc. art. 4701; La. Civ. Code art. 2728

Oklahoma5 days

source: Okla. Stat. tit. 41, § 131; § 132; § 111

Rhode Island5 days

source: R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-35; § 34-18-36; § 34-18-37

South Carolina5 days

source: S.C. Code § 27-40-710; § 27-40-770

Wisconsin5 days

source: Wis. Stat. § 704.17(1p)/(2) (leases under 1 yr); § 704.19

Alabama7 days

source: Ala. Code § 35-9A-421

Alaska7 days

source: Alaska Stat. § 34.03.220; § 34.03.290

Kentucky7 days

source: KRS § 383.660; § 383.695 (URLTA jurisdictions only)

Maine7 days

source: 14 M.R.S. § 6002

Michigan7 days

source: MCL 554.134

Nebraska7 days

source: Neb. Rev. Stat. §§ 76-1431, 76-1437

Nevada7 days

source: NRS 40.2512, 40.2516, 40.251

New Hampshire7 days

source: RSA 540:2, 540:3

Colorado10 days

source: Colo. Rev. Stat. § 13-40-104; § 13-40-107

Hawaii10 days

source: Haw. Rev. Stat. §§ 521-68, 521-72, 521-71(a)

Indiana10 days

source: Ind. Code § 32-31-1-6; § 32-31-1-1

Maryland10 days

source: Md. Code, Real Prop. §§ 8-401, 8-402, 8-402.1

North Carolina10 days

source: N.C. Gen. Stat. § 42-3; § 42-14

Oregon10 days

source: Or. Rev. Stat. § 90.394; § 90.392; § 90.427

Pennsylvania10 days

source: 68 Pa. Stat. § 250.501(b)

Massachusetts14 days

source: M.G.L. c. 186, §§ 11, 11A, 12

Minnesota14 days

source: Minn. Stat. §§ 504B.291, 504B.135

New York14 days

source: N.Y. Real Prop. Acts. Law § 711(2), § 753(4); N.Y. Real Prop. Law § 226-c

Tennessee14 days

source: Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-28-505; § 66-28-512 (URLTA counties)

Vermont14 days

source: 9 V.S.A. § 4467

Virginia14 days

source: Va. Code § 55.1-1245 (as amended eff. 7/1/2026); § 55.1-1253

Washington14 days

source: RCW 59.12.030; RCW 59.18.650 (just-cause)

District of Columbia30 days

source: D.C. Code § 42-3505.01; § 42-3202

And the other 4 states?

Missouri, New Jersey, South Dakota, West Virginia have no general statutory pay-or-quit period we could verify — in some, filing can begin without a fixed notice window; in others the rules come from case law or local ordinance. We list them here rather than print a guessed number. Their state pages explain what applies instead.

How to read these numbers (methodology)

Figures are the base statutory notice for non-payment of rent (pay-or-quit) before an eviction case can be filed, as of 2026. Day counting follows each statute — most use calendar days, a few use business or judicial days, and some periods shift with tenancy length or just-cause regimes. The linked statute on each row is authoritative; this page is a comparison, not legal advice.

This study is free to cite and reproduce (CC BY 4.0) — we only ask for a link tohttps://sealforms.com/us/eviction-notice-periods/.

Need to act on it? Every state page has a fillable eviction notice with that state's period built in — and if you're not ready for the legal step, see also the security deposit limits study or start with a documentedlate rent notice.