Kansas: Eviction Notice Requirements
The short answer
For unpaid rent, a Kansas landlord must give written notice and can move to terminate only if you don't pay within 3 days (counted as three 24-hour periods, plus 2 more days if the notice is mailed) — paying in time stops it. A fixable lease violation gets a notice that ends the tenancy no sooner than 30 days out and gives you 14 days to cure. Kansas has no short unconditional-quit notice for drugs or crime; the only no-cure route is a repeat of the same breach after your 14-day cure window, still on 30 days' notice. To end a month-to-month tenancy for no reason, the landlord gives 30 days' written notice (7 days for week-to-week). Kansas has no statewide 'just cause' rule but bars retaliatory eviction.
Ask Ezel about your situation
This is the general rule in Kansas. Ezel applies current Kansas law to your specific facts and answers with citations to the statutes.
| Governing law | Kansas Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (KRLTA), K.S.A. 58-2540 et seq. (modeled on the URLTA): termination for cause/nonpayment § 58-2564, periodic-tenancy termination § 58-2570, retaliation bar § 58-2572. The eviction (forcible detainer) suit and its separate 3-day pre-suit 'notice to leave' are in the Code of Civil Procedure for Limited Actions, K.S.A. ch. 61, art. 38 (§ 61-3803). No statewide just cause |
|---|---|
| Notice for unpaid rent | 3 days: the landlord may terminate only if rent stays unpaid 3 days after written notice of nonpayment and the intent to terminate (§ 58-2564(b)). The 3 days are 'three consecutive 24-hour periods' running from delivery or posting; if the notice is mailed, the tenant gets 2 extra days to pay. Paying within the period stops the termination |
| Notice for a lease violation | 14 days to cure inside a 30-day termination: written notice specifying the breach and stating the tenancy terminates on a date not less than 30 days after receipt if the breach is not remedied in 14 days (§ 58-2564(a)). Remedying — or making a good-faith effort to remedy — within 14 days keeps the tenancy |
| Unconditional quit (no cure allowed) | No separate short quit for drugs, crime, or nuisance. The only no-cure route: if the same or a similar breach recurs after the 14-day cure period, the landlord may terminate on a date not less than 30 days after receipt with no chance to cure (§ 58-2564(a)) |
| Ending a month-to-month tenancy | Month-to-month: written notice that the tenancy ends on a periodic rent-paying date not less than 30 days after receipt (§ 58-2570(b)); week-to-week: at least 7 days (§ 58-2570(a)). A tenant in military service may end a month-to-month on up to 15 days' notice. A fixed term of more than 30 days is not a month-to-month tenancy |
| Just cause to evict required? | No. Kansas has no statewide just-cause requirement; a periodic tenancy may be ended for any lawful reason on the § 58-2570 notice, subject only to the § 58-2572 retaliation bar and fair-housing law. Local ordinances are outside this state-law survey |
| How the notice must be served | The statute spells out methods for the nonpayment notice and the pre-suit notice to leave: deliver a written copy to the tenant, leave a copy with a person over 12 residing on the premises, or (if no one is found) post a copy conspicuously; mailing is allowed but adds 2 days (§§ 58-2564(b), 61-3803). A cure notice must specify the acts constituting the breach (§ 58-2564(a)) |
| Tenant's right to cure/reinstate | Pay within 3 days (nonpayment) or remedy — or make a good-faith effort to remedy — within 14 days (lease breach) to keep the tenancy (§ 58-2564). Retaliation is a defense: a landlord may not raise rent or cut services after the tenant complains to a code agency, complains of a § 58-2553 habitability breach, or joins a tenants' union, and the tenant 'has a defense in an action against such tenant for possession' (§ 58-2572(a)-(b)) — but the landlord may still sue for possession if the tenant is in default in rent, caused the code violation, or the fix requires demolition (§ 58-2572(d)) |
Compare this rule across all 50 states + DC →
Requirements one by one
Governing law
Kansas's eviction-notice rules live in the Kansas Residential Landlord and Tenant
Act (KRLTA), K.S.A. 58-2540 et seq. — the state's own act, modeled on the Uniform
Residential Landlord and Tenant Act. Section 58-2564 sets the notices for
nonpayment and for a lease violation, § 58-2570 covers ending a periodic tenancy,
and § 58-2572 bars retaliatory eviction. The eviction lawsuit itself — a
"forcible detainer" action — and its separate three-day pre-suit "notice to
leave" are in a different chapter, the Code of Civil Procedure for Limited
Actions, K.S.A. chapter 61, article 38 (§ 61-3803). Kansas has no statewide
just-cause requirement.
Notice for unpaid rent
If rent is late, the landlord must serve written notice of the nonpayment and of
the intent to terminate. The landlord may terminate only if "the tenant fails to
pay rent within three days" after that notice (§ 58-2564(b)). Two Kansas details
change what "three days" really means. First, the period is counted as "three
consecutive 24-hour periods" from the moment the notice is delivered or posted —
an hour-by-hour clock, not calendar days. Second, if the landlord mails the
notice, "an additional two days from the date of mailing" are added, giving a
mailed tenant effectively five days. Pay the rent within the period and the
rental agreement is not terminated.
Notice for a lease violation
For a curable breach of the lease — or a health-and-safety violation of the
tenant's duties — the landlord serves a notice "specifying the acts and omissions
constituting the breach" and stating that the agreement "will terminate upon a
date not less than 30 days after receipt of the notice, if the breach is not
remedied in 14 days" (§ 58-2564(a)). This is Kansas's distinctive shape: the
termination date is at least 30 days out, but the tenant's window to fix the
problem is the first 14 days. Notably, the tenant need only "adequately
initiate a good faith effort to remedy the breach" before the stated date — a
genuine, started repair keeps the tenancy even if it isn't finished.
Unconditional quit (no cure allowed)
Kansas has no short unconditional-quit notice for drug activity, crime, or
nuisance — every ground runs through § 58-2564's 30-day termination. The only
no-cure route appears in § 58-2564(a): if "such breach or a similar breach occurs
after the 14-day period," the landlord may serve a notice terminating the
agreement "upon a date not less than 30 days after receipt of the notice without
providing the opportunity to remedy the breach." So a repeat of the same problem,
after the tenant already had one 14-day cure window, can be terminated with no
second chance — but still on a full 30 days' notice, not a fast three- or
ten-day quit.
Ending a month-to-month tenancy
To end a periodic tenancy for no fault, the landlord (or tenant) gives written
notice. For a month-to-month tenancy, the notice must state that the tenancy ends
"upon a periodic rent-paying date not less than 30 days after the receipt of the
notice" (§ 58-2570(b)); for a week-to-week tenancy, "at least seven days"
(§ 58-2570(a)). A tenant in the military may end a month-to-month tenancy on as
little as 15 days' notice when military orders require it. A lease "for a definite
term of more than 30 days" is not a month-to-month tenancy, so this rule does not
shorten a fixed-term lease.
How the notice must be served
The statute spells out how to serve the nonpayment notice and the pre-suit notice
to leave: deliver a written copy to the tenant, leave a copy "with any person over
the age of 12 years residing on the premises," or — if no one is found there —
post a copy "in a conspicuous place." Mailing is allowed, but it adds two days to
the clock (§§ 58-2564(b), 61-3803). A cure notice under § 58-2564(a) must
"specify the acts and omissions constituting the breach"; a notice that never
tells the tenant what to fix, or never mentions the cure right, is defective.
Tenant's right to cure/reinstate
Paying within the three-day nonpayment window, or remedying (or starting a
good-faith effort to remedy) within the 14-day cure window, stops the termination
(§ 58-2564). Kansas also gives a retaliation defense: a landlord "may not
retaliate by increasing rent or decreasing services" after the tenant complains
to a code agency, complains to the landlord of a habitability violation under
§ 58-2553, or joins a tenants' union, and a tenant who is retaliated against "has
a defense in an action against such tenant for possession" (§ 58-2572(a)-(b)).
That shield has limits: under § 58-2572(d) the landlord may still sue for
possession if the tenant caused the code violation, "the tenant is in default in
rent," or fixing the violation "requires alteration, remodeling or demolition"
that would deprive the tenant of the unit.
What trips people up
"Three days" is an hour clock, and mailing adds two more. The nonpayment
period is "three consecutive 24-hour periods" from delivery or posting
(§ 58-2564(b)), so it can expire mid-day, not at midnight on the third calendar
day. If the landlord mailed the notice, you get two extra days. Pay the full
amount before the period runs and keep proof.
The lease-violation notice looks like 30 days but your cure window is 14. A
§ 58-2564(a) notice states a termination date at least 30 days out, which can read
like a month to act. It isn't — the right to fix the problem runs only for the
first 14 days. After that, the termination proceeds.
There is no "three-day quit" for drugs or crime in Kansas. Unlike many states,
Kansas has no separate short unconditional-quit statute; a landlord who serves a
three-day "unconditional quit" notice citing drug or criminal activity is using a
notice Kansas law does not provide. The only no-cure path is a repeat breach,
still on 30 days' notice (§ 58-2564(a)).
A separate "notice to leave" comes later, before the lawsuit. Even after the
tenancy is terminated, the landlord must serve a three-day notice to leave under
§ 61-3803 before filing the forcible-detainer case. It can be combined with the
KRLTA notice, but it is a distinct court-process step.
Self-help is illegal. A landlord cannot change the locks, shut off utilities,
or remove your belongings to force you out; possession can be taken only through
the forcible-detainer court process.
Common questions
How many days do I really get to pay before a Kansas landlord can evict me for
late rent? Three 24-hour periods after the written notice (§ 58-2564(b)) — plus
two more days if the notice was mailed. Pay the full amount in time and the
default is cured.
My landlord's notice says the lease ends in 30 days — do I have a month to fix
the problem? No. The termination date is at least 30 days out, but your cure
window is the first 14 days (§ 58-2564(a)). A good-faith repair started within
those 14 days keeps the tenancy.
Can a Kansas landlord give me a three-day notice for having someone accused of a
crime in my unit? Not as a no-cure quit — Kansas has no short unconditional-quit
statute. That conduct would run through the ordinary 30-day termination with a
14-day cure, or, if it is a repeat of an earlier breach, a 30-day no-cure notice
(§ 58-2564(a)).
I'm month-to-month and my landlord just wants me out — how much warning do I
get? Written notice that the tenancy ends on a rent-paying date at least 30 days
after you receive it (§ 58-2570(b)). Kansas has no just-cause law, so no reason is
required, but the full 30 days must be given and the landlord cannot use it to
retaliate (§ 58-2572).
Statutes and sources
- K.S.A. 58-2564(a) — 14-day cure inside a 30-day termination for a lease breach; 30-day no-cure notice for a repeat breach after the cure period.
https://ksrevisor.gov/statutes/chapters/ch58/058_025_0064.html (accessed 2026-07-10) - K.S.A. 58-2564(b) — 3-day (three 24-hour periods) notice to pay rent, plus 2 days if mailed.
https://ksrevisor.gov/statutes/chapters/ch58/058_025_0064.html (accessed 2026-07-10) - K.S.A. 58-2564(c) — landlord's damages/injunctive-relief remedy (not an unconditional-quit ground).
https://ksrevisor.gov/statutes/chapters/ch58/058_025_0064.html (accessed 2026-07-10) - K.S.A. 58-2570 — 30-day month-to-month termination, 7-day week-to-week, 15-day military tenant.
https://ksrevisor.gov/statutes/chapters/ch58/058_025_0070.html (accessed 2026-07-10) - K.S.A. 58-2572(a)-(b) — retaliatory eviction barred; tenant has a defense to possession.
https://ksrevisor.gov/statutes/chapters/ch58/058_025_0072.html (accessed 2026-07-10) - K.S.A. 58-2572(d) — exceptions: tenant-caused violation, rent default, or demolition-level fix.
https://ksrevisor.gov/statutes/chapters/ch58/058_025_0072.html (accessed 2026-07-10) - K.S.A. 61-3803 — three-day pre-suit "notice to leave" before a forcible-detainer action; service methods; +2 days if mailed.
https://ksrevisor.gov/statutes/chapters/ch61/061_038_0003.html (accessed 2026-07-10)
Source links
Every statute quoted above, linked, with the date we checked it.
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