Nebraska: Eviction Notice Requirements

Requirements one by one

Governing law

Nebraska's eviction-notice rules are in the Nebraska Uniform Residential Landlord
and Tenant Act (URLTA), Neb. Rev. Stat. §§ 76-1401 to 76-1449. Section 76-1431
sets the notices for nonpayment, lease violations, and dangerous criminal
activity; § 76-1437 covers ending a periodic tenancy; § 76-1439 bars retaliatory
eviction; and § 76-1413 says how a notice is given and received. The eviction
lawsuit itself — an action for restitution of the premises — is in §§ 76-1440 and
76-1441. Nebraska has no statewide just-cause requirement.

Notice for unpaid rent

If rent is late, the landlord serves written notice of the nonpayment and of the
intent to terminate. The landlord may terminate only if the tenant "fails to pay
rent within seven calendar days after written notice" (§ 76-1431(2)). That
7-calendar-day window is one of the more generous pay-or-quit clocks in the
country — much longer than the 3-day period many states use — and paying the rent
within it stops the termination.

Notice for a lease violation

For a material 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 tenancy "will terminate upon a date
not less than thirty days after receipt of the notice if the breach is not
remedied in fourteen days" (§ 76-1431(1)). So the termination date is at least
30 days out, but the tenant's window to fix the problem is the first 14
days; adequately remedying the breach before the stated date keeps the tenancy.

Unconditional quit (no cure allowed)

Nebraska has two no-cure routes. The serious one is a 5-day notice, with no
right to cure, for "violent criminal activity," "the illegal sale of any
controlled substance," or "any other activity that threatens the health or safety"
of other tenants, the landlord, or staff (§ 76-1431(4)). The statute lists
examples: physical assault or its threat, illegal use of a firearm or weapon, and
knowing possession of a controlled substance. Critically, the landlord cannot
use this notice when a non-household third party did the act and the tenant took a
protective step — sought a protective order, reported the activity to police, or,
for domestic violence, obtained VAWA certification (§ 76-1431(5)). The second
route is a 14-day no-cure notice when "substantially the same" breach recurs
within six months of an earlier noticed breach (§ 76-1431(1)).

Ending a month-to-month tenancy

To end a periodic tenancy for no fault, the landlord (or tenant) gives written
notice "at least thirty days prior to the periodic rental date" for a
month-to-month tenancy (§ 76-1437(2)), or "at least seven days" for a week-to-week
tenancy (§ 76-1437(1)). A tenant who holds over willfully and in bad faith can be
charged up to three months' rent or treble actual damages plus attorney's fees
(§ 76-1437(3)) — a reason not to simply sit past a valid notice.

How the notice must be served

Section 76-1413 says a notice is received by the tenant when it is "delivered in
hand to the tenant," "mailed to the tenant at the place held out by the tenant as
the place for receipt of the communication, or in the absence of such designation,
to the tenant's last-known place of residence," or "delivered by electronic means"
where the tenant has agreed to electronic delivery under the statute's rules.
Unlike some states, Nebraska's Act provides no "post it on the door" method for a
tenant notice — and every termination notice must be in writing.

Tenant's right to cure/reinstate

Paying within the 7-day nonpayment window (§ 76-1431(2)) or adequately remedying a
lease breach before the termination date (§ 76-1431(1)) stops the eviction; the
5-day criminal-activity notice and the 14-day repeat-breach notice carry no cure
right. A tenant facing a criminal-activity eviction over someone else's conduct
has a statutory shield under § 76-1431(5) — seek a protective order, report the
activity to law enforcement, or get VAWA domestic-violence certification.
Retaliation is separately barred (§ 76-1439): a landlord "may not retaliate by
increasing rent or decreasing services or by bringing or threatening to bring an
action for possession" after the tenant complained to a code agency or joined a
tenants' union, and a violation "has a defense in action against him for
possession." That shield does not apply if the tenant caused the code violation,
"is in default in rent," or the fix would require demolition.

What trips people up

Seven days for rent means seven — but only paying in full stops it. The
nonpayment clock runs a full seven calendar days after the written notice
(§ 76-1431(2)). Pay the rent within that window and the termination is off; a
partial payment or a late payment does not.

The lease-violation notice looks like 30 days but your cure window is 14. The
§ 76-1431(1) notice states a termination date at least 30 days out, which can read
like a month to act. The right to fix the problem runs only for the first 14 days.

The 5-day notice can be blocked when it's not your fault. If the dangerous
activity was committed by someone other than you or a household member, § 76-1431(5)
lets you stop the eviction by seeking a protective order, reporting it to police,
or — for domestic violence — obtaining VAWA certification. A survivor should not
assume a criminal-activity notice is the end of the story.

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 court restitution process, and a wrongful ouster gives the tenant its own
remedy (§ 76-1430).

Common questions

How many days do I get to pay before a Nebraska landlord can evict me for late
rent? Seven calendar days after the written notice (§ 76-1431(2)). Pay the full
rent within those seven days and the termination does not take effect.

My landlord gave me a 5-day notice over something a guest did — can they do
that? Maybe not. The 5-day criminal-activity notice (§ 76-1431(4)) can't be used
against you for a non-household person's act if you sought a protective order,
reported it to police, or got VAWA certification for domestic violence
(§ 76-1431(5)).

I'm month-to-month and my landlord just wants me out — how much warning do I
get? At least 30 days' written notice before the periodic rental date
(§ 76-1437(2)). Nebraska has no just-cause law, so no reason is required, but the
full 30 days must be given and the notice can't be retaliatory (§ 76-1439).

Can my landlord evict me for reporting bad conditions to the city? No — that is
retaliation under § 76-1439. A landlord may not raise rent, cut services, or bring
an eviction because you complained to a code agency or joined a tenants' union, and
you can raise the retaliation as a defense to possession.

Statutes and sources

• Neb. Rev. Stat. § 76-1431(1) — 14-day cure within a 30-day termination; 14-day no-cure notice for a repeat breach within 6 months.
  https://nebraskalegislature.gov/laws/statutes.php?statute=76-1431 (accessed 2026-07-10)
• Neb. Rev. Stat. § 76-1431(2) — 7-calendar-day notice to pay rent.
  https://nebraskalegislature.gov/laws/statutes.php?statute=76-1431 (accessed 2026-07-10)
• Neb. Rev. Stat. § 76-1431(4) — 5-day no-cure notice for violent criminal activity, illegal drug sale, or health/safety threats.
  https://nebraskalegislature.gov/laws/statutes.php?statute=76-1431 (accessed 2026-07-10)
• Neb. Rev. Stat. § 76-1431(5)(a) — tenant/VAWA shield when a third party caused the activity.
  https://nebraskalegislature.gov/laws/statutes.php?statute=76-1431 (accessed 2026-07-10)
• Neb. Rev. Stat. § 76-1437 — 30-day month-to-month, 7-day week-to-week termination; holdover damages.
  https://nebraskalegislature.gov/laws/statutes.php?statute=76-1437 (accessed 2026-07-10)
• Neb. Rev. Stat. § 76-1413(2) — how a notice is given and received (in-hand, mail, or electronic).
  https://nebraskalegislature.gov/laws/statutes.php?statute=76-1413 (accessed 2026-07-10)
• Neb. Rev. Stat. § 76-1439 — retaliatory eviction barred; defense to possession; exceptions.
  https://nebraskalegislature.gov/laws/statutes.php?statute=76-1439 (accessed 2026-07-10)