Eviction Notice Requirements in Pennsylvania
At a glance
| Governing law | The Landlord and Tenant Act of 1951, 68 P.S. §§ 250.501–250.513 (Article V, 'Recovery of Possession'). No statewide just-cause law. The Act's notice periods can be shortened or waived by the lease (§ 250.501(e)) |
|---|---|
| Notice for unpaid rent | 10 days' written notice to quit for 'failure of the tenant, upon demand, to satisfy any rent reserved and due' (§ 250.501(b)); calendar days. It is a notice to remove, not a cure period — and the notice can be shortened or waived by the lease (§ 250.501(e)), which many leases do |
| Notice for a lease violation | No cure-or-quit statute. A lease breach is a 'forfeiture for breach of the conditions of the lease' → 15 days' notice to quit if the lease term is 1 year or less/indeterminate, 30 days if over 1 year (§ 250.501(b)). No statutory right to cure; waivable by the lease (§ 250.501(e)) |
| Unconditional quit (no cure allowed) | 10 days, no cure stated, for § 250.505-A illegal-drug grounds: specified conviction/violation events or seizure of illegal drugs on the leased premises (§ 250.501(d), § 250.505-A). Other lease-condition breaches use the 15/30-day no-cure notice above |
| Ending a month-to-month tenancy | Ending a month-to-month (an 'indeterminate' term) or a lease at term's end: 15 days' notice to quit if the term is 1 year or less/indeterminate; 30 days if over 1 year (§ 250.501(b)). Waivable by the lease (§ 250.501(e)); no reason required |
| Just cause to evict required? | No. Pennsylvania has no statewide just-cause requirement; a tenancy may be ended on proper notice at the end of its term or on a lease forfeiture. (Some cities, e.g. Philadelphia, add local good-cause rules — outside this survey's state-law scope) |
| How the notice must be served | Personally on the tenant; or by leaving the notice at the principal building upon the premises; or by posting it conspicuously on the leased premises (§ 250.501(f)). No mailing is required |
| Tenant's right to cure/reinstate | Nonpayment pay-and-stay: any time before the writ of possession is executed, a tenant sued 'solely because of failure to pay rent due' may stop the eviction by paying the rent in arrears plus costs (§ 250.503(c)). No statutory right to cure a non-rent lease breach. Appeal to Common Pleas operates as a stay only if ongoing rent is escrowed (§ 250.513(b)) |
Requirements one by one
Governing law
Evictions run under the Landlord and Tenant Act of 1951, and specifically its Article V, "Recovery of Possession" (68 P.S. §§ 250.501 to 250.513). Section 250.501 sets the notice-to-quit rules; § 250.503 covers the hearing, the judgment, and the tenant's right to pay and stay; and § 250.513 governs appeals. There is no separate statewide just-cause law.
Notice for unpaid rent
For unpaid rent, § 250.501(a) lets the landlord act "upon the failure of the tenant, upon demand, to satisfy any rent reserved and due," and § 250.501(b) requires that "the notice shall specify that the tenant shall remove within ten days from the date of the service thereof." That is a 10-day count in ordinary calendar days, and it is a notice to leave — not a statutory window to cure by paying (though, as below, a nonpayment tenant can still pay to stop the eviction right up until the writ is carried out). Critically, under § 250.501(e) this notice "may be for a lesser time or may be waived by the tenant if the lease so provides," so check whether your lease shortened or waived it.
Notice for a lease violation
Pennsylvania has no cure-or-quit statute. A non-rent lease violation is treated as "a forfeiture for breach of the conditions of the lease," and the notice period is the same as for ending a term: under § 250.501(b), 15 days if the lease is "for any term of one year or less or for an indeterminate time," and 30 days "when the lease is for more than one year." There is no statutory right to fix the problem and stay — the notice tells the tenant to remove. And like the other periods, it can be shortened or waived by the lease (§ 250.501(e)).
Unconditional quit (no cure allowed)
Most non-rent lease breaches are forfeitures handled by the 15- or 30-day notice above, with no statutory cure right. The Act also creates one shorter serious-conduct route. Section 250.505-A makes specified illegal-drug events a breach and grounds for removal: a first conviction for illegal sale, manufacture, or distribution on the premises, a second controlled-substance violation there, or law-enforcement seizure of illegal drugs on the leased premises. For a termination under that section, the notice "shall specify that the tenant shall remove within ten days from the date of service thereof" (§ 250.501(d)).
Ending a month-to-month tenancy
A month-to-month tenancy is a lease "for an indeterminate time," so ending it for no reason falls under the same rule as a term expiring: 15 days' notice to quit if the term is a year or less or indeterminate, and 30 days if it is more than a year (§ 250.501(b)). No reason need be given. Again, § 250.501(e) lets the lease shorten or waive even this notice.
Just cause to evict required?
No. Pennsylvania does not require a landlord to have a "just cause" to end a tenancy. Once the term expires (or the tenant forfeits the lease by breaching it), the landlord may recover possession on the proper notice to quit — or on whatever shorter notice, or no notice, the lease provides. Some Pennsylvania cities (Philadelphia, for example) have adopted local good-cause protections, but those are municipal rules outside this survey's state-law scope.
How the notice must be served
Under § 250.501(f), the notice to quit "may be served personally on the tenant, or by leaving the same at the principal building upon the premises, or by posting the same conspicuously on the leased premises." Pennsylvania does not require the notice to be mailed; posting it conspicuously on the property is enough.
Tenant's right to cure/reinstate
For unpaid rent, Pennsylvania gives a strong pay-and-stay right. Under § 250.503(c), "at any time before any writ of possession is actually executed, the tenant may, in any case for the recovery of possession solely because of failure to pay rent due, supersede and render the writ of no effect by paying to the writ server, constable or sheriff the rent actually in arrears and the costs." That right runs right up to the moment of the lockout. There is no matching statutory right to cure a non-rent lease breach. And if the tenant appeals to the Court of Common Pleas, the appeal acts as a stay only if the tenant escrows the judgment amount and keeps paying ongoing rent into court (§ 250.513(b)).
What trips people up
Your lease may have waived your notice. This is the Pennsylvania trap. The Act expressly allows the lease to shorten the notice to quit or waive it altogether (§ 250.501(e)), and many standard residential leases include exactly such a waiver. Read your lease before assuming you are entitled to the 10-, 15-, or 30-day period.
The notice is not a cure period. Outside of paying rent, Pennsylvania's notice to quit does not give you a right to fix a lease violation and stay. It tells you to move out. Any right to cure comes from your lease, not the statute.
Paying rent stops a nonpayment eviction late in the game. Even after a judgment and a writ of possession, a tenant evicted "solely because of failure to pay rent" can stop the eviction by paying the arrears plus costs before the writ is actually executed (§ 250.503(c)). This applies only to nonpayment cases, not to breach or holdover cases.
Common questions
How many days is a Pennsylvania eviction notice for unpaid rent? Ten days — unless your lease shortens or waives that period, which the Act allows and many leases do.
My landlord just wants me out and I'm month-to-month — how much notice? Fifteen days if your tenancy is a year or less or open-ended, or 30 days if it runs more than a year (§ 250.501(b)) — again, subject to whatever your lease says about waiving notice. No reason is required.
Can I pay what I owe to stop the eviction? Yes, in a nonpayment case. You can pay the rent in arrears plus costs any time before the writ of possession is carried out and the eviction is stopped (§ 250.503(c)).
Can my landlord just change the locks instead of going to court? No. In Pennsylvania a tenant may be removed only through a court proceeding and a writ of possession executed by an officer; a self-help lockout or utility shutoff to force you out is not permitted, whatever the notice said.
Statutes and sources
- 68 P.S. § 250.501(a) — grounds for a notice to quit (term expiration, lease forfeiture, unpaid rent). https://palegis.us/statutes/unconsolidated/law-information/view-statute?act=20&chpt=5&iFrame=true&sessInd=0&smthLwInd=0&txtType=HTM&yr=1951 (accessed 2026-07-10)
- 68 P.S. § 250.501(b) — 10-day (rent), 15-day (term ≤1 yr/indeterminate), 30-day (term >1 yr) notice periods. https://palegis.us/statutes/unconsolidated/law-information/view-statute?act=20&chpt=5&iFrame=true&sessInd=0&smthLwInd=0&txtType=HTM&yr=1951 (accessed 2026-07-10)
- 68 P.S. § 250.501(d) — 10-day notice to quit for a § 250.505-A termination. https://palegis.us/statutes/unconsolidated/law-information/view-statute?act=20&chpt=5&iFrame=true&sessInd=0&smthLwInd=0&txtType=HTM&yr=1951 (accessed 2026-07-10)
- 68 P.S. § 250.501(e) — notice may be shortened or waived by the lease. https://palegis.us/statutes/unconsolidated/law-information/view-statute?act=20&chpt=5&iFrame=true&sessInd=0&smthLwInd=0&txtType=HTM&yr=1951 (accessed 2026-07-10)
- 68 P.S. § 250.501(f) — service by personal delivery, leaving at the principal building, or conspicuous posting. https://palegis.us/statutes/unconsolidated/law-information/view-statute?act=20&chpt=5&iFrame=true&sessInd=0&smthLwInd=0&txtType=HTM&yr=1951 (accessed 2026-07-10)
- 68 P.S. § 250.505-A(a)–(b) — specified illegal-drug events are lease breaches and grounds for removal; failure to remove after one violation is not a waiver. https://www.palegis.us/statutes/unconsolidated/law-information/view-statute?txtType=PDF&SessYr=1951&SessInd=0&ActNum=0020.&chpt=005A&subchpt=000. (accessed 2026-08-08)
- 68 P.S. § 250.503(c) — nonpayment pay-and-stay before the writ is executed. https://palegis.us/statutes/unconsolidated/law-information/view-statute?act=20&chpt=5&iFrame=true&sessInd=0&smthLwInd=0&txtType=HTM&yr=1951 (accessed 2026-07-10)
- 68 P.S. § 250.513(b) — appeal to Common Pleas stays eviction only with escrowed rent. https://palegis.us/statutes/unconsolidated/law-information/view-statute?act=20&chpt=5&iFrame=true&sessInd=0&smthLwInd=0&txtType=HTM&yr=1951 (accessed 2026-07-10)
Source links
Every statute quoted above, linked, with the date we checked it.
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