Eviction Notice Requirements in Tennessee

At a glance

Requirements one by one

Governing law — which rules apply to your county

Tennessee is a split state. The Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (URLTA) "applies only in counties having a population of more than seventy-five thousand (75,000)" (§ 66-28-102) — so its notice rules govern renters in the larger counties (Shelby/Memphis, Davidson/Nashville, Knox/Knoxville, Hamilton/Chattanooga, and others). In smaller counties, a separate statute, § 66-7-109, sets the notice rules. The good news is that the two regimes line up on the most common case: both give 14 days for unpaid rent. Below, the URLTA rule is stated first, with the small-county rule noted where it differs.

Notice for unpaid rent

In a URLTA county, unpaid rent is a "material noncompliance... remediable by the payment of rent." The landlord serves a written notice specifying the breach, and "if the breach is not remedied within fourteen (14) days after receipt of such notice, the rental agreement shall terminate" (§ 66-28-505(a)). Paying the rent within those 14 days keeps the tenancy. In a smaller county, § 66-7-109(a) gives the same 14 days' notice for "neglect or refusal to pay rent that is due and is in arrears, upon demand," with the right to remedy before the termination date stated in the notice. The URLTA's count runs from receipt; the non-URLTA statute instead ties cure to that stated date.

Notice for a lease violation

A curable, non-rent breach follows the same 14-day path in a URLTA county: the landlord's notice may state that if the breach "is not remedied within fourteen (14) days after receipt," the agreement terminates (§ 66-28-505(a)(2)). If the breach genuinely cannot be fixed by paying or repairing — a non-remediable breach — the landlord may instead terminate "upon a date not less than fourteen (14) days after receipt of the notice" (§ 66-28-505(a)(3)), and there is nothing to cure.

Unconditional quit (no cure allowed)

Serious conduct cuts the notice to three days in a URLTA county. A landlord "may terminate a rental agreement within three (3) days from the date written notice is received" if the tenant or a guest "commits a violent act," "constitutes or threatens to be a real and present danger," "creates a hazardous or unsanitary condition," or "refuses to vacate... as an unauthorized subtenant or other unauthorized occupant" (§ 66-28-517). There is no cure, though the statute lets the tenant seek an injunction. A different, lesser trigger is a repeat offense: if "substantially the same" noncompliance recurs "within six (6) months" of a prior notice, the landlord may terminate "upon at least seven (7) days' written notice" with no cure (§ 66-28-505(a)(2)(B)). In a non-URLTA county, § 66-7-109(d) instead allows three days' notice for a non-disabled tenant who commits a violent act, engages in drug-related criminal activity, or poses a real and present danger.

Ending a month-to-month tenancy

To end a periodic tenancy with no fault, a URLTA-county landlord gives "at least thirty (30) days" written notice before the periodic rental date for a month-to-month tenancy, or "at least ten (10) days" for a week-to-week tenancy (§ 66-28-512). Either party may give the notice, and no reason is required.

Tenant's right to cure/reinstate

For unpaid rent and other remediable breaches, curing within the 14-day window saves the tenancy — the statute terminates the agreement only "if the breach is not remedied within fourteen (14) days" (§ 66-28-505(a)(2)); § 66-7-109 says the same for smaller counties, that the agreement "will not terminate" if the tenant "adequately remedies the breach prior to the date specified in the notice." The main statutory defense is the anti-retaliation rule: a landlord "may not retaliate by increasing rent or decreasing services or by bringing or threatening to bring an action for possession" because the tenant "complained to the landlord of a violation under § 66-28-301" or "made use of remedies provided under this chapter" (§ 66-28-514).

What trips people up

Which rules apply depends on your county's population. The URLTA governs only in counties over 75,000 people (§ 66-28-102). If you rent in a smaller county, § 66-7-109 controls: it uses 14 days for nonpayment or damage and lets the tenant cure before the date stated in the notice, but subsection (d) shortens specified violence, drug activity, or danger to three days for a non-disabled tenant.

In a URLTA county, the clock runs from receipt. Section 66-28-505 ties the 14-day clock to "receipt of such notice," and § 66-28-517 says its 3-day period is "effective only from the date of receipt of the notice by the tenant." The non-URLTA cure rule instead asks whether the tenant fixed the breach before the termination date stated in the notice.

A repeat of the same problem within six months loses the cure right. The first time, you generally get 14 days to fix a remediable breach. If "substantially the same" breach recurs within six months, the landlord can terminate on just seven days' notice with no chance to cure (§ 66-28-505(a)(2)(B)).

Common questions

How many days do I get if I'm behind on rent? Fourteen. In a URLTA county (over 75,000 people), § 66-28-505(a) gives 14 days after receipt to pay and keep the tenancy. In a smaller county, § 66-7-109 uses a 14-day notice and lets you cure before the termination date stated in it.

My landlord says I have to leave in three days — is that legal? Only for specified serious conduct. Section 66-28-517 covers violence, danger, hazardous or unsanitary conditions, and unauthorized occupants in URLTA counties. Section 66-7-109(d) separately covers violence, drug activity, or danger involving a non-disabled tenant in a non-URLTA county. For ordinary rent or lease problems, three days is not enough.

Does my landlord need a reason to end my month-to-month lease? No. Tennessee has no statewide just-cause requirement, so a landlord can end a month-to-month tenancy for any reason with 30 days' written notice (§ 66-28-512) — but not in retaliation for a protected complaint (§ 66-28-514).

Can my landlord change the locks or shut off utilities instead of going to court? No. Only a court, through a detainer action, can order an eviction in Tennessee; a self-help lockout or utility shutoff to force a tenant out is illegal.

Statutes and sources

• Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-28-102 — URLTA applies only in counties over 75,000 population. https://unicourt.github.io/cic-code-tn/transforms/tn/octn/r75/gov.tn.tca.title.66.html#t66c28s66-28-102 (accessed 2026-07-10)
• Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-28-505(a) — 14-day cure for a remediable material breach (including unpaid rent). https://unicourt.github.io/cic-code-tn/transforms/tn/octn/r75/gov.tn.tca.title.66.html#t66c28s66-28-505 (accessed 2026-07-10)
• Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-28-505(a)(2)(B) — 7-day notice, no cure, for a repeat of the same breach within six months. https://unicourt.github.io/cic-code-tn/transforms/tn/octn/r75/gov.tn.tca.title.66.html#t66c28s66-28-505 (accessed 2026-07-10)
• Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-28-505(a)(3) — 14-day termination for a non-remediable breach. https://unicourt.github.io/cic-code-tn/transforms/tn/octn/r75/gov.tn.tca.title.66.html#t66c28s66-28-505 (accessed 2026-07-10)
• Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-28-512 — 30 days to end a month-to-month tenancy; 10 days for week-to-week. https://unicourt.github.io/cic-code-tn/transforms/tn/octn/r75/gov.tn.tca.title.66.html#t66c28s66-28-512 (accessed 2026-07-10)
• Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-28-517 — 3-day termination for a violent act or a real and present danger; no cure. https://unicourt.github.io/cic-code-tn/transforms/tn/octn/r75/gov.tn.tca.title.66.html#t66c28s66-28-517 (accessed 2026-08-16)
• Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-28-514 — retaliatory conduct prohibited. https://unicourt.github.io/cic-code-tn/transforms/tn/octn/r75/gov.tn.tca.title.66.html#t66c28s66-28-514 (accessed 2026-07-10)
• Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-7-109(a) — non-URLTA counties: 14-day notice for nonpayment or damage, with cure before the stated termination date. https://unicourt.github.io/cic-code-tn/transforms/tn/octn/r75/gov.tn.tca.title.66.html#t66c7s66-7-109 (accessed 2026-08-16)
• Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-7-109(d) — three-day notice for specified violence, drug activity, or danger in non-URLTA counties. https://publications.tnsosfiles.com/acts/109/pub/pc0172.pdf (accessed 2026-08-16)