Nebraska: Landlord Entry Notice Requirements
The short answer
Except in an emergency, a Nebraska landlord must give you at least 24 hours' WRITTEN notice before entering — and since a 2021 change, that notice has to state the purpose of the entry and a reasonable period during which the landlord expects to come. Entry is limited to specific reasons like inspection, repairs, agreed services, or showing the unit, and only at reasonable times. No written notice is needed for a genuine emergency, or if giving notice is impracticable. The landlord may not abuse the right of access or use it to harass you. For a wrongful entry your tools are the Act's general remedy where the entry breaks your lease, or a common-law trespass or quiet-enjoyment claim; an unlawful lockout or utility shutoff carries a stronger penalty of three months' rent.
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This is the general rule in Nebraska. Ezel applies current Nebraska law to your specific facts and answers with citations to the statutes.
| Governing law | Neb. Rev. Stat. § 76-1423 ('Access'), part of Nebraska's Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (§§ 76-1401 to 76-1449). It is a closed scheme: § 76-1423(4) gives the landlord 'no other right of access except by court order,' the extended-absence entry under § 76-1432(2), 'or if the tenant has abandoned or surrendered the premises.' The section was amended by 2021 Neb. Laws LB 320 (originating as LB 268, 'Change landlord's right of access') to require written notice stating the purpose and a reasonable entry window |
|---|---|
| Advance notice required | At least 24 hours' written notice. 'Except in case of emergency or if it is impracticable to do so, the landlord shall: (a) Give the tenant at least twenty-four hours' written notice of the landlord's intent to enter... and (b) Enter only at reasonable times' (§ 76-1423(3)). The 24 hours is a firm minimum, subject to the emergency and impracticability exceptions. The same rule applies to showings — Nebraska sets no separate showing figure |
| Reasons a landlord may enter | To 'inspect the premises, make necessary or agreed repairs, decorations, alterations, or improvements, supply necessary or agreed services, or exhibit the dwelling unit to prospective or actual purchasers, mortgagees, tenants, workmen, or contractors' (§ 76-1423(1)). The list is exclusive — § 76-1423(4) allows no other access except a court order, the § 76-1432(2) extended-absence entry, or abandonment/surrender |
| Permitted hours | Reasonable times only. Section 76-1423(3)(b) requires the landlord to 'enter only at reasonable times.' Nebraska uses a reasonableness standard rather than a fixed clock or a 'normal business hours' limit |
| When no notice is needed | Two exceptions lift the written-notice duty: the landlord 'may enter the dwelling unit without consent of the tenant in case of emergency' (§ 76-1423(2)), and the § 76-1423(3) notice requirements do not apply 'in case of emergency or if it is impracticable to do so.' Beyond those, § 76-1423(4) allows entry only by court order, under § 76-1432(2) during a tenant's absence in excess of seven days, or after the tenant has abandoned or surrendered the premises |
| Form and delivery of the notice | The 24-hour notice must be in writing, and by the 2021 amendment it must carry specific content: 'Such notice shall be provided to each individual unit and include the intended purpose for entry and a reasonable period during which the landlord anticipates making entry' (§ 76-1423(3)(a)). So a compliant notice states the purpose and a reasonable entry window and is given to each affected unit; the statute does not otherwise prescribe a delivery method |
| Special rules for showings | No separate showing rule. Exhibiting the unit to 'prospective or actual purchasers, mortgagees, tenants, workmen, or contractors' is one of the ordinary purposes in § 76-1423(1) and runs on the same 24-hour written-notice, reasonable-times standard. See the advance-notice row |
| Tenant's remedies for unlawful entry | The landlord 'shall not abuse the right of access or use it to harass the tenant' (§ 76-1423(3)), but the access section provides no penalty of its own. Nebraska's general landlord-noncompliance remedy, § 76-1425, lets a tenant 'recover damages and obtain injunctive relief for any noncompliance by the landlord with the rental agreement,' plus reasonable attorney's fees if the noncompliance is willful (§ 76-1425(2)); a Nebraska court has held that this damages/injunction remedy is a distinct option that does not require first sending the termination notice (Vasquez v. CHI Properties, 2019). An unlawful lockout or willful utility shutoff carries a stronger, entry-adjacent penalty — three months' rent as liquidated damages plus a reasonable attorney's fee (§ 76-1430). A mere improper entry that does not breach the lease falls to a common-law trespass or quiet-enjoyment claim. The tenant's mirror duty: not to 'unreasonably withhold consent' to lawful entry (§ 76-1423(1)) |
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Requirements one by one
Governing law
Nebraska's entry rule is Neb. Rev. Stat. § 76-1423 ("Access"), part of Nebraska's Uniform
Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (§§ 76-1401 to 76-1449). It is a closed scheme:
subsection (4) says the landlord "has no other right of access except by court order," the
extended-absence entry under § 76-1432(2), or after the tenant abandons or surrenders the
unit. Nebraska strengthened the section in 2021 (LB 320, originating as LB 268), adding the
requirement that the 24-hour notice be written and state the purpose and a reasonable entry
window.
Advance notice required
For a routine entry the landlord must, "except in case of emergency or if it is
impracticable to do so," give "at least twenty-four hours' written notice of the landlord's
intent to enter" and "enter only at reasonable times" (§ 76-1423(3)). The 24 hours is a firm
minimum, subject to the two exceptions. The same rule covers showings.
Reasons a landlord may enter
Section 76-1423(1) lists the purposes: to inspect the premises; make necessary or agreed
repairs, decorations, alterations, or improvements; supply necessary or agreed services; or
exhibit the unit to prospective or actual purchasers, mortgagees, tenants, workmen, or
contractors. Because subsection (4) forecloses any other access, that list is the whole menu
(absent a court order, the § 76-1432(2) extended-absence entry, or abandonment).
Permitted hours
The landlord must "enter only at reasonable times" (§ 76-1423(3)(b)). Nebraska uses a
reasonableness standard rather than a fixed clock or a "normal business hours" cap.
When no notice is needed
Two things lift the written-notice duty. First, a genuine emergency: the landlord "may enter
the dwelling unit without consent of the tenant in case of emergency" (§ 76-1423(2)), and the
notice requirements do not apply "in case of emergency." Second, impracticability: the notice
requirements also do not apply "if it is impracticable to do so" (§ 76-1423(3)). Beyond those,
subsection (4) allows entry only by court order, under § 76-1432(2) during a tenant's absence
of more than seven days, or after abandonment or surrender.
Form and delivery of the notice
Since the 2021 amendment, the notice must be written and must carry specific content: it
"shall be provided to each individual unit and include the intended purpose for entry and a
reasonable period during which the landlord anticipates making entry" (§ 76-1423(3)(a)). So a
compliant Nebraska notice does three things — it is in writing, it states why the landlord is
coming, and it gives a reasonable window of time — and it goes to each affected unit. The
statute does not otherwise fix a delivery method.
Tenant's remedies for unlawful entry
Section 76-1423(3) commands that the landlord "shall not abuse the right of access or use it to
harass the tenant," but the access section carries no penalty of its own. The tenant's general
tool is § 76-1425(2): a tenant "may recover damages and obtain injunctive relief for any
noncompliance by the landlord with the rental agreement," and "reasonable attorney's fees" if
the noncompliance is willful. A Nebraska court has held this damages-and-injunction remedy is a
distinct option that does not require first serving the termination notice (Vasquez v. CHI
Properties, 2019). An unlawful lockout or a willful utility shutoff is treated more harshly —
§ 76-1430 gives the tenant three months' rent as liquidated damages plus a reasonable
attorney's fee — but that section is about ouster and cutting off services, not a mere improper
entry. For an entry that does not breach the lease, the tenant's fallback is a common-law
trespass or quiet-enjoyment claim.
What trips people up
The notice must be written and say why and roughly when. Since 2021, a Nebraska entry
notice is not enough if it just says "we're coming by." Section 76-1423(3)(a) requires written
notice that states the intended purpose and "a reasonable period during which the landlord
anticipates making entry," delivered to each individual unit.
"Impracticable" is a real exception, but a narrow one. Nebraska excuses the notice not only
for emergencies but also when giving it is "impracticable" (§ 76-1423(3)). That covers genuine
inability to give notice, not mere inconvenience or a landlord who would simply rather not
schedule.
A mere bad entry and a lockout are treated differently. An unlawful lockout or willful
utility shutoff carries a fixed three-months'-rent penalty (§ 76-1430). A simple improper entry
does not — it runs through the general remedy (§ 76-1425) if it breaches the lease, or a
common-law claim.
Common questions
How much notice does my Nebraska landlord have to give before entering? At least 24 hours'
written notice, stating the purpose and a reasonable time window (§ 76-1423(3)(a)) — unless it is
an emergency or giving notice is impracticable.
Can my landlord enter without notice in an emergency? Yes. Section 76-1423(2) lets the
landlord "enter the dwelling unit without consent of the tenant in case of emergency," and the
notice rules do not apply in that case.
Does the notice have to be in writing? Yes, since 2021. It must be written and must include
the intended purpose and a reasonable period for the entry, given to each unit (§ 76-1423(3)(a)).
What can I do if my landlord keeps entering without proper notice? The landlord may not
"abuse the right of access or use it to harass the tenant" (§ 76-1423(3)). You can pursue damages
and an injunction under § 76-1425(2) where the entry breaches your lease (with attorney's fees if
the conduct is willful), and you may have a common-law trespass or quiet-enjoyment claim.
Statutes and sources
- Neb. Rev. Stat. § 76-1423 — the access section: the tenant's duty not to unreasonably withhold consent to listed entries (1); emergency entry without consent (2); the no-abuse rule and the 24-hour written-notice (with purpose and a reasonable time window, to each unit) / reasonable-times requirements, excused for emergency or impracticability (3); and the "no other right of access" limit — court order, § 76-1432(2) extended-absence entry, or abandonment (4).
https://nebraskalegislature.gov/laws/statutes.php?statute=76-1423 (accessed 2026-07-11) - Neb. Rev. Stat. § 76-1425 — the Act's general remedy for a landlord's noncompliance: the tenant may recover damages and obtain injunctive relief for any noncompliance with the rental agreement or the habitability duties of § 76-1419, plus reasonable attorney's fees for willful noncompliance (2).
https://nebraskalegislature.gov/laws/statutes.php?statute=76-1425 (accessed 2026-07-11)
Source links
Every statute quoted above, linked, with the date we checked it.
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