Landlord Entry Notice Requirements in Tennessee

At a glance

Requirements one by one

Governing law

Tennessee's rule is Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-28-403, the "Access by landlord" section of the state's Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (URLTA). Two features set Tennessee apart. First, the URLTA does not apply statewide: it "applies only in counties having a population of more than seventy-five thousand (75,000)" (§ 66-28-102(a)), so in Tennessee's many smaller counties there is no statutory entry rule at all — the lease and common law govern. Second, within the counties it does cover, § 66-28-403 sets no general advance-notice period. Subsection (e) makes the access list exclusive; the section was last amended in 2011.

Advance notice required

There is none for an ordinary entry. The statute requires only that the tenant "not unreasonably withhold consent," and it bars the landlord from abusing access — but it puts no hours or days on a routine entry to inspect, repair, service the unit, or show it to a buyer. The one place a number appears is § 66-28-403(e)(5): to show the unit to prospective new tenants "[w]ithin the final thirty (30) days of the termination of the rental agreement," the landlord must give "at least twenty-four (24) hours' notice" — and even that applies only if the right "is set forth in the rental agreement."

Reasons a landlord may enter

Subsection (a) lists the core reasons: 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, workers or contractors." Subsection (b) adds emergencies, and subsection (c) adds a Tennessee specialty — if utilities are shut off through no fault of the landlord, the landlord may enter to inspect and repair the resulting damage. Notice that prospective new tenants are absent from the (a) list; a landlord can show the unit to them only through the narrow (e)(5) end-of-lease route.

Permitted hours

The statute sets no time-of-day limit. There is no "normal business hours" or fixed clock window in § 66-28-403. The only outer bounds are the rule that the landlord "shall not abuse the right of access or use it to harass the tenant" (§ 66-28-403(d)) and, for an end-of-lease showing, the 24-hour notice.

When no notice is needed

Because there is no general notice requirement, most consented entries need no advance notice. The statute separately allows entry with no consent at all in an emergency — defined as "a sudden, generally unexpected occurrence or set of circumstances demanding immediate action" (§ 66-28-403(b)) — and where utilities are off through no fault of the landlord (c). It also has no access to answer to after the tenant "has abandoned or surrendered the premises" or is "deceased, incapacitated or incarcerated" (e)(3)-(4).

Form and delivery of the notice

For ordinary entries there is nothing to formalize — no written form, content, or delivery method, because no general notice is required. The one notice the statute does require — the (e)(5) final-30-days showing to prospective tenants — must be "given to the tenant at least twenty-four (24) hours prior to entry," and the access right must be "set forth in the rental agreement." The statute does not say the 24-hour notice must be in writing.

Special rules for showings

Showings split into two tracks. Showing the unit to a prospective or actual purchaser or mortgagee is a permitted purpose under § 66-28-403(a), on the general do-not-unreasonably-refuse basis, with no fixed notice. Showing it to prospective new tenants is far more limited: only in the final 30 days of the tenancy, only if the lease grants the right, and only with at least 24 hours' notice (§ 66-28-403(e)(5)). Outside that 30-day window, the statute gives the landlord no right to bring prospective new renters through your home.

Tenant's remedies for unlawful entry

The statute's standard is that the landlord "shall not abuse the right of access or use it to harass the tenant" (§ 66-28-403(d)), and § 66-28-513(b) gives it teeth: if the landlord "makes an unlawful entry or a lawful entry in an unreasonable manner or makes repeated demands for entry otherwise lawful but which have the effect of unreasonably harassing the tenant," you "may obtain injunctive relief to prevent the recurrence of the conduct, or terminate the rental agreement," and "recover actual damages and reasonable attorney's fees." The duty runs both ways — under § 66-28-513(a), a tenant who "refuses to allow lawful access" can face the landlord's injunction or termination, plus actual damages and attorney's fees.

What trips people up

These rules only apply in the bigger counties. Tennessee's URLTA covers only counties over 75,000 people (§ 66-28-102(a)). If your rental is in a smaller county, § 66-28-403 does not apply and your entry rights come from your lease and common law — not this statute.

There is no 24-hour or 48-hour rule for ordinary entry. Unlike most states, Tennessee sets no advance-notice figure for a routine repair, inspection, or buyer showing. The single 24-hour rule is narrow: it applies only to showings to prospective new tenants in the final 30 days of the lease, and only if the lease says so (§ 66-28-403(e)(5)).

A utility shutoff can open your door. If your utilities are cut off through no fault of the landlord, § 66-28-403(c) lets the landlord enter to inspect and repair the damage — a Tennessee-specific access right many tenants do not expect.

Common questions

Does my Tennessee landlord have to give notice before entering? For an ordinary entry, the statute sets no advance-notice period — it requires only that you not unreasonably refuse consent (§ 66-28-403(a)). The one fixed 24-hour rule applies only to showings to prospective new tenants in the final 30 days of the lease, if your lease grants that right (e)(5).

Do these rules apply everywhere in Tennessee? No. The URLTA "applies only in counties having a population of more than seventy-five thousand (75,000)" (§ 66-28-102(a)). In smaller counties, your lease and common law govern instead.

Can my landlord enter in an emergency? Yes, with no consent needed. An "emergency" is "a sudden, generally unexpected occurrence or set of circumstances demanding immediate action" (§ 66-28-403(b)) — for example a fire or a burst pipe.

What can I do if my landlord enters unlawfully or keeps harassing me to get in? Under § 66-28-513(b) you can seek an injunction to stop it or terminate the lease, and recover actual damages and reasonable attorney's fees.

Statutes and sources

• Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-28-403 — Tennessee's landlord access statute: the consent-and-purposes list (a); emergency entry and its definition (b); the utility-shutoff entry right (c); the no-abuse/no-harassment rule (d); and the exclusive access list, including the final-30-days prospective-tenant showing with 24-hour notice (e). https://unicourt.github.io/cic-code-tn/transforms/tn/octn/r74/gov.tn.tca.title.66.html (accessed 2026-07-11)
• Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-28-102 — the URLTA applies only in counties over 75,000 people. https://unicourt.github.io/cic-code-tn/transforms/tn/octn/r74/gov.tn.tca.title.66.html (accessed 2026-07-11)
• Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-28-513 — remedies for abuse of access: the landlord's remedy if the tenant refuses lawful access (a), and the tenant's remedy — injunction or termination plus actual damages and attorney's fees — for an unlawful entry, unreasonable-manner entry, or harassing entry demands (b). https://unicourt.github.io/cic-code-tn/transforms/tn/octn/r74/gov.tn.tca.title.66.html (accessed 2026-07-11)