Mississippi: Month-to-Month Tenancy Termination Notice Requirements

Requirements one by one

Governing law

Mississippi's rule is one short section of the Mississippi Residential Landlord and
Tenant Act: Miss. Code § 89-8-19. Where a rental agreement fixes no definite term, the
tenancy is week-to-week for a tenant who pays weekly rent and month-to-month "in all
other cases" (§ 89-8-19(1)). Mississippi has no statewide just-cause requirement, so for
an ordinary month-to-month tenancy the whole question is the clock and getting the
written notice delivered on time.

Landlord's and tenant's notice period

The period is 30 days and it is the same for both sides. "The landlord or the tenant may
terminate a month-to-month tenancy by a written notice given to the other at least
thirty (30) days prior to the termination date" (§ 89-8-19(3)). Because the statute names
"the landlord or the tenant" interchangeably, the two clocks are symmetric — neither owes
more than the other. A shorter, week-to-week tenancy takes at least 7 days
(§ 89-8-19(2)). No reason has to be given for a no-cause termination.

When termination takes effect

Mississippi counts back from the termination date, and lets that date float. The 30 days
run "prior to the termination date" (§ 89-8-19(3)), so you pick an end date and make sure
the written notice is given to the other side at least 30 days before it. The date does
not have to be the first or last of the month, and it does not have to line up with a
rent-paying date.

Form and required contents

The notice must be in writing — § 89-8-19 requires "a written notice" for both
week-to-week and month-to-month terminations, so telling the other side verbally does not
end the tenancy. The statute prescribes no other required language for a no-cause notice
beyond writing and the intended termination date. One important carve-out cuts the other
way: no termination notice is required at all "when the landlord or tenant has committed
a substantial violation of the rental agreement or this chapter that materially affects
health or safety" (§ 89-8-19(4)) — but that is a fault-based situation outside the no-fault
notice this page covers.

How notice must be delivered

The statute requires only a "written notice given to the other" (§ 89-8-19(2)-(3)) — it
does not prescribe any particular method or manner of service for a no-fault
periodic-tenancy notice. Delivery therefore follows the lease and general law. Because
the 30 days are measured before the termination date, the practical advice is to use a
method that proves both delivery and its date — hand delivery with a witness, or
certified mail with a return receipt.

What the lease can change

The statutory periods are minimums: the section requires "at least" 30 days (or 7 for
week-to-week). A lease may require a longer notice, but it cannot cut the period below
the statutory floor, and the Act offers no shorter alternative. The section sets no
mechanism to shorten or waive the period, so the 30-day floor stands.

Just-cause limits

Mississippi has no statewide just-cause law. A timely, properly given 30-day notice ends
the tenancy for any reason or none — the landlord does not have to justify it, subject to
federal and state fair-housing law. Ending the tenancy on paper is not the same as
removing the tenant. If the tenant does not leave, the landlord commences an eviction
proceeding: § 89-8-31(b) authorizes eviction "for failing to vacate after the termination
or expiration of the rental agreement pursuant to Sections 89-8-17 and 89-8-19." The
remedy is a court eviction, not a self-help lockout.

What trips people up

Count back from the termination date you name. The 30 days run "prior to the
termination date" (§ 89-8-19(3)). Choose the move-out date first, then make sure the
written notice is given at least 30 days earlier.

It must be in writing. Section 89-8-19 requires "a written notice" for every periodic
tenancy. Telling the other side verbally — even clearly — does not terminate a
month-to-month tenancy.

The statute does not say how to serve it, so prove delivery yourself. Mississippi
prescribes no service method for this notice. Use hand delivery with a witness or
certified mail so you can later show the notice was given at least 30 days out.

A notice ends the tenancy; a court removes the tenant. If the tenant does not leave,
the landlord's remedy is an eviction proceeding under § 89-8-31(b) — not a self-help
lockout or utility shutoff.

Common questions

I'm month-to-month and want to move out. How much notice? At least 30 days' written
notice before the termination date you name (§ 89-8-19(3)) — the same period a landlord
must give. Week-to-week is 7 days.

Does the tenancy have to end on the first of the month? No. Mississippi ties the 30
days to the termination date named in the notice, not to a rent date (§ 89-8-19(3)); any
end date at least 30 days out works.

Can my landlord end my tenancy without a reason? Yes. Mississippi has no statewide
just-cause law, so a proper 30-day written notice needs no reason. The landlord still
must go to court to remove you if you stay.

What happens if I stay past the notice date? The landlord can bring an eviction
proceeding for failing to vacate after the termination of the tenancy (§ 89-8-31(b)); the
court, not the landlord, orders you out.

Statutes and sources

• Miss. Code § 89-8-19 — termination of a periodic tenancy: week-to-week and
  month-to-month default classification (1), 7 days' written notice for week-to-week (2),
  30 days' written notice for month-to-month before the termination date (3), and a
  no-notice carve-out for a substantial health/safety violation (4).
  http://billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/documents/2024/pdf/HB/1500-1599/HB1580IN.pdf (accessed 2026-07-15)
• Miss. Code § 89-8-31 — grounds to commence eviction: for breach under § 89-8-13, or for
  failing to vacate after termination or expiration of the tenancy under §§ 89-8-17 and
  89-8-19 (from the enacted 2025 SB 2328 enrolled text).
  http://billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/documents/2025/pdf/SB/2300-2399/SB2328SG.pdf (accessed 2026-07-15)