A notice of noncompliance, also called a notice to comply or quit, is a written notice that tells a tenant they have broken their lease and asks them to fix the problem by a set date or move out. Most tenants follow their lease without trouble. But sometimes, landlords need to intervene to enforce the terms of their lease or start a legal process to force compliance or move toward an eviction.
Last Updated: October 2026. This guide is reviewed and updated regularly to reflect current law. If you notice an error or outdated information, please contact us.
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A notice of noncompliance is another term for a notice to comply. This kind of eviction notice template informs your tenant that they have violated the terms of their lease. It outlines the violations and asks the tenant to either comply with the lease or leave of their own accord.
State laws mandate that tenants be given some time to either comply with the lease or leave the property. In 32 of the 50 jurisdictions FormsPal’s verified state data covers, the rules give the tenant a cure period for a lease violation. Across the 25 jurisdictions that state the cure period in days, it runs from 3 to 30 days, depending on the state.
These are also known as tenant violation notices. A landlord might issue one for many reasons, such as:
Some states have specific rules about the requirements included in any lease, so you must make sure you are compliant with those requirements before issuing a notice to comply.
This usually isn’t the form to use if your tenant is behind on rent. Other forms let you collect rent within a set period or ask the tenant to vacate if they cannot pay. In 45 of the 50 jurisdictions covered, the rules set a notice period for unpaid rent. Across the 37 jurisdictions that state it in days, it runs from 3 to 14 days, depending on the state.
A clear notice leaves no room for argument about what you asked the tenant to do. Fill in every field of the form, and keep a copy of the finished notice for your records. These are the details the notice covers:
Notice periods for a lease violation differ from one place to the next, so check the rules for your rental before you set a deadline. In 33 of the 50 jurisdictions FormsPal’s verified state data covers, the rules set a notice period for a lease violation. Across the 29 jurisdictions that state it in days, it runs from 3 to 30 days, depending on the state, and a deadline calculator can show the date a given period ends.
Use the table below as a starting point only. Read the page for your state before you send anything to the tenant.
| STATE | NOTICE PERIODS | STATE LAW |
| Alabama | Seven Days | Alabama Code, Section 35-9A-421 |
| Alaska | 10 Days | Alaska Statutes, Section 34.03.220 |
| Arizona | 10 Days | Arizona Revised Statutes, Section 33-1368 |
| Arkansas | 14 Days | Arkansas Annotated Code, Section 18-60-304 |
| California | Three Days | California Code of Civil Procedure, Section 1161 |
| Colorado | 10 Days | Colorado Revised Statutes, Section 13-40-104 |
| Connecticut | 15 Days | Connecticut Revised Statutes, Chapter 830, Section 47a-15a |
| Delaware | Seven Days | Delaware Code, Title 25, Section 5513 |
| Florida | Seven Days | Florida Statutes, Section 83.56 |
| Georgia | N/A | No Statute |
| Hawaii | 10 Days | Hawaii Revised Statutes, Section 521-72 |
| Idaho | Three Days | Idaho Statutes, Section 6-303 |
| Illinois | Three Days | Illinois Compiled Statutes, Chapter 735, Section 5/9-210 |
| Indiana | N/A | No Statute |
| Iowa | Seven Days | Iowa Code, Section 562A.27 |
| Kansas | 14 Days* | Kansas Statute, Section 58-2564 |
| Kentucky | 15 Days | Kentucky Revised Statutes, Section 383.660 |
| Louisiana | Five Days | Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure, Article 4701 |
| Maine | Seven Days | Maine Revised Statutes, Title 14, Sections 6002 and 6025 |
| Maryland | 30 Days | Maryland Annotated Code, Section 8-402.1 |
| Massachusetts | N/A | No Statute |
| Michigan | Seven Days | Michigan Compiled Laws, Section 600.5714 |
| Minnesota | N/A | No Statute |
| Mississippi | 30 Days | Mississippi Annotated Code, Section 89-8-13 |
| Missouri | 10 Days | Missouri Revised Statutes, Section 441.040 |
| Montana | 14 Days | Montana Annotated Code, Section 70-24-422 |
| Nebraska | 14 Days* | Nebraska Revised Statutes, Section 76-1431 |
| Nevada | Three Days** | Nevada Revised Statutes, Section 40.2516 |
| New Hampshire | 30 Days | New Hampshire Revised Statutes, Section 540:3 |
| New Jersey | 30 Days | New Jersey Statutes, Section 2A:18-61.2 |
| New Mexico | Seven Days | New Mexico Annotated Statutes, Section 47-8-33 |
| New York | 10 Days | New York Consolidated Laws, RPA Section 753 |
| North Carolina | Immediate | North Carolina General Statutes, Section 42-26 |
| North Dakota | Three Days | North Dakota Century Code, Section 47-32-02 |
| Ohio | Three Days | Ohio Revised Code, Section 1923.04 |
| Oklahoma | 15 Days | Oklahoma Statutes, Section 41-132 |
| Oregon | 10 / 14 Days | Oregon Revised Statutes, Section 90.392 |
| Pennsylvania | N/A | No Statute |
| Rhode Island | 20 Days | Rhode Island General Laws, Section 34-18-36 |
| South Carolina | 14 Days | South Carolina Code of Laws, Section 27-40-710 |
| South Dakota | Before End of a Term | South Dakota Codified Laws, Section 43-32-18 |
| Tennessee | 30 Days | Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 66-7-109 |
| Texas | N/A | No Statute |
| Utah | Three Days | Utah Code, Section 78B-6-802 |
| Vermont | 30 Days | Vermont Statutes, Title 9, Section 4467 |
| Virginia | 21 Days* | Virginia Code, Section 55.1-1245 |
| Washington | 10 Days | Washington Revised Code, Section 59.12.030 |
| West Virginia | Immediate | West Virginia Code, Section 55-3A-1 |
| Wisconsin | Depends on a Lease Term | Wisconsin Statutes and Annotations, Section 704.17 |
| Wyoming | Three Days | Wyoming Statutes, Section 1-21-1003 |
*if tenant doesn’t cure the violation within the specified period, they have 30 days to move out **if tenant doesn’t cure the violation, they must move out within 5 days
A non-compliance notice can be useful for protecting your property and may be one of the first steps toward eviction notices if your tenant remains non-compliant. Because these notices are so legally important, it’s also important to make sure all the details are correct.
Start by getting the right form. Free versions of notice to comply forms are easy to find online, and they are often the most cost-effective option, especially for landlords who manage only one or two properties.
Of course, if you are uncertain about local law, you can also contact an attorney to make sure the form is compliant with all laws and customized to your situation.
Filling out the form usually isn’t difficult. However, you do need to make sure to include all requested information.
Start by filling out your tenant’s information including the names of everyone on the lease. You are also required to fill out the address of the property. You will also need to document the date your lease was signed.
After filling out the property information for the rental, you’ll need to specify the nature of the lease violation. If there are multiple violations you are required to list all of them or issue another form at a later date. It’s also important to check your lease agreement to make sure the violation was listed in the terms, not simply implied.
The last section of the form, the certification of service, should be completed by whoever delivers the form. Alternatively, you can send the form via certified mail, in which case you’ll leave the certification of service blank and use the certification of delivery instead.
You can deliver the form in person, but it’s often better to send an attorney or third party to deliver the form and fill out the certification of service.
Certified mail is also considered legally valid since the recipient is required to sign for the letter.
How you deliver the notice depends on where the rental is. In 35 of the 50 jurisdictions FormsPal’s verified state data covers, the rules say how the notice must be written and served. In 9 of the 50 jurisdictions covered, the rules name specific ways to deliver it, such as handing it to the tenant or mailing it.
Whatever your location requires, keep your own record of the delivery:
After the notice has been delivered, it’s a good idea to call your tenant and talk about options and what they would like to do next. You can tell them how many days they have to be compliant or decide to vacate the premises.
This is a good opportunity to go over violations and how each violation should be addressed.
After the notice has been served, it’s important to perform an inspection to make sure that your tenant met the terms of your agreement within the specified time. You can perform the inspection yourself or send someone else to inspect if you run a real estate company or have someone authorized with real estate power of attorney.
If your tenant is not compliant, it’s up to you as a landlord to decide if you would like to proceed with the eviction.
Most problems with a notice come from missing details or unclear wording. A few simple habits keep your notice clear and give you a better record if the tenant disputes it later.
What you do after the notice period ends depends on whether the tenant fixed the problem. If the tenant did, write down the date and keep photos or receipts as proof. If the tenant did not, review your options with a local attorney before you take the next step.
In 37 of the 50 jurisdictions FormsPal’s verified state data covers, the rules prohibit self-help eviction, which means a landlord cannot retake the property by force. In 19 of the 50 jurisdictions covered, the rules also require the landlord to file a court action to evict. After the notice period ends, the next step depends on your location, so read your state page before you act.
There are other forms that are used in the eviction process in addition to comply or quit forms. These forms are used for other circumstances, and each has its own legal power.
A standard lease termination letter is what you’ll use to end your lease agreement by mutual agreement. Your tenant has to agree to terminate the lease, but they can also ask for lease termination. It’s up to you whether to grant a lease termination agreement, but it may be a better idea than forcing a tenant to remain in a lease and hoping they continue paying.
Notices to Pay or Quit are used when your tenant has not paid their rent, usually for at least two months. This notice allows the landlord to collect back payment within a specific time frame, and it also allows the tenant an opportunity to leave the property without an eviction.
If you suspect that your tenant is engaged in illegal activity, it’s within your rights as a landlord to send a notice to quit for illegal activity. This notice asks that your tenant leave the property without forcing you to evict them, though different states may have different requirements for how much proof you need for possible illegal activity.
The figures above are patterns across jurisdictions, not the rules of any single place. For the notice period and delivery rules where your rental is located, open FormsPal’s page for your state.
A notice of noncompliance is about a broken lease term, such as a pet in a no-pets property or unapproved changes to the unit. A notice to pay or quit is about unpaid rent. Pick the form that matches the problem, and describe that problem clearly in the notice.
It depends on where the rental is. In 32 of the 50 jurisdictions FormsPal’s verified state data covers, the rules give the tenant a cure period for a lease violation. Check your state page to see the period that applies to your rental.
In 4 of the 50 jurisdictions FormsPal’s verified state data covers, the rules set a separate notice period for a violation that happens again. Keep your records of the first notice, and read your state page before you send a second one.
Write down the date the tenant fixed it, and keep proof of the fix. A written record shows that the tenant complied, and it helps if the same problem comes up again. Good proof includes:
If the tenant disputes the notice, or the situation is complicated, talking to an attorney in your area is a good idea. A template gives you a clear, complete notice, but it cannot tell you how a particular dispute will turn out.
General information, not legal or tax advice.
