A Wisconsin 5 day notice, also called a 5-day notice to pay rent or vacate, is an eviction notice template that a landlord gives a tenant who owes rent. It tells the tenant to pay or move out by a date at least 5 days after the notice is given.[1] It is a notice, not a court order. Use the free form below to create it and download it as a PDF.
Last Updated: October 2026. This guide is reviewed and updated regularly to reflect current Wisconsin law. If you notice an error or outdated information, please contact us.
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A Wisconsin 5 day notice is a written notice that a landlord gives a tenant. It tells the tenant to pay the rent, fix a lease violation or move out by a date at least 5 days after the notice is given.[1] It is not a court order, and it does not remove a tenant by itself.
The FormsPal template is the 5-day notice to pay rent or vacate. It is written for a tenant with a lease of one year or less and for a month-to-month tenant. The form says that the tenancy ends and that the tenant must leave within five days after service unless the unpaid rent is paid.
Wisconsin law sets how many days a landlord must give in a notice. The number depends on the tenancy and on the problem, which may be unpaid rent or a lease violation. The table lists the notice periods in Wis. Stat. § 704.17, each counted from the day the notice is given.[1]
| Notice period | When it applies |
|---|---|
| 5 days | Unpaid rent under a lease of one year or less or a year-to-year tenancy, with the tenant to pay or vacate |
| Unpaid rent under a month-to-month or week-to-week tenancy, with the tenant to pay or vacate | |
| A lease violation other than rent under a lease of one year or less or a year-to-year tenancy, with the tenant to remedy it or vacate | |
| 14 days | Unpaid rent again within one year of an earlier default for which notice was given, with no chance to pay |
| The same or another lease violation within one year of an earlier notice | |
| A lease violation by a month-to-month or week-to-week tenant when the landlord gives no chance to cure | |
| 30 days | Any lease of more than one year, whether the problem is rent, waste or another breach of the lease |
| No chance to remedy | Criminal activity that threatens the health, safety or peaceful enjoyment of other tenants |
Check your Wisconsin lease agreement to see whether the lease runs for one year or less, for more than one year, or month to month.
A notice for unpaid rent under these rules should do four things:
If the notice is in writing and is given as the statute specifies, the tenant is not entitled to the premises after the termination date stated in it.[1]
A notice is not a lockout. Under Wis. Stat. § 704.44(2m), a residential rental agreement is void and unenforceable if it authorizes the eviction or exclusion of a tenant from the premises other than by judicial eviction procedures. In plain words, a landlord may not force a tenant out and must use the court process.[2]
| Document Name | Wisconsin 5-Day Eviction Notice Form |
| Other Names | Wisconsin 5-Day Notice to Cure or Vacate, Wisconsin 5-Day Notice to Vacate |
| Relevant Laws | Wisconsin Statutes, Section 704.17 |
| Avg. Time to Fill Out | 8 minutes |
| # of Fillable Fields | 10 |
| Available Formats | Adobe PDF |
Looking for a different notice? See our Wisconsin eviction notice forms or the general 5-day notice to vacate guide.
The FormsPal template is one page, and you fill it in from top to bottom. You can answer the questions in the online builder above or fill in the downloaded PDF with our PDF editor. Then print the notice and sign it.
The screenshots under each step show the FormsPal Wisconsin 5-day eviction notice template filled with sample entries in blue, so you can see where each answer goes. The names, addresses, dates and amounts are examples only.
A Wisconsin notice must be in writing and given in the way Wis. Stat. § 704.21 specifies.[1] The steps below put that in order. They also add what to keep as proof, so you can show the court how and when the notice was given.
The notice must be in writing and given in the way Wis. Stat. § 704.21 specifies. If it is, the tenant is not entitled to possession or occupancy of the premises after the termination date in the notice.[1] How long the notice period is depends on the situation, as the table above shows.
A notice alone does not remove a tenant. For unpaid rent under a lease of one year or less or a month-to-month tenancy, the notice must give the tenant at least 5 days to pay or vacate.[1] If the tenant stays, the landlord must use the court process.[2]
An eviction summons served on a Wisconsin resident must be served at least 5 days before the return date, which is the tenant's first court appearance.[3]
The minimum notice depends on the tenancy.[1]
General information, not legal or tax advice.
Unless noted otherwise, the sources below are from the Wisconsin Statutes.
