Tennessee Eviction Notice

Q: How many days notice to evict a tenant in Tennessee?

It depends on the county and the reason. In URLTA counties (population over 75,000 under the 2010 census), a payment-remediable breach or a non-monetary lease violation each get 14 days' notice, a repeat of the same violation within 6 months gets 7 days, and violence, a hazard, or an unauthorized occupant gets 3 days. Outside URLTA counties, nonpayment, property damage, or a violent act get 14 days, most other lease defaults get 30 days, and a narrower set of violent or drug-related grounds can qualify for 3 days.

Q: Can a landlord evict without notice in Tennessee?

Generally no, written notice is required before filing a detainer warrant in either the URLTA or non-URLTA system. One narrow exception: in URLTA counties, a tenant can waive the notice requirement for nonpayment of rent specifically, but only if that waiver is printed in 12-point bold font or larger directly in the rental agreement, letting the landlord file immediately.

Q: What must a Tennessee eviction notice include?

At minimum, identify the landlord, the tenant, and the rental address, and state the date of the notice. Under Tennessee Code Annotated Section 66-28-505, the notice must specify the acts and omissions that make up the breach and, for a payment-remediable breach, the amount owed. A Section 66-28-517 notice for violence, a hazard, or an unauthorized occupant must specifically detail the violation, since it becomes effective only once the tenant receives it.

Q: Does Tennessee require a specific eviction notice form, or can a landlord write their own?

There's no statewide fill-in-the-blank form for the pre-filing notice in either the URLTA or non-URLTA system. A landlord can write their own, as long as it states the applicable day count and describes the breach with enough detail to satisfy the statute. The Detainer Warrant, the document filed with the General Sessions Court after the notice period runs out, is a separate court filing and does not replace this notice.

Q: How do I know which notice period to use when filling out a Tennessee eviction notice?

Start with whether the county is a URLTA county, over 75,000 population under the 2010 census. In a URLTA county, use the 14-day track if the breach can be fixed by paying money or if it's a non-monetary violation, the 7-day track only if the same problem recurred within 6 months of an earlier notice, and the 3-day track only for violence, a hazard, or an unauthorized occupant. Outside URLTA counties, match the ground to Tennessee Code Annotated Section 66-7-109's 14-day, 30-day, or narrower 3-day categories instead.

Q: How do I calculate the deadline on a Tennessee eviction notice?

Count from the date the tenant receives the notice, not the date the landlord signs or mails it. A Section 66-28-517 notice for violence, a hazard, or an unauthorized occupant is expressly "effective only from the date of receipt," and the 14-day and 7-day URLTA tracks under Section 66-28-505 run "after receipt of such notice" as well. Keep a record of exactly when and how the tenant received the notice, since that date starts the clock.

Q: How do I serve an eviction notice in Tennessee?

In URLTA counties, Tennessee Code Annotated Section 66-28-106 requires written notice given to the tenant's last known or designated address stated in the rental agreement; the statute doesn't set a required order of delivery methods for this pre-filing notice. Keep proof of how and when it was delivered, since that becomes relevant if the case later goes to court. Service of the detainer warrant itself, once filed, follows a different statute with its own personal-service and posting rules.

Q: What happens if the tenant doesn't respond to the eviction notice by the deadline?

If the tenant hasn't paid, vacated, or otherwise complied by the deadline stated on the notice, the notice alone doesn't remove anyone from the property. The landlord's next step is to file a detainer warrant in the General Sessions Court for the county where the rental is located, which starts the formal eviction case and leads to a scheduled court date.

Tennessee eviction notice: 14-day pay notice, 3-day for violence, under Tenn. Code Ann. 66-28-505 (URLTA counties). Free template. Attorney review available.

Introduction

Tennessee runs two separate eviction-notice systems, and a single number decides which one applies to a given rental: the county's population under the 2010 federal census, not a city council vote or a lease clause. In the roughly 19 counties over 75,000 residents, including Davidson (Nashville), Shelby (Memphis), Knox (Knoxville), and Hamilton (Chattanooga), the Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (URLTA) governs at Tennessee Code Annotated Title 66, Chapter 28. Everywhere else, a shorter set of rules in Title 66, Chapter 7 applies instead, with different day counts. This page is the actual notice document a landlord fills in and serves, distinct from a broader guide to how Tennessee eviction law works: below is a compact documentText built around the URLTA structure, since it covers the state's largest population centers, with a conditional note for non-URLTA counties. In URLTA counties, a breach a tenant can fix by paying money, rent or another amount owed, gets 14 days to pay before the agreement terminates. A non-monetary lease violation also gets 14 days' notice, but Tennessee's statute gives no chance to fix the underlying conduct at that stage, only to vacate. Violence, a threat to safety, a hazardous or unsanitary condition, or an unauthorized occupant who won't leave gets a 3-day notice. A repeat of the same problem within 6 months of an earlier notice drops the notice period to 7 days. Serve the wrong track, or serve it in the wrong county's system, and the case can be dismissed.

0/5000

Key Things to Know

1
An eviction notice is a written notice a landlord must serve on a tenant to begin ending a tenancy for cause, before filing a detainer warrant, Tennessee's term for the court case, in General Sessions Court.
2
Which law applies depends on county population, not local adoption: the Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (URLTA) governs only in counties over 75,000 people under the 2010 census, including Davidson, Shelby, Knox, and Hamilton counties. Every other county follows the shorter Tennessee Code Annotated Title 66, Chapter 7 instead. (Tenn. Code Ann. Section 66-28-102)
3
In URLTA counties, a breach fixable by paying money, rent or another amount owed under the lease, gets 14 days to pay or the agreement terminates. (Tenn. Code Ann. Section 66-28-505(a))
4
Also in URLTA counties, a non-monetary lease violation gets a 14-day notice too, but with no statutory chance to fix the conduct itself, only to vacate; a repeat of substantially the same problem within 6 months of an earlier notice shortens that to a 7-day notice. (Tenn. Code Ann. Section 66-28-505(a))
5
Violence, a threat to safety, a hazardous or unsanitary condition, or an unauthorized subtenant who won't leave gets a 3-day notice in URLTA counties, with no cure option. (Tenn. Code Ann. Section 66-28-517)
6
Outside URLTA counties, Tennessee Code Annotated Section 66-7-109 sets 14 days' notice for nonpayment, property damage, or a violent act; 30 days for any other lease default; and a narrower 3-day option for violent or drug-related conduct or an unauthorized occupant.
7
There's no state-mandated form for the notice itself in either system, but the notice must specify the acts or omissions that make up the breach. In URLTA counties, notice is given in writing to the tenant's last known or designated address in the lease; a tenant can even waive notice for nonpayment if the waiver is printed in 12-point bold font or larger in the rental agreement. (Tenn. Code Ann. Section 66-28-505(a)(1), Section 66-28-106)

Key decisions before you file

Before you file a Eviction Notice in Tennessee, a few decisions shape the document: which option to choose and what each one means. The Eviction Notice guide walks through them.

Open the Eviction Notice guide

Customize your Eviction Notice Template with DocDraft

TENNESSEE EVICTION NOTICE

[14-DAY NOTICE TO PAY OR VACATE / 14-DAY NOTICE TO VACATE (NON-MONETARY VIOLATION) / 7-DAY NOTICE TO VACATE (REPEAT VIOLATION) / 3-DAY NOTICE TO VACATE (VIOLENCE, HAZARD, OR UNAUTHORIZED OCCUPANT)]

Date of Notice: [DATE]

Note (include only in a URLTA county, population over 75,000 per the 2010 census, such as Davidson, Shelby, Knox, or Hamilton County): Served under Tennessee Code Annotated Section 66-28-505 or 66-28-517, part of the Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act.

1. LANDLORD AND TENANT

Landlord/Property Manager: [LANDLORD'S FULL LEGAL NAME] Landlord's Address: [STREET ADDRESS, CITY, TENNESSEE, ZIP] Landlord's Phone: [PHONE NUMBER]

Tenant(s): [FULL LEGAL NAME(S) OF ALL TENANTS ON LEASE]

2. PREMISES

Rental Address: [STREET ADDRESS, UNIT/APT NUMBER, CITY, TENNESSEE, ZIP CODE]

3. REASON FOR NOTICE

[SELECT ONE:]

Payment-remediable breach: Rent or other amount of $[AMOUNT DUE] for the period(s) of [DATES] remains unpaid. Pay in full within 14 days or this agreement will terminate.
Non-monetary lease violation: Violation of the following lease term: [DESCRIBE VIOLATION]. No statutory cure opportunity; this agreement will terminate on the date below.
Repeat violation: Substantially the same act or omission described in a prior notice dated [DATE OF PRIOR NOTICE], recurring within the last 6 months: [DESCRIBE]. No further cure applies.
Violence, hazard, or unauthorized occupant: [Violent act / threat to health or safety / hazardous or unsanitary condition / unauthorized subtenant or occupant refusing to vacate], specifically: [DESCRIBE]. No cure applies.

4. CURE OR VACATE PERIOD

[PAYMENT-REMEDIABLE: 14 days from receipt to pay in full or vacate.] [NON-MONETARY VIOLATION: vacate by the date below, at least 14 days from receipt. No cure period.] [REPEAT VIOLATION: vacate by the date below, at least 7 days from receipt. No cure period.] [VIOLENCE/HAZARD/UNAUTHORIZED OCCUPANT: vacate by the date below, at least 3 days from receipt. No cure period.]

5. COMPLY-OR-VACATE-BY DATE

Deadline: [DATE, calculated per the period above, from the tenant's receipt of this notice]

6. STATUTORY BASIS

Served under Tennessee Code Annotated Section 66-28-505 or Section 66-28-517 (URLTA counties only). Noncompliance by the deadline may result in a detainer warrant filed in the General Sessions Court of [COUNTY] County, Tennessee.

Note (include only outside a URLTA county): Sections 66-28-505 and 66-28-517 do not apply. Use Section 66-7-109 instead: 14 days for nonpayment, damage, or a violent act; 30 days for other lease defaults; or 3 days for its narrower violent-act, drug-related, or unauthorized-occupant ground.

7. SERVICE / PROOF OF SERVICE

Method of service (URLTA counties, Tennessee Code Annotated Section 66-28-106): Written notice delivered or given to the tenant's last known or designated address stated in the rental agreement.

Served by: [NAME OF PERSON SERVING NOTICE] Date served: [DATE] Method used: [HAND DELIVERY / MAIL TO ADDRESS ON LEASE / OTHER, DESCRIBE]

Landlord Signature: _________________________ Date: [DATE]

Issued under Tennessee Code Annotated Title 66, Chapter 28 (URLTA counties) or Chapter 7 (all other counties). This is a template; confirm the property's county meets the URLTA population threshold, and consult the current statute or an attorney, attorney review is available and optional. For the full national Eviction Notice template covering all notice types, see the full Eviction Notice template.

Tennessee Requirements for Eviction Notice

Notice Period for Payment-Remediable Breach (Tennessee Code Annotated Section 66-28-505(a))
14-day notice in URLTA counties (population over 75,000 per the 2010 census) for a breach fixable by paying money, rent or another amount owed under the lease. Pay in full within 14 days of receipt or the agreement terminates. A tenant may waive this notice for nonpayment of rent specifically if the waiver is set out in 12-point bold font or larger in the rental agreement.
Non-Monetary Lease Violation Notice, No Cure (Tennessee Code Annotated Section 66-28-505(a))
14-day notice in URLTA counties for a lease violation that cannot be fixed by paying money. Unlike the payment-remediable track, this section gives no statutory opportunity to correct the conduct and keep the lease, only to vacate by the stated date, at least 14 days after the tenant receives the notice.
Governing Law Depends on County Population (Tennessee Code Annotated Section 66-28-102; Section 66-28-101 et seq.)
The Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (Tenn. Code Ann. Title 66, Chapter 28) applies only in counties with population over 75,000 under the 2010 federal census, with no local-ordinance opt-in for smaller counties. Every other county instead follows Tennessee Code Annotated Title 66, Chapter 7, which sets different notice periods (14, 30, 3, or 60 days depending on the ground).
Service of Notice Requirements (Tennessee Code Annotated Section 66-28-106)
In URLTA counties, written notice must be given to the tenant's last known or designated address stated in the rental agreement; the statute sets no required order among delivery methods for this pre-filing notice. This corrects the prior citation to Section 66-28-512, which actually governs periodic-tenancy termination, not service of notice.
Content Requirements for Notice (Tennessee Code Annotated Section 66-28-505(a)(1))
No government-mandated notice form exists in either the URLTA or non-URLTA system, but the notice must specify the acts and omissions constituting the breach. A Section 66-28-517 notice (violence, hazard, or unauthorized occupant) must specifically detail the violation and takes effect only upon the tenant's receipt of it, not the date the landlord signs or mails it.
Unconditional Notice for Violence, Hazard, or Unauthorized Occupant (Tennessee Code Annotated Section 66-28-517)
3-day notice with no cure option in URLTA counties for a violent act, a threat to health or safety, a hazardous or unsanitary condition, or an unauthorized subtenant or occupant who refuses to vacate. The notice must specifically detail the violation and is effective only from the date the tenant receives it.
No Further Cure for Repeat Violations (Tennessee Code Annotated Section 66-28-505(a))
If substantially the same act or omission that was the subject of a prior notice recurs within 6 months of that notice, the landlord may terminate the rental agreement on at least 7 days' written notice, shorter than the standard 14-day notice, with no further opportunity to fix it.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many days notice to evict a tenant in Tennessee?

Can a landlord evict without notice in Tennessee?

What must a Tennessee eviction notice include?

Does Tennessee require a specific eviction notice form, or can a landlord write their own?

How do I know which notice period to use when filling out a Tennessee eviction notice?

How do I calculate the deadline on a Tennessee eviction notice?

How do I serve an eviction notice in Tennessee?

What happens if the tenant doesn't respond to the eviction notice by the deadline?

Introduction

Key Things to Know

Key decisions before you file

Customize your Eviction Notice Template with DocDraft

TENNESSEE EVICTION NOTICE

[14-DAY NOTICE TO PAY OR VACATE / 14-DAY NOTICE TO VACATE (NON-MONETARY VIOLATION) / 7-DAY NOTICE TO VACATE (REPEAT VIOLATION) / 3-DAY NOTICE TO VACATE (VIOLENCE, HAZARD, OR UNAUTHORIZED OCCUPANT)]

1. LANDLORD AND TENANT

2. PREMISES

3. REASON FOR NOTICE

4. CURE OR VACATE PERIOD

5. COMPLY-OR-VACATE-BY DATE

6. STATUTORY BASIS

7. SERVICE / PROOF OF SERVICE

Tennessee Requirements for Eviction Notice

Notice Period for Payment-Remediable Breach (Tennessee Code Annotated Section 66-28-505(a))

Non-Monetary Lease Violation Notice, No Cure (Tennessee Code Annotated Section 66-28-505(a))

Governing Law Depends on County Population (Tennessee Code Annotated Section 66-28-102; Section 66-28-101 et seq.)

Service of Notice Requirements (Tennessee Code Annotated Section 66-28-106)

Content Requirements for Notice (Tennessee Code Annotated Section 66-28-505(a)(1))

Unconditional Notice for Violence, Hazard, or Unauthorized Occupant (Tennessee Code Annotated Section 66-28-517)

No Further Cure for Repeat Violations (Tennessee Code Annotated Section 66-28-505(a))

Frequently Asked Questions