Notice to Vacate Letter

Give your landlord proper written notice that you are moving out — on your state's timeline.

Ending a tenancy takes written notice, delivered far enough ahead of your move-out date. Give too little notice — or give it verbally — and a landlord can charge you for another month's rent and argue you abandoned the unit.

This letter states your move-out date, satisfies your state's notice period, asks for a walk-through, and puts your forwarding address on the record so the deposit clock starts running the day you leave.

Send this letter when

You are ending a month-to-month tenancy.
Your lease is about to expire and you do not intend to renew.
Your lease requires written notice before you move out.
You want your forwarding address documented so the security deposit deadline starts.
You want proof you gave notice in case the landlord later claims you did not.

What your letter includes

Your state's statutory notice period and citation
A clear surrender date and key-return commitment
A request for a joint move-out walk-through
Your forwarding address and the deposit return deadline
Certified mail proof that notice was delivered on time

Notice to vacate letters by state

Deadlines, penalties and required notice periods differ by state. Pick yours to get the rules that apply to you.

Notice a tenant must give, state by state

Every figure below links to the full rules for that state, with the statute cited.

State	Notice a tenant must give	Statute
Alabama	30 days	Ala. Code § 35-9A-441
Alaska	30 days	Alaska Stat. § 34.03.290
Arizona	30 days	A.R.S. § 33-1375
Arkansas	30 days	Ark. Code § 18-17-704
California	30 days	Cal. Civ. Code § 1946
Colorado	21 days	C.R.S. § 13-40-107
Connecticut	at least one full rental period	Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-23
Delaware	60 days before the end of the rental period	25 Del. C. § 5106
District of Columbia	30 days	D.C. Code § 42-3202
Florida	30 days	Fla. Stat. § 83.57
Georgia	30 days	O.C.G.A. § 44-7-7
Hawaii	28 days	Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521-71
Idaho	one month	Idaho Code § 55-208
Illinois	30 days	735 ILCS 5/9-207
Indiana	one month	Ind. Code § 32-31-1-1
Iowa	30 days	Iowa Code § 562A.34
Kansas	30 days	K.S.A. § 58-2570
Kentucky	30 days	Ky. Rev. Stat. § 383.695
Louisiana	10 days before the end of the month	La. Civ. Code art. 2728
Maine	30 days	14 M.R.S. § 6002
Maryland	one month	Md. Code, Real Prop. § 8-402
Massachusetts	one full rental period, or 30 days — whichever is longer	M.G.L. c. 186 § 12
Michigan	one full rental period	Mich. Comp. Laws § 554.134
Minnesota	one full rental period	Minn. Stat. § 504B.135
Mississippi	30 days	Miss. Code § 89-8-19
Missouri	one month	Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.060
Montana	30 days	Mont. Code § 70-24-441
Nebraska	30 days	Neb. Rev. Stat. § 76-1437
Nevada	30 days	Nev. Rev. Stat. § 40.251
New Hampshire	30 days	N.H. Rev. Stat. § 540:3
New Jersey	one month	N.J. Stat. § 2A:18-56
New Mexico	30 days	N.M. Stat. § 47-8-37
New York	30 days	N.Y. Real Prop. Law § 232-b
North Carolina	7 days	N.C. Gen. Stat. § 42-14
North Dakota	30 days	N.D. Cent. Code § 47-16-15
Ohio	30 days	Ohio Rev. Code § 5321.17
Oklahoma	30 days	Okla. Stat. tit. 41 § 111
Oregon	30 days	Or. Rev. Stat. § 90.427
Pennsylvania	15 days if the lease term is one year or less, 30 days if it is longer	68 Pa. Cons. Stat. § 250.501
Rhode Island	30 days	R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-37
South Carolina	30 days	S.C. Code § 27-40-770
South Dakota	one month	S.D. Codified Laws § 43-32-13
Tennessee	30 days	Tenn. Code § 66-28-512
Texas	one month, or whatever the lease requires	Tex. Prop. Code § 91.001
Utah	15 days	Utah Code § 78B-6-802
Vermont	one full rental period — at least 30 days for a monthly tenancy	9 V.S.A. § 4456
Virginia	30 days	Va. Code § 55.1-1253
Washington	20 days before the end of the rental period	Rev. Code Wash. § 59.18.200
West Virginia	one month	W. Va. Code § 37-6-5
Wisconsin	28 days	Wis. Stat. § 704.19
Wyoming	whatever the lease requires — commonly 30 days	Wyo. Stat. § 1-21-1201 et seq.

How it works

1
Answer a few questions
Names, addresses, dates and amounts. We assemble the letter and cite the statute that applies in your state.
2
Review and edit
Read the finished letter, change any wording you like, and see exactly what will be printed.
3
We print and mail it
Your letter is printed, folded, stamped and dropped in the mail — certified, if you want proof of delivery.

Why we recommend certified mail

The entire value of a vacate notice is proving when the landlord received it. A certified mail receipt settles that question before it becomes a dispute over an extra month's rent.

Other letters we generate

Security Deposit Demand Letter

Demand the return of a security deposit your landlord is holding past the legal deadline.

Debt Validation Letter

Make a debt collector prove the debt is yours — and stop collection until they do.

Cease and Desist Letter

Formally demand that harassment, collection calls, or false statements stop — in writing, with proof.

This is not legal advice.

SendPaperMail is not a law firm, does not provide legal advice, and is not a substitute for an attorney. Our generators assemble a document from the information you enter and mail it for you. The statutes cited on these pages are provided for general information, may have been amended, and may not apply to your situation — city and county ordinances are frequently stricter than state law. If your matter is contested, involves a significant amount of money, or has a filing deadline, talk to a licensed attorney in your state.