Tennessee · Evictions · Updated Oct 2026

Tennessee eviction rules for tenants

The notices a landlord in Tennessee must give, how long you have to respond in court, why a lockout is illegal and where to get free legal help fast.

Short answer

In counties covered by the Act: a written notice giving you 14 days after you receive it to pay; if you don't, the lease ends.

Notice for unpaid rent: 14 days
Time to respond in court: No deadline to file a written answer is set by statute; eviction cases in General Sessions Court are heard without formal written pleadings.
Lockouts: Banned

If you get an eviction notice

Read it closely: the kind of notice, the amount, the dates and how it was delivered. Use the timeline below.
Don't move out or stop paying because of a notice alone. Only a court can order an eviction; the notice is the first step.
Get free legal help now. Legal aid and the court's self-help center can check whether the notice is valid.
If you are served with court papers, respond by the deadline and go to every hearing. Missing one can mean losing by default.
Keep copies of the notice, your lease, rent receipts, texts and photos.

Eviction in Tennessee

Notice for unpaid rent: In counties covered by the Act: a written notice giving you 14 days after you receive it to pay; if you don't, the lease ends. If the same problem happens again within 6 months, the notice can be 7 days. Warning: if your written lease has a notice waiver printed in 12-point bold type or larger, the landlord can file a detainer warrant as soon as you are late, without any notice (but still not before the 5-day grace period ends) (§§ 66-28-201(c), 66-28-505). In other counties: 14 days' notice after the landlord demands the rent; if you pay before the date in the notice, the tenancy does not end (§ 66-7-109).
Notice for a lease violation: Counties covered by the Act: lease breaks that can be fixed by paying money: 14 days to fix (7 days for a repeat within 6 months). Breaks that can't be fixed that way: the lease can end at least 14 days after you receive the notice. Violence, threats or creating real danger to others' health or safety: 3 days after you receive written notice (you may go to court right away for an order stopping it) (§§ 66-28-505, 66-28-517). Other counties: 14 days for damage beyond normal wear and tear (you can fix it before the date), 30 days for other lease breaks, and 3 days for violence, drug-related crime or real danger to others (§ 66-7-109).
Ending a month-to-month tenancy: In counties covered by the Act: written notice at least 30 days before the rent due date for month-to-month; at least 10 days for week-to-week. Either side (§ 66-28-512). No statute sets this for other counties. Since July 1, 2023, tenants 55 or older in federally assisted housing for older persons who are current on rent get 60 days' notice when the landlord ends the tenancy to tear down the building or turn it into market-rate housing (Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-7-109(i) and a matching section in chapter 28).
Time to respond to an eviction lawsuit: No deadline to file a written answer is set by statute; eviction cases in General Sessions Court are heard without formal written pleadings. The detainer warrant sets a trial date at least 6 days after you are served; go to court on that date (§ 29-18-117). Either side can ask the judge to postpone the trial, for good reason, up to 7 days (since July 2024; was 15) (§ 29-18-118). The landlord cannot get a writ of possession until 10 days after the judgment; if no appeal is filed in those 10 days, the writ issues automatically (§§ 29-18-126, 27-5-108). To appeal, you must post a bond, cash or letter of credit equal to one year's rent (§§ 29-18-128, 29-18-130).
Lockouts and utility shutoffs: Yes, in counties covered by the Act. A landlord may not take possession by locking you out or by cutting off electricity, gas, water or other essential services, except after abandonment or surrender or as the Act allows (§ 66-28-511). If it happens, you may recover possession or end the lease, and in either case recover actual damages, punitive damages when appropriate, and attorney's fees, plus prepaid rent and deposit if the lease ends (§ 66-28-504). Exception: if your lease requires utilities in your name and you don't switch them within 3 days of moving in, the landlord may have service in the landlord's name shut off (§ 66-28-521). No lockout statute in other counties.
Court self-help: The court's eviction self-help page
Law: Tenn. Code Ann. §§ 66-28-201, 66-28-504, 66-28-505, 66-28-511, 66-28-512, 66-28-517, 66-28-521; 66-7-109; 29-18-117, 29-18-118, 29-18-126, 29-18-128, 29-18-130; 27-5-108

Eviction notice timeline for Tennessee

Got a notice from your landlord? Enter the kind of notice and the day you got it to see the dates that follow from your state's rule, what your landlord may not do, and where to get free help fast.

This is not legal advice. Eviction deadlines are short and missing one can cost you your home. Read your notice carefully and contact legal aid or your court's self-help center right away.

Where to get free help in Tennessee

Retaliation in Tennessee

In counties covered by the Act, a landlord may not raise rent, cut services, or file or threaten an eviction because you complained to the landlord of a violation (the statute's wording refers to § 66-28-301) or used your rights under the Act. The landlord may still evict if you are behind on rent, you or your household caused the code violation, or repairs require the home to be emptied. No presumption period is set. Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-28-514. No retaliation statute in other counties (the old protection for complaining to a building inspector, § 68-111-105, was repealed in May 2025).

Rent increases and rent control in Tennessee

Notice of a rent increase: No statute sets a notice period for rent increases. (A month-to-month tenancy can be ended by either side with 30 days' written notice, § 66-28-512.)
Rent control: No rent control. State law bars cities and counties from controlling rents (Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-35-102), and since 2021 counties covered by the Act may not add their own landlord-tenant rules (§ 66-28-102).

Questions about eviction in Tennessee

How much notice does a landlord have to give for unpaid rent in Tennessee?

In counties covered by the Act: a written notice giving you 14 days after you receive it to pay; if you don't, the lease ends. If the same problem happens again within 6 months, the notice can be 7 days. Warning: if your written lease has a notice waiver printed in 12-point bold type or larger, the landlord can file a detainer warrant as soon as you are late, without any notice (but still not before the 5-day grace period ends) (§§ 66-28-201(c), 66-28-505). In other counties: 14 days' notice after the landlord demands the rent; if you pay before the date in the notice, the tenancy does not end (§ 66-7-109).

How much notice for a lease violation in Tennessee?

Counties covered by the Act: lease breaks that can be fixed by paying money: 14 days to fix (7 days for a repeat within 6 months). Breaks that can't be fixed that way: the lease can end at least 14 days after you receive the notice. Violence, threats or creating real danger to others' health or safety: 3 days after you receive written notice (you may go to court right away for an order stopping it) (§§ 66-28-505, 66-28-517). Other counties: 14 days for damage beyond normal wear and tear (you can fix it before the date), 30 days for other lease breaks, and 3 days for violence, drug-related crime or real danger to others (§ 66-7-109).

How much notice is needed to end a month-to-month lease in Tennessee?

In counties covered by the Act: written notice at least 30 days before the rent due date for month-to-month; at least 10 days for week-to-week. Either side (§ 66-28-512). No statute sets this for other counties. Since July 1, 2023, tenants 55 or older in federally assisted housing for older persons who are current on rent get 60 days' notice when the landlord ends the tenancy to tear down the building or turn it into market-rate housing (Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-7-109(i) and a matching section in chapter 28).

How long do I have to respond to an eviction lawsuit in Tennessee?

No deadline to file a written answer is set by statute; eviction cases in General Sessions Court are heard without formal written pleadings. The detainer warrant sets a trial date at least 6 days after you are served; go to court on that date (§ 29-18-117). Either side can ask the judge to postpone the trial, for good reason, up to 7 days (since July 2024; was 15) (§ 29-18-118). The landlord cannot get a writ of possession until 10 days after the judgment; if no appeal is filed in those 10 days, the writ issues automatically (§§ 29-18-126, 27-5-108). To appeal, you must post a bond, cash or letter of credit equal to one year's rent (§§ 29-18-128, 29-18-130).

Can my landlord lock me out or shut off utilities in Tennessee?

Yes, in counties covered by the Act. A landlord may not take possession by locking you out or by cutting off electricity, gas, water or other essential services, except after abandonment or surrender or as the Act allows (§ 66-28-511). If it happens, you may recover possession or end the lease, and in either case recover actual damages, punitive damages when appropriate, and attorney's fees, plus prepaid rent and deposit if the lease ends (§ 66-28-504). Exception: if your lease requires utilities in your name and you don't switch them within 3 days of moving in, the landlord may have service in the landlord's name shut off (§ 66-28-521). No lockout statute in other counties.

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Sources

Last checked: Oct 2026.