Sources checked:
Quick answer. Tennessee: 30-day notice to end month-to-month; 14-day notice for unpaid rent; $25,000 small claims limit. 10 of 23 items are confirmed on official pages; 13 are marked not confirmed, with the page to check.
Key numbers
- Month-to-month notice (landlord)
- 30 days
- Unpaid rent notice
- 14 days
- Entry notice
- See the rule
- Writ to lockout
- 10 days (from judgment)
- Small claims limit
- $25,000
Security deposit (0 of 6 confirmed)
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Not confirmedDeposit limit
Not confirmed — check Tennessee Department of Health (Healthy Homes): Do You Know Your Rights and Duties As a Renter? (8/15). Not confirmed from official text. Check Tenn. Code 66-28-301 (the General Assembly links to the official publisher).
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Not confirmedReturn deadline
Not confirmed — check Tennessee Department of Health (Healthy Homes): Do You Know Your Rights and Duties As a Renter? (8/15). Not confirmed from official text. Check Tenn. Code 66-28-301 (the General Assembly links to the official publisher).
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Not confirmedItemized list of deductions
Not confirmed — check Tennessee Department of Health (Healthy Homes): Do You Know Your Rights and Duties As a Renter? (8/15). Not confirmed from official text. Check Tenn. Code 66-28-301 (the General Assembly links to the official publisher).
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Not confirmedInterest on the deposit
Not confirmed — check Tennessee Department of Health (Healthy Homes): Do You Know Your Rights and Duties As a Renter? (8/15). Not confirmed from official text. Check Tenn. Code 66-28-301 (the General Assembly links to the official publisher).
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Not confirmedWhere the deposit is held
Not confirmed — check Tennessee Department of Health (Healthy Homes): Do You Know Your Rights and Duties As a Renter? (8/15). Not confirmed from official text. Check Tenn. Code 66-28-301 (the General Assembly links to the official publisher).
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Not confirmedPenalty the law states
Not confirmed — check Tennessee Department of Health (Healthy Homes): Do You Know Your Rights and Duties As a Renter? (8/15). Not confirmed from official text. Check Tenn. Code 66-28-301 (the General Assembly links to the official publisher).
More: Security deposit rules by state · Deposit return deadline calculator
Notice periods (5 of 6 confirmed)
What the official text says about each notice. Cities and counties can add their own notice, just-cause or rent rules. Check local rules too.
Need the other side served? Process serving with an affidavit of service.
| Notice | Rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Ending month-to-month (landlord) | Where Tennessee's Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act applies (the counties in T.C.A. 66-28-102): written notice at least 30 days before the periodic rental date named in the notice (10 days for week-to-week). Either side may give it. Outside those counties, check T.C.A. Title 66, Chapter 7. The text: "The landlord or the tenant may terminate a month-to-month tenancy by a written notice given to the other" "at least thirty (30) days prior to the periodic rental date specified in the notice." | Sources: FindLaw Codes (secondary source): T.C.A. 66-28-512, current as of January 2, 2024; Justia (statute text) (secondary source): 2018 Tennessee Code 66-28-512, checked November 2026 (T.C.A. 66-28-512(a), (b)) |
| Ending month-to-month (tenant) | Where Tennessee's Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act applies (the counties in T.C.A. 66-28-102): written notice at least 30 days before the periodic rental date named in the notice (10 days for week-to-week). Either side may give it. Outside those counties, check T.C.A. Title 66, Chapter 7. The text: "The landlord or the tenant may terminate a month-to-month tenancy by a written notice given to the other" "at least thirty (30) days prior to the periodic rental date specified in the notice." | Sources: FindLaw Codes (secondary source): T.C.A. 66-28-512, current as of January 2, 2024; Justia (statute text) (secondary source): 2018 Tennessee Code 66-28-512, checked November 2026 (T.C.A. 66-28-512(a), (b)) |
| Rent increase notice | Not confirmed — check Tennessee Department of Health (Healthy Homes): Do You Know Your Rights and Duties As a Renter? (Legal Aid Society booklet, 8/15). Not confirmed. The Department of Health's renters' booklet doesn't state it. Check T.C.A. Title 66, Chapters 7 and 28. | |
| Unpaid rent notice | For rent paid every two weeks or monthly: 14 days' notice when rent wasn't paid on time. If the rent is paid within those 14 days, the landlord can't evict for it, unless the same thing happens again within 6 months. | Source: Tennessee Department of Health (Healthy Homes): Do You Know Your Rights and Duties As a Renter? (Legal Aid Society booklet, 8/15), checked November 2026 |
| Entry notice | Except in an emergency, the landlord can't come in without the tenant's OK. The booklet states no notice period. | Source: Tennessee Department of Health (Healthy Homes): Do You Know Your Rights and Duties As a Renter? (Legal Aid Society booklet, 8/15), checked November 2026 |
| Late fee limits | Where Tennessee's Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act applies (the counties in T.C.A. 66-28-102): a five-day grace period counting the due date; if the fifth day is a Sunday or legal holiday, no late fee when rent is paid the next business day. Any late charge can't exceed 10% of the rent past due. Outside those counties, check the lease and T.C.A. Title 66, Chapter 7. The text: "There shall be a five-day grace period"; "The date the rent was due shall be included in the calculation"; the fee "shall not exceed ten percent (10%) of the amount of rent past due." | Sources: FindLaw Codes (secondary source): T.C.A. 66-28-201, current as of January 2, 2024; Justia (statute text) (secondary source): 2019 Tennessee Code 66-28-201, checked November 2026 (T.C.A. 66-28-201(d)) |
The renters' booklet covers all Tennessee counties except 17 it lists (including Davidson, Shelby and Knox), where renters have different rights.
More: Notice periods by state · Notice date calculator
Eviction case, in order (4 of 10 confirmed)
- Notice before filing The written notice comes first; its length is in the notice table above.
Unpaid rent: For rent paid every two weeks or monthly: 14 days' notice when rent wasn't paid on time. If the rent is paid within those 14 days, the landlord can't evict for it, unless the same thing happens again within 6 months.
- Filing the case Where the case goes and what it costs to start.
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Not confirmedCourt
Not confirmed — check Tennessee Department of Health (Healthy Homes): Do You Know Your Rights and Duties As a Renter? (8/15). Not confirmed on an official page we opened.
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Not confirmedFiling fee
Not confirmed — check Tennessee Department of Health (Healthy Homes): Do You Know Your Rights and Duties As a Renter? (8/15). Not confirmed on an official page we opened.
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- The tenant's answer or appearance
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Not confirmedTime to answer or appear
Not confirmed — check Tennessee Department of Health (Healthy Homes): Do You Know Your Rights and Duties As a Renter? (8/15). Not confirmed on an official page we opened.
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- Hearing or trial
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ConfirmedHearing after filing
The court date must be at least 6 days after the tenant gets the warrant (the earliest date here assumes delivery on the filing day).
The court date must be at least 6 days after you get the warrant.
Source: Tennessee Department of Health (Healthy Homes): Do You Know Your Rights and Duties As a Renter? (8/15), checked November 2026
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- Judgment and the writ The order that lets the officer act.
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Not confirmedJudgment to writ
Not confirmed — check Tennessee Department of Health (Healthy Homes): Do You Know Your Rights and Duties As a Renter? (8/15). Not confirmed on an official page we opened.
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- Lockout Carried out by an officer, not by either side.
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ConfirmedWrit to lockout
A tenant who loses has at least 10 more days; after that the sheriff's department can set the tenant out.
After 10 days, the sheriff's department can set you and your stuff out.
Source: Tennessee Department of Health (Healthy Homes): Do You Know Your Rights and Duties As a Renter? (8/15), checked November 2026
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ConfirmedWho carries out the lockout
The sheriff's department carries out the set-out; a deputy usually delivers the warrant.
After 10 days, the sheriff's department can set you and your stuff out.
Source: Tennessee Department of Health (Healthy Homes): Do You Know Your Rights and Duties As a Renter? (8/15), checked November 2026
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- Along the way Paying to stop the case, counsel and diversion programs.
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Not confirmedPaying to stop the case
Not confirmed — check Tennessee Department of Health (Healthy Homes): Do You Know Your Rights and Duties As a Renter? (8/15). Not confirmed on an official page we opened.
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ConfirmedRight to counsel (statewide)
No statewide right to counsel for tenants in eviction cases (as of November 2026, per the National Coalition for a Civil Right to Counsel): its tracker of enacted laws lists no statewide law here. Local: Nashville (2026) have their own right-to-counsel laws.
An eviction right to counsel is created by an enacted law that, at a minimum:
Source: National Coalition for a Civil Right to Counsel (secondary source): National Coalition for a Civil Right to Counsel: Enacted Eviction Right to Counsel and Eviction Defense Programs (last modified November 2026), checked November 2026
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Not confirmedDiversion or mediation (statewide)
Not confirmed — check Tennessee Department of Health (Healthy Homes): Do You Know Your Rights and Duties As a Renter? (8/15). Not confirmed on an official page we opened.
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The state court site couldn't be read (it shows only a browser check), so these facts come from a renters' booklet on the Department of Health's site. Either side may appeal within 10 days.
Example: a case filed Monday, March 1, 2027
The earliest date of each stage the confirmed rules allow, from our eviction timeline estimator. Earliest under the statute; courts' calendars often take longer.
| Stage | Earliest date |
|---|---|
| Case filed | Monday, March 1, 2027 |
| Hearing or trial | Sunday, March 7, 2027 |
| Judgment | Sunday, March 7, 2027 |
| Earliest lockout | Wednesday, March 17, 2027 |
Help the official pages name: The Legal Aid Society for the area, 1-800-238-1443.
More: Eviction process timeline by state · Eviction timeline estimator
Deposit disputes: small claims
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ConfirmedSmall claims limit (for a deposit dispute)
$25,000: the most a small claims case can ask for.
Tennessee has no separate small claims court; civil claims are heard in General Sessions Court. The Hamilton County Circuit Court Clerk says these suits may not exceed $25,000; larger claims go to Circuit Court. The University of Tennessee CTAS also gives $25,000 in all counties (T.C.A. 16-15-501), with unlimited jurisdiction for forcible entry and detainer.
Source: Hamilton County (Tennessee) Circuit Court Clerk: All About Sessions Civil Court, checked November 2026
More: Small claims court limits by state
Still to confirm
- Deposit limit: check Tennessee Department of Health (Healthy Homes): Do You Know Your Rights and Duties As a Renter? (8/15)
- Return deadline: check Tennessee Department of Health (Healthy Homes): Do You Know Your Rights and Duties As a Renter? (8/15)
- Itemized list of deductions: check Tennessee Department of Health (Healthy Homes): Do You Know Your Rights and Duties As a Renter? (8/15)
- Interest on the deposit: check Tennessee Department of Health (Healthy Homes): Do You Know Your Rights and Duties As a Renter? (8/15)
- Where the deposit is held: check Tennessee Department of Health (Healthy Homes): Do You Know Your Rights and Duties As a Renter? (8/15)
- Penalty the law states: check Tennessee Department of Health (Healthy Homes): Do You Know Your Rights and Duties As a Renter? (8/15)
- Rent increase notice: check Tennessee Department of Health (Healthy Homes): Do You Know Your Rights and Duties As a Renter? (Legal Aid Society booklet, 8/15)
- Court: check Tennessee Department of Health (Healthy Homes): Do You Know Your Rights and Duties As a Renter? (8/15)
- Filing fee: check Tennessee Department of Health (Healthy Homes): Do You Know Your Rights and Duties As a Renter? (8/15)
- Time to answer or appear: check Tennessee Department of Health (Healthy Homes): Do You Know Your Rights and Duties As a Renter? (8/15)
- Judgment to writ: check Tennessee Department of Health (Healthy Homes): Do You Know Your Rights and Duties As a Renter? (8/15)
- Paying to stop the case: check Tennessee Department of Health (Healthy Homes): Do You Know Your Rights and Duties As a Renter? (8/15)
- Diversion or mediation (statewide): check Tennessee Department of Health (Healthy Homes): Do You Know Your Rights and Duties As a Renter? (8/15)
General information, not legal advice. We are not lawyers, and MCC Solutions is not a law firm. The same rules apply whichever side of the lease you are on; this page describes them and doesn't take a side. Rules change, cities and counties can add their own, a lease can add terms, and the official source has the final word.
Common questions
How much notice ends a month-to-month tenancy in Tennessee?
From the landlord: Where Tennessee's Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act applies (the counties in T.C.A. 66-28-102): written notice at least 30 days before the periodic rental date named in the notice (10 days for week-to-week). Either side may give it. Outside those counties, check T.C.A. Title 66, Chapter 7. From the tenant: Where Tennessee's Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act applies (the counties in T.C.A. 66-28-102): written notice at least 30 days before the periodic rental date named in the notice (10 days for week-to-week). Either side may give it. Outside those counties, check T.C.A. Title 66, Chapter 7.
What notice comes before an unpaid-rent case in Tennessee?
For rent paid every two weeks or monthly: 14 days' notice when rent wasn't paid on time. If the rent is paid within those 14 days, the landlord can't evict for it, unless the same thing happens again within 6 months.
How much notice before a landlord enters a rental in Tennessee?
Except in an emergency, the landlord can't come in without the tenant's OK. The booklet states no notice period.
How long does an eviction case take in Tennessee?
Hearing after filing: At least 6 days. Writ to lockout: 10 days (from judgment). These are the stated rules; the court's calendar often takes longer.
Can a Tennessee deposit dispute go to small claims court?
The small claims limit in our data: $25,000: the most a small claims case can ask for. The court's own page explains what kinds of cases it hears.
How much can a security deposit be in Tennessee?
Not confirmed in our data files. Check Tennessee Department of Health (Healthy Homes): Do You Know Your Rights and Duties As a Renter? (8/15) (https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/health/documents/healthy-places/healthy-homes/HHW_LAS_TN_Rural_Renters_Rights.pdf).
How long does a Tennessee landlord have to return a deposit?
Not confirmed in our data files. Check Tennessee Department of Health (Healthy Homes): Do You Know Your Rights and Duties As a Renter? (8/15) (https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/health/documents/healthy-places/healthy-homes/HHW_LAS_TN_Rural_Renters_Rights.pdf).
Related: Landlord rules by state · Kits for landlords