A month-to-month tenancy is a periodic rental that automatically renews each month until either party gives notice. State law sets the minimum advance notice required to terminate — usually 30 days, sometimes longer for landlord-initiated termination.
§ I — What "month-to-month tenancy" means
A month-to-month tenancy (sometimes called an at-will tenancy in older statutes) is a lease that runs in one-month increments and renews automatically. Either party can end it by giving the state's required notice — most states require 30 days, but some require 60 or 90 days when the landlord is the one terminating, and some impose just-cause requirements before a landlord can end a long-running periodic tenancy.
§ II — How month-to-month tenancy varies by state
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Massachusetts
Massachusetts requires "rental period" notice (typically 30 days for month-to-month); written notice that ends on a rent-due date. M.G.L. c. 186, §§ 12, 13.
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Florida
Florida requires at least 30 days' written notice to terminate a monthly tenancy — up from 15 days since July 1, 2023 (HB 1417). F.S. § 83.57(3).
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California
California requires 30-day notice if the tenant has lived there <1 year, 60-day notice if ≥1 year. AB 1482 imposes just-cause requirements for tenancies over 12 months. CC §§ 1946–1946.2.
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New York
New York requires 30, 60, or 90 days based on tenancy length (RPL § 226-c). HSTPA 2019 extended the longer windows to all market-rate units.
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Texas
In Texas a month-to-month tenancy ends, by default, on the later of the date the notice names or one month after notice is given. Tex. Prop. Code § 91.001(b). A lease signed by both parties may set a different period, or none (§ 91.001(e)); many leases use 30 days by agreement.
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North Carolina
North Carolina requires at least 2 days' notice for week-to-week tenancies, 7 days' notice for month-to-month tenancies and one month's notice for year-to-year tenancies, given before the end of the current period; a lease may agree to longer notice, such as 30 days. Renting only a space for a manufactured home needs 60 days. N.C. Gen. Stat. § 42-14.
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Georgia
Georgia uses asymmetric notice: the landlord must give 60 days' written notice and the tenant must give 30 days' written notice. O.C.G.A. § 44-7-7. The asymmetry is unusual; most states use a symmetric rule.
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Pennsylvania
A Pennsylvania landlord ending a month-to-month tenancy generally gives 15 days' notice to quit (30 days where the term is more than one year), unless the lease validly shortens or waives it. The statute sets no notice period for the tenant; the lease does. 68 P.S. § 250.501(b), (e).
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Illinois
Illinois requires at least 30 days' written notice on or before the last day of the rental period for which rent has been paid. 735 ILCS 5/9-207. Chicago RLTO (Mun. Code ch. 5-12) and Cook County RTLO impose additional cure-and-notice procedures when applicable.
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Ohio
Either party may terminate a month-to-month tenancy by giving the other at least 30 days' notice before the periodic rental date, subject to the statutory exceptions. Ohio Rev. Code § 5321.17(B). Weekly tenancies require 7 days' notice under § 5321.17(A). Before an eviction action for cause, the landlord must serve a separate 3-day notice to vacate.
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Michigan
Michigan requires one month's notice from either party to end an at-will or month-to-month tenancy; when rent is paid more often than every three months, notice equal to one rent interval is enough. MCL 554.134(1). A notice naming a date mid-period is not void; it ends the tenancy one full interval after it is given.
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Washington
Washington requires 20 days' notice from the tenant before the end of a rental period (RCW 59.18.200). A landlord needs one of the 16 statutory causes in RCW 59.18.650(2) to end a periodic tenancy, apart from ending certain fixed terms on 60 days' notice.
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Arizona
Arizona requires at least 30 days' written notice from either party to terminate a month-to-month tenancy. A.R.S. § 33-1375(B). Notice must be given before the end of the rental period, and the same period applies whether tenant or landlord initiates termination.
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Virginia
Virginia requires at least 30 days' written notice from either party to terminate a month-to-month tenancy. Va. Code § 55.1-1253. Larger landlords (above the § 55.1-1204(K) portfolio threshold) must give 60 days' notice for nonrenewal or rent-increase at the end of a fixed term.
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New Jersey
New Jersey allows a tenant to terminate a month-to-month tenancy on at least one full month's written notice, but the landlord may terminate only for "good cause" under the Anti-Eviction Act (N.J.S.A. 2A:18-61.1) — which substantially restricts no-cause termination of any rental covered by the Act.
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Colorado
Colorado uses a tiered notice schedule based on the length of tenancy: 21 days for tenancies of 1+ months but less than 6 months; 28 days for 6+ months but less than 1 year; and 91 days for 1+ year tenancies. C.R.S. § 13-40-107. Since HB24-1098 (April 2024) those tiers govern the tenant and landlords of exempt premises; a landlord of a covered residential tenancy may end or not renew it only for cause under C.R.S. §§ 38-12-1301 to -1305, with 90 days' notice for no-fault grounds.
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Tennessee
In Tennessee's 17 URLTA counties (2010-census population over 75,000 — Davidson, Shelby, Knox, Hamilton, Rutherford, Williamson, Montgomery, Sumner, Sullivan, Blount, Washington, Wilson, Bradley, Madison, Sevier, Maury and Anderson), at least 30 days' written notice is required to terminate a month-to-month tenancy. Tenn. Code § 66-28-512. Outside URLTA counties, the lease and common-law principles govern.
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Minnesota
Minnesota requires written notice at least as long as the interval between rent due dates, or 3 months if shorter, to terminate a periodic tenancy: for a monthly tenancy, one full rental period, which a flat 30 days does not always cover. Minn. Stat. § 504B.135. The notice must be received before the end of the period and applies to both parties.
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Maryland
Maryland uses asymmetric notice: 30 days from the tenant, 60 days from the landlord for a month-to-month tenancy, and 90 days for a year-to-year tenancy. Md. Code, Real Prop. § 8-402.
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Indiana
Indiana requires one month's written notice from either party — symmetric, unlike Maryland's asymmetric framework. IC 32-31-1-1, -2, -4 (notice equal to the rent interval).