Ending a Month-to-Month Tenancy: Notice Periods Compared
A month-to-month tenancy renews itself each month until one side gives notice. The statute sets the shortest notice that works, and three details decide the end date: how long the period is, whether it is counted in days or months, and whether the tenancy can end on any day or only at the end of a rental period. This guide compares the 29 states verified on this site, with dates worked from a notice delivered on November 10, 2026. It is general information, not advice.
Days or a month
Most verified states say a number of days; 29 records range from 7 days (North Carolina) to 60 days (Delaware). Wisconsin uses 28 days (“At least 28 days' notice must be given except in the following cases:”, Wis. Stat. § 704.19(3)), which is shorter than a calendar month in every month but February. States that say "one month" count to the same date in the next month. Massachusetts combines the two: notice equal to the rent interval “if it is equal to the interval between the days of payment or thirty days, whichever is longer.” (M.G.L. c. 186, § 12).
Ending on a rental date
9 of the verified statutes tie the end to the rental period. Arizona is typical: “The landlord or the tenant may terminate a month-to-month tenancy by a written notice given to the other … at least thirty days prior to the periodic rental date specified in the notice.” (A.R.S. § 33-1375(B)). Worked example with rent due on the 1st: a notice delivered on November 10, 2026 reaches 30 days on December 10, 2026, but the tenancy cannot end before the next rental date, January 1, 2027. Under a rule without that tie, the same notice could name December 10, 2026.
Periods that grow with time in the unit
- New York: 30 days at first, 60 days after 1 year, 90 days after 2 years (N.Y. Real Prop. Law § 226-c(2)). From November 10, 2026: December 10, 2026, January 9, 2027 or February 8, 2027.
- Vermont: 60 days for two years or less, 90 days after more than 2 years, where there is no written rental agreement (9 V.S.A. § 4467(c)(1)).
Different periods for each side
Hawaii gives the landlord 45 days and the tenant 28 days (HRS § 521-71(a), (b)). Delaware sets 60 days for both but starts the count on the first day of the month after notice, so a notice delivered on November 10, 2026 runs to January 30, 2027. At the short end, North Carolina needs only 7 days (“a tenancy from month to month by a like notice of seven days”, N.C. Gen. Stat. § 42-14), and Louisiana 10 days before the end of the month (La. Civ. Code art. 2728).
Where to see every state
The notice table lists every verified period, and the lookup turns a delivery date into an end date. When the tenancy ends, the security deposit deadline starts to run.
Sources
- Arizona Legislature, A.R.S. § 33-1375; Wisconsin State Legislature, Wis. Stat. § 704.19; Massachusetts Legislature, M.G.L. c. 186 § 12; New York State Senate, Real Property Law § 226-c; Vermont General Assembly, 9 V.S.A. § 4467; Hawaii State Legislature, HRS § 521-71; Delaware Code Online, 25 Del. C. § 5106; North Carolina General Assembly, G.S. 42-14; Louisiana State Legislature, Civil Code art. 2728. All checked October 21, 2026.
Questions
Is a month the same as 30 days?
Not always. Some statutes say one month, which runs to the same date in the next month, and others say a number of days. The state pages show which wording applies.
Does the notice have to be in writing?
Most of the verified statutes say written notice. The exact words are quoted on each state page.
Can a lease set a longer period?
Several statutes allow the agreement to set a different or longer period; Virginia and North Dakota say so in the section quoted.