Ending a month-to-month tenancy in Ohio

The rule in Ohio

To end a month-to-month tenancy in Ohio, the notice period is 30 days, set by Ohio Rev. Code § 5321.17(B). The words: “the landlord or the tenant may terminate or fail to renew a month-to-month tenancy … at least thirty days prior to the periodic rental date.” The same period binds the tenant: the statute gives landlord and tenant one rule.

Of the 29 states verified on this site, 3 require less notice and 4 require more, counting a month as 30 days for comparison; the median is 30 days. 21 others land on the same length, among them Arizona, Florida, Idaho and Illinois.

Worked date: a notice delivered on November 10, 2026 runs its 30 days on December 10, 2026. Because the statute ties the end to a rental period, the earliest date the tenancy can end is the next rent day, January 1, 2027, which is 52 days after delivery.

The day of delivery matters where the end must fall on a rental date. To end the tenancy on January 1, 2027, the notice has to arrive by December 2, 2026; one delivered a day later, on December 3, 2026, runs to the following rent day, February 1, 2027, 60 days away. These dates assume rent is due on day 1 of each month, which the lease can change.

Across the border, among neighbours with a verified rule: Michigan requires one month and West Virginia requires one month.

Division (C) of the same section sets separate rules for some tenancies.

After the notice: the landlord then has 30 days to return the security deposit (deposit rules), so a tenancy ending on January 1, 2027 puts the deposit deadline at January 31, 2027.

Source: Ohio Laws and Administrative Rules, R.C. 5321.17 · last checked October 21, 2026.

Giving or receiving notice

The statute sets the shortest period; a lease can add conditions such as a written form or a delivery method, and some cities add their own rules. The guide on ending a month-to-month tenancy compares how the verified states count the period.