Pennsylvania Eviction Laws
Pennsylvania notice periods for ending a tenancy and starting an eviction, each as LeaseCraft read it in the statute at the official source, with its citation and read date (most recently ).
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Pennsylvania notice periods
Periods are as the statute states them: some are minimums, some apply unless the lease sets another. "Lease controls" means there is no statutory period; "No pre-suit notice" means none is required before filing.
| Situation | Notice period | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Unpaid rent | 10 calendar days |
Landlord and Tenant Act of 1951, § 501(b), 68 P.S. § 250.501(b) (as amended July 2, 1996, P.L. 474, No. 74; Act 88 of 2024)
Read
|
| Lease violation | 15 calendar days |
68 P.S. § 250.501(b), (c)
Read
|
| Ending the tenancy without a chance to cure |
Could not verify
Not verified at the official source; LeaseCraft states no figure.
|
68 P.S. § 250.501(b); 68 P.S. § 250.505-A (not read) |
| Ending a month-to-month tenancy | 15 calendar days |
68 P.S. § 250.501(a)(1), (b)
Read
|
| Tenant staying after the lease ends | 15 calendar days |
68 P.S. § 250.501(a)(1), (b)
Read
|
| Ending a week-to-week tenancy | 15 calendar days |
68 P.S. § 250.501(b)
Read
|
| Notice by length of occupancy | Under 12 months: 15 days; 12 months or more: 30 days |
68 P.S. § 250.501(b)
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|
What the Pennsylvania statute says
Unpaid rent 10 calendar days
- Written notice to quit: 'In case of failure of the tenant, upon demand, to satisfy any rent reserved and due, the notice shall specify that the tenant shall remove within ten days from the date of the service thereof' (68 P.S. § 250.501(b)).
- Clock runs from the date of service; statute does not distinguish calendar/business days.
- The notice period may be shortened or WAIVED entirely if the lease so provides (§ 250.501, waiver subsection) — many Pennsylvania leases waive the notice to quit, in which case no pre-suit notice is required.
Exceptions
- Mobile home park residents (Mobile Home Park Rights Act) have separate periods under § 250.501(c): fifteen days (notice given April 1-Sept 1) or thirty days (Sept 1-April 1) for nonpayment.
- Act 88 of 2024 (P.L. 944, eff. 60 days after July 17, 2024): Section 501 does not apply to repossession from 'a person who is not, nor ever has been, a tenant' (unverified on official site — see notes).
- Federally covered properties: CARES Act 30-day notice (federal, not researched). Philadelphia: Eviction Diversion Program and local good-cause rules (see local_overlay_warning).
Lease violation 15 calendar days
- No statutory cure right. For 'forfeiture for breach of the conditions of the lease' (or expiration of term) the notice to quit must give fifteen days from the date of service where the lease is for one year or less or an indeterminate time, and thirty days where the lease is for more than one year (68 P.S. § 250.501(b)).
- Notice may be shortened or waived by the lease (§ 250.501 waiver subsection).
Exceptions
- Mobile home park tenancies: thirty days (lease under one year) or three months (one year or more) (§ 250.501(c)).
Ending a month-to-month tenancy 15 calendar days
- Termination of a term (including a month-to-month/indeterminate tenancy): written notice to quit of fifteen days from the date of service where the lease is 'for any term of one year or less or for an indeterminate time'; thirty days if the lease is for more than one year (68 P.S. § 250.501(b)).
- Notice may be shortened or waived if the lease so provides.
Exceptions
- Mobile home park: thirty days / three months (§ 250.501(c)); Philadelphia adds local requirements.
Tenant staying after the lease ends 15 calendar days
- Expiration of a term is ground (1) under § 250.501(a); the same 15-day (lease <= 1 year/indeterminate) or 30-day (lease > 1 year) notice to quit applies, unless waived in the lease.
Ending a week-to-week tenancy 15 calendar days
- No separate week-to-week provision; a weekly tenancy is a term of one year or less/indeterminate time, so the fifteen-day notice under § 250.501(b) applies unless the lease shortens or waives it.
Notice by length of occupancy Under 12 months: 15 days; 12 months or more: 30 days
- Scale is by LEASE TERM, not occupancy: fifteen days where the lease is for one year or less or indeterminate; thirty days where the lease is for more than one year (68 P.S. § 250.501(b)). min_months_occupancy is used here as a proxy for lease term length > 12 months.
Just cause, delivery, form and local rules in Pennsylvania
How the notice may be delivered
The notice to quit 'served personally on the tenant, or by leaving the same at the principal building upon the premises, or by posting the same conspicuously' (68 P.S. § 250.501); mail is not a listed method.
68 P.S. § 250.501 (service subsection) · read
Required form or contents
none found — statute requires only that the landlord 'notify, in writing, the tenant to remove ... at the expiration of the time specified in the notice' (§ 250.501(a)); no state form or mandatory contents.
68 P.S. § 250.501(a) · read
Statewide just-cause rule
No statewide just-cause requirement
- No statewide just-cause requirement; a landlord may notify the tenant to quit 'upon the termination of a term of the tenant' (§ 250.501(a)(1)).
- Mobile home park residents may not be evicted if they comply with rules, pay rent and wish to continue (§ 250.501(c)/(d)).
68 P.S. § 250.501(a) · read
City and county rules
Secondary sources only LeaseCraft has not verified this at the official source (Philadelphia Code § 9-811 (Eviction Diversion Program)), so this page states no rule.
For Pennsylvania landlords
- Find the period for your situation in the table above and count it from the day the notice is delivered.
- Deliver the notice the way Pennsylvania law allows and keep a record of how and when.
- A notice is not a court order and does not by itself remove a tenant.
For Pennsylvania tenants
- Compare the notice you received with the period for its situation in the table above and the date it reached you.
- A notice is not a court order. If a case is filed, the court papers say how and by when to respond.
- Local legal aid and tenant organizations can explain your options.
How an eviction generally proceeds
A general outline, not Pennsylvania law: the steps, their names and their deadlines differ by state and court. The Pennsylvania rules LeaseCraft has verified are the ones above.
- Written notice. The landlord gives the notice the situation calls for and waits out its period.
- Court filing. If the tenant has not paid, cured or left, the landlord files an eviction case in court.
- Hearing. Both sides can be heard; the tenant may raise defenses such as an improper notice.
- Judgment. The court decides who has the right to the property.
- Removal. If the court rules for the landlord, removal follows its order. A notice is not a court order and does not by itself remove a tenant.
Pennsylvania eviction questions
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10 calendar days, under Landlord and Tenant Act of 1951, § 501(b), 68 P.S. § 250.501(b) (as amended July 2, 1996, P.L. 474, No. 74; Act 88 of 2024). Written notice to quit: 'In case of failure of the tenant, upon demand, to satisfy any rent reserved and due, the notice shall specify that the tenant shall remove within ten days from the date of the service thereof' (68 P.S. § 250.501(b)). LeaseCraft read this at the official source on 2026-09-27.
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15 calendar days, under 68 P.S. § 250.501(b), (c). No statutory cure right. For 'forfeiture for breach of the conditions of the lease' (or expiration of term) the notice to quit must give fifteen days from the date of service where the lease is for one year or less or an indeterminate time, and thirty days where the lease is for more than one year (68 P.S. § 250.501(b)). LeaseCraft read this at the official source on 2026-09-27.
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15 calendar days, under 68 P.S. § 250.501(a)(1), (b). Termination of a term (including a month-to-month/indeterminate tenancy): written notice to quit of fifteen days from the date of service where the lease is 'for any term of one year or less or for an indeterminate time'; thirty days if the lease is for more than one year (68 P.S. § 250.501(b)). LeaseCraft read this at the official source on 2026-09-27.
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The notice to quit 'served personally on the tenant, or by leaving the same at the principal building upon the premises, or by posting the same conspicuously' (68 P.S. § 250.501); mail is not a listed method. Source: 68 P.S. § 250.501 (service subsection). LeaseCraft read this at the official source on 2026-09-27.
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No statewide just-cause requirement, under 68 P.S. § 250.501(a). No statewide just-cause requirement; a landlord may notify the tenant to quit 'upon the termination of a term of the tenant' (§ 250.501(a)(1)). LeaseCraft read this at the official source on 2026-09-27.
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15 calendar days, under 68 P.S. § 250.501(b). No separate week-to-week provision; a weekly tenancy is a term of one year or less/indeterminate time, so the fifteen-day notice under § 250.501(b) applies unless the lease shortens or waives it. LeaseCraft read this at the official source on 2026-09-27.
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Cities and counties can add rules. LeaseCraft is not a law firm and this is not legal advice.