Ohio Eviction Notice

Ohio notice periods

Each period is the one LeaseCraft's record of the statute holds. Read it with the conditions under it: some periods are minimums and some apply unless the lease sets another. "Lease controls" means the record holds no statutory period for that situation, and "No pre-suit notice" means it holds no notice before filing. The source column shows the law and the date LeaseCraft read it on the official site (most recently 2026-09-27).

What the Ohio statute says

Unpaid rent: 3 calendar days

• Before filing a forcible entry and detainer action the landlord must notify the tenant in writing 'three or more days before beginning the action' to leave the premises (R.C. 1923.04(A)); there is no statutory right to cure by paying within the three days.
• The notice must contain the mandatory statutory language: 'You are being asked to leave the premises. If you do not leave, an eviction action may be initiated against you. If you are in doubt regarding your legal rights and obligations as a tenant, it is recommended that you seek legal assistance.'
• Nonpayment grounds: R.C. 1923.02(A)(2) (oral tenancy, default in rent) and (A)(9) (breach of written rental agreement).

Exceptions

• Federally subsidized/covered housing: federal 30-day CARES Act notice and HUD lease notice rules (not researched).

Lease violation: 30 calendar days

• For a tenant's breach of statutory obligations under R.C. 5321.05 materially affecting health and safety, the landlord gives written notice specifying the act or omission and stating that the agreement 'will terminate upon a date specified in the notice, not less than thirty days after receipt'; if the tenant fails to remedy, the agreement terminates as stated (R.C. 5321.11; ground R.C. 1923.02(A)(8)).
• After termination under 5321.11, the 3-day notice to leave under 1923.04 is still required before filing.

Exceptions

• Breach of a written rental agreement term (R.C. 1923.02(A)(9)): no statutory cure period — only the 3-day notice to leave under 1923.04 (lease may provide a cure).
• Drug-related activity (5321.05(A)(9)): 3-day termination notice under 5321.17(C), no cure.

Ending the tenancy without a chance to cure: 3 calendar days

• Drug offense on or near the premises (violation of R.C. Chapter 2925 or 3719 by tenant or household member): landlord with actual knowledge or reasonable cause to believe may terminate on notice under R.C. 5321.17(C) and file if the tenant fails to vacate within three days (R.C. 1923.02(A)(6)(a)(i)); no cure, and no conviction required.
• Any breach of a written rental agreement (1923.02(A)(9)) and holding over (A)(1) likewise proceed on the 3-day notice to leave under 1923.04 with no statutory cure.

Ending a month-to-month tenancy: 30 calendar days

• Landlord or tenant may terminate or fail to renew a month-to-month tenancy by notice given 'at least thirty days prior to the periodic rental date' specified in the notice (R.C. 5321.17(B)).
• The 5321.17 notice satisfies the 1923.04 pre-suit notice requirement (1923.04(B)), but the mandatory 'You are being asked to leave' language must still appear for the notice to serve as the 1923.04 notice.

Exceptions

• Does not apply to terminations for breach of the rental agreement or statutory duties, other than the drug-offense duty (5321.17(D)).

Tenant staying after the lease ends: 3 calendar days

• Tenants 'holding over their terms' (R.C. 1923.02(A)(1)) are subject to the same 3-day written notice to leave under R.C. 1923.04 before suit; no separate holdover period.

Delivery, form and other Ohio rules

How the notice may be delivered

Notice is served by certified mail, return receipt requested; by handing a written copy to the defendant in person; or by leaving it at the defendant's usual place of abode or at the premises from which the defendant is to be evicted (R.C. 1923.04(A)).

R.C. 1923.04(A), (C) · read 2026-09-27

Required form or contents

Mandatory contents: every pre-suit notice must include, in conspicuous language, 'You are being asked to leave the premises. If you do not leave, an eviction action may be initiated against you. If you are in doubt regarding your legal rights and obligations as a tenant, it is recommended that you seek legal assistance.' (R.C. 1923.04(A)); no state form — https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/section-1923.04

R.C. 1923.04(A) · read 2026-09-27

Statewide just-cause rule

No statewide just-cause requirement

• No statewide just-cause requirement; periodic tenancies may be terminated or not renewed by either party on 5321.17 notice, and 1923.02(A)(1) allows eviction of tenants holding over their terms.

R.C. 5321.17; R.C. 1923.02(A)(1) · read 2026-09-27

Preparing the notice

The form asks for the tenancy, the kind of notice and the dates, and the notice ends with a Certificate of Service to record how you delivered it. Beside the finished notice you get a Ohio checklist of the period, form and delivery rules LeaseCraft recorded. The period in the notice is the one you choose; where LeaseCraft has verified the Ohio period and your deadline is too soon, the document is not prepared until you move it.

Create a Ohio eviction notice

A notice is not a court order and does not by itself remove a tenant. Cities and counties can add rules. LeaseCraft is not a law firm and this is not legal advice.

Eviction Notice rules in nearby states

Eviction Notice rules for every state