Wisconsin Eviction Notice

Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin statute says

Unpaid rent: 5 days

• Month-to-month/week-to-week (704.17(1p)(a)) and leases of one year or less / year-to-year (704.17(2)(a)): notice requiring the tenant to pay rent or vacate on or before a date at least 5 days after the giving of the notice.
• Alternative for periodic tenancies: while the tenant is in default, landlord may instead give a 14-day unconditional notice to vacate (704.17(1p)(a)). For one-year-or-less leases, a second default within one year permits a 14-day notice to vacate (704.17(2)(a)).
• Leases for more than one year: 30 days to pay/comply (704.17(3)).
• Notice is 'given' on the day of personal delivery/leaving, or the 2nd day after mailing if addressed within Wisconsin (704.19(7), applied via 704.17(4)/704.21).

Lease violation: 5 days

• Breach other than rent, periodic tenancy (704.17(1p)(b)) or lease of one year or less/year-to-year (704.17(2)(b)): notice requiring the tenant to remedy the default or vacate on or before a date at least 5 days after the giving of the notice; if the same kind of default recurs within one year after the earlier notice, landlord may give a 14-day notice to vacate with no cure.
• Lease for more than one year (704.17(3)): notice to pay rent, repair the waste or otherwise comply with the lease on or before a date at least 30 days after the giving of the notice.

Ending the tenancy without a chance to cure: 5 days

• Criminal activity / drug-related criminal activity / drug or criminal gang nuisance (704.17(3m)(b)): notice to vacate on or before a date at least 5 days after giving; no cure; notice must state the basis, describe the criminal activity, and state the tenant's right to contest in court.
• Nuisance under 704.17(1p)(c) (periodic tenancies): 5-day notice to vacate; notice 'shall state the basis for its issuance and the right of the tenant to contest the termination of tenancy'.
• Repeat defaults within one year: 14-day notice to vacate, no cure (704.17(1p)(a)-(b); (2)(a)-(b)).

Ending a month-to-month tenancy: 28 days

• At least 28 days' written notice; a periodic tenancy 'can be terminated by notice under this section only at the end of a rental period' (704.19(2)(a), (3)).
• Parties may agree expressly on another method of termination if established by clear and convincing proof (704.19(2)(a)); an inaccurate termination date makes the notice effective at the next proper date (704.19(5)).

Tenant staying after the lease ends: Lease controls

• 704.19(8): after a proper notice the tenant is not entitled to possession after the termination date; no separate holdover notice found in 704.17/704.19 (704.25 on holdover not researched).

Delivery, form and other Wisconsin rules

How the notice may be delivered

Wis. Stat. 704.21(1): (a) personal delivery to the tenant or leaving a copy at the tenant's usual place of abode in the presence of a competent family member at least 14 years old who is informed of the contents; (b) leaving a copy with any competent person apparently in charge of the rented premises or occupying it; (c) affixing a copy in a conspicuous place on the premises where it can be conveniently read AND mailing a copy; (d) registered or certified mail to the tenant's last known address; (e) service as a summons under 801.11. 704.19(7): notice is given on the day of giving/leaving, or the 2nd day after mailing (in-state address). 704.21(5): actual receipt cures an improper method.

Wis. Stat. 704.21; 704.19(7) · read 2026-09-27

Required form or contents

none found — no statutory form; notices must be in writing (704.17(4)); criminal-activity and nuisance notices must state the basis for issuance, describe the criminal activity (704.17(3m)(b)) and state the tenant's right to contest the termination (704.17(1p)(c), (3m)).

Wis. Stat. 704.17(1p)(c), (3m)(b), (4) · read 2026-09-27

Statewide just-cause rule

No statewide just-cause requirement

• No just-cause requirement; either party may end a periodic tenancy by 28-day notice (704.19).

Wis. Stat. 704.19(2)(a) · 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 Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin period and your deadline is too soon, the document is not prepared until you move it.

Create a Wisconsin 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