Pennsylvania Eviction Notice
A Pennsylvania eviction notice gives the tenant 10 days to remove after service for unpaid rent, 15 days for a lease breach or the end of a term where the lease is for one year or less or for an indeterminate time, and 30 days where the lease is for more than one year (Landlord and Tenant Act of 1951, § 501(b), 68 P.S. § 250.501). This free template builds the notice with the deadline computed from your service date.
A Pennsylvania eviction notice for landlords: the 10-day notice to quit for unpaid rent, and the 15 or 30-day notice to quit for a breach of the lease or the end of its term — the period depends on the length of the lease — each with the exact statutory deadline calculated from your service date.
Deadlines verified November 4, 2026 against legis.state.pa.us (Landlord and Tenant Act of 1951, § 501 — 68 P.S. § 250.501). The New York eviction notice is covered the same way — deadlines verified, statute cited on the document.
Archived official text: pa-1951-501.
1Build your Pennsylvania notice
2The Pennsylvania deadlines, notice by notice
Every deadline below was read in the Landlord and Tenant Act of 1951 on November 4, 2026. The notice type available in the tool depends on the reason:
- 10-Day Notice to Quit — nonpayment of rent — 68 P.S. § 250.501(b) (Landlord and Tenant Act of 1951, § 501).
- 15-Day Notice to Quit — breach of lease conditions (lease of one year or less or indeterminate term) — 68 P.S. § 250.501(b).
- 30-Day Notice to Quit — breach of lease conditions (lease of more than one year) — 68 P.S. § 250.501(b).
- 15-Day Notice to Quit — end of term (lease of one year or less or indeterminate term) — 68 P.S. § 250.501(b).
- 30-Day Notice to Quit — end of term (lease of more than one year) — 68 P.S. § 250.501(b).
3How the Pennsylvania notice period is counted
- The period runs from the date of service, not from the date written on the notice: the statute requires the notice to specify that the tenant remove within ten, fifteen or thirty days from the date of service (§ 501(b)). Keep dated proof of service.
- Service may be made personally on the tenant, by leaving the notice at the principal building upon the premises, or by posting it conspicuously on the leased premises (§ 501(f)).
- The lease itself can shorten or waive the notice period: the statutory notice may be for a lesser time or waived by the tenant if the lease so provides (§ 501(e)) — read the lease before counting on the statutory period.
- Mobile home park tenancies follow different periods — thirty days or three months depending on lease length, and fifteen days for nonpayment in the summer months (§ 501(c)). This template covers non-park tenancies.
4Mistakes that get a Pennsylvania eviction notice thrown out
- Using 30 days for every case. Pennsylvania splits the period by lease length: 15 days where the lease is for one year or less or indeterminate, 30 days only where it is for more than one year (§ 501(b)).
- Skipping the demand before a nonpayment notice. The ground is the tenant's failure, upon demand, to satisfy rent reserved and due (§ 501(a)(3)) — the notice should state the amount due.
- Serving the wrong way. The statute allows personal service, leaving the notice at the principal building on the premises, or posting it conspicuously on the leased premises (§ 501(f)) — other methods are not listed.
- Ignoring the lease. A lease clause can shorten or waive the statutory notice period (§ 501(e)); a notice that contradicts the lease invites a defense.
Questions landlords ask about Pennsylvania
How many days does a Pennsylvania eviction notice give for unpaid rent?
Ten days. In case of failure of the tenant, upon demand, to satisfy any rent reserved and due, the written notice to quit must specify that the tenant remove within ten days from the date of service (Landlord and Tenant Act of 1951, § 501(b)). Paying the rent due removes the ground. The notice may be served personally, left at the principal building, or posted conspicuously (§ 501(f)).
Is it 15 or 30 days for a lease violation in Pennsylvania?
It depends on the lease length. For a forfeiture for breach of the conditions of the lease, the notice gives fifteen days where the lease is for one year or less or for an indeterminate time, and thirty days where the lease is for more than one year (§ 501(b)). The Act grants no statutory right to cure — check the lease for any cure period it adds.
What notice ends a tenancy at the end of its term in Pennsylvania?
The same notice to quit: upon the termination of a term of the tenant, fifteen days where the lease is for one year or less or for an indeterminate time, thirty days where it is for more than one year (§ 501(b)). The lease may shorten or waive the period (§ 501(e)).
How must a Pennsylvania notice to quit be served?
Personally on the tenant, by leaving it at the principal building upon the premises, or by posting it conspicuously on the leased premises (§ 501(f)). The statutory periods run from the date of service, so keep dated proof of how and when the notice was delivered.
Can a lease change the Pennsylvania notice period?
Yes. The statute says the notice may be for a lesser time or may be waived by the tenant if the lease so provides (§ 501(e)). Many Pennsylvania leases contain such a clause — read yours before assuming the statutory 10, 15 or 30 days applies.
Can a tenant stay after a Pennsylvania notice to quit expires?
Yes. The notice is the required first step, not the eviction. If the tenant does not remove, the landlord must file a landlord-tenant complaint before the magisterial district judge and obtain a judgment for possession. Self-help eviction, such as changing the locks, is unlawful.
Is this Pennsylvania eviction notice template really free?
Yes — no account, no credit card, no trial. The document is built in your browser and nothing you type is stored or sent. The optional email field only notifies you when another state is verified; it never receives the contents of your notice.
Neighboring states
This tool is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice. Deadlines verified November 4, 2026 against legis.state.pa.us (Landlord and Tenant Act of 1951, § 501 — 68 P.S. § 250.501). Not a substitute for a licensed Pennsylvania attorney.