Wisconsin Eviction Notice
A Wisconsin eviction notice gives the tenant 5 days to pay rent or vacate under a lease of one year or less or a year-to-year tenancy (Wis. Stat. § 704.17(2)(a)), and 5 days to remedy a violation or vacate (§ 704.17(2)(b)); month-to-month tenancies follow § 704.17(1p), with a 14-day no-cure option. Ending a periodic tenancy takes 28 days' notice before the end of the rental period (§ 704.19(3)). This free template builds the notice with the deadline computed from your service date.
A Wisconsin eviction notice for landlords: the 5-day notice to pay rent or vacate, the 5-day notice to remedy a lease violation or vacate — with the 14-day option, without right to cure, after a repeat default within one year — and the 28-day notice to end a periodic tenancy, each with the exact statutory deadline calculated from your service date.
Deadlines verified November 4, 2026 against docs.legis.wisconsin.gov (Wis. Stat. §§ 704.17, 704.19). The New York eviction notice is covered the same way — deadlines verified, statute cited on the document.
Archived official text: wi-704-17 · wi-704-19.
1Build your Wisconsin notice
2The Wisconsin deadlines, notice by notice
Every deadline below was read in the Wisconsin Statutes on November 4, 2026. The notice type available in the tool depends on the reason:
- 5-Day Notice to Pay Rent or Vacate (lease of one year or less, year-to-year) — Wis. Stat. § 704.17(2)(a).
- 5-Day Notice to Pay or Vacate — month-to-month tenancy — Wis. Stat. § 704.17(1p)(a).
- 5-Day Notice to Remedy or Vacate (lease of one year or less, year-to-year) — Wis. Stat. § 704.17(2)(b).
- 5-Day Notice to Remedy or Vacate — month-to-month tenancy — Wis. Stat. § 704.17(1p)(b).
- 28-Day Notice of Termination — periodic tenancy — Wis. Stat. § 704.19(3).
3How the Wisconsin notice period is counted
- The 5-day notices require payment, remedy or vacation on or before a date at least 5 days after the giving of the notice (§ 704.17(1p)-(2)) — the count runs from giving the notice, so keep dated proof of service.
- After a second rent default within one year of a prior noticed default, the landlord may give 14 days' notice to vacate without giving the tenant the right to pay (§ 704.17(2)(a)); the same 14-day no-cure option exists for a repeat violation within one year (§§ 704.17(1p)(b), 704.17(2)(b)).
- A tenant complies with a 5-day violation notice by promptly taking reasonable steps to remedy the default and proceeding with reasonable diligence — or, where damages adequately protect the landlord, by making a bona fide and reasonable offer to pay them (§ 704.17(2)(b)).
- The 28-day termination of a periodic tenancy takes effect at the end of a rental period: the notice must be given at least 28 days before that date (§ 704.19(3)).
4Mistakes that get a Wisconsin eviction notice thrown out
- Treating the 5-day notice as a no-cure termination. On a first default the tenant keeps the right to pay or to remedy within the 5 days; only a repeat default within one year allows the 14-day notice without that right (§ 704.17(2)).
- Using the wrong tenancy category. Section 704.17(1p) covers month-to-month tenancies and § 704.17(2) leases of one year or less and year-to-year tenancies — the notice must match the tenancy.
- Miscounting the 5 days. The deadline must fall at least 5 days after the giving of the notice (§ 704.17(2)(a)); a notice that shortchanges the period is defective.
- Ending a periodic tenancy mid-period. The 28-day notice terminates only at the end of a rental period (§ 704.19(3)); a notice that purports to end the tenancy on another date fails.
Questions landlords ask about Wisconsin
How many days does a Wisconsin eviction notice give for unpaid rent?
Five days to pay or vacate for a tenant under a lease of one year or less or a year-to-year tenancy (Wis. Stat. § 704.17(2)(a)). For a month-to-month tenancy the landlord chooses: a 5-day notice to pay or vacate, or a 14-day notice terminating the tenancy without the right to pay (§ 704.17(1p)(a)).
Can a Wisconsin landlord refuse the rent and evict after a second default?
Yes. If the tenant fails to pay a subsequent installment within one year of a prior rent default for which notice was given, the landlord may terminate on 14 days' notice to vacate, without giving the tenant the right to pay (§ 704.17(2)(a)). The first default keeps the 5-day pay-or-vacate right.
What notice is used for a lease violation in Wisconsin?
A 5-day notice to remedy the default or vacate (§ 704.17(2)(b) for leases of one year or less and year-to-year tenancies; § 704.17(1p)(b) for month-to-month). Promptly taking reasonable steps to remedy counts as complying. On a repeat violation within one year, the landlord may terminate on 14 days' notice with no opportunity to remedy.
How much notice ends a month-to-month tenancy in Wisconsin?
Twenty-eight days. A periodic tenancy may be terminated by written notice given at least 28 days before the end of the rental period (Wis. Stat. § 704.19(3)) — the termination takes effect at the end of that period, not simply 28 days after the notice is given.
Does the tenant really get to keep the tenancy by curing in Wisconsin?
Yes, on a first default. Paying within the 5 days defeats a nonpayment termination (§ 704.17(2)(a)), and promptly taking reasonable steps to remedy a violation — or making a bona fide offer to pay damages where those adequately protect the landlord — counts as complying with a violation notice (§ 704.17(2)(b)).
Can a tenant stay after a Wisconsin eviction notice expires?
Yes. The notice is the required first step, not the eviction. If the tenant does not pay, remedy or vacate, the landlord must file an eviction action and obtain a court judgment before recovering possession. Lockouts and self-help removal are unlawful.
Is this Wisconsin 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 docs.legis.wisconsin.gov (Wis. Stat. §§ 704.17, 704.19). Not a substitute for a licensed Wisconsin attorney.