Landlord entry notice by state.

Why the answer is not one number

Entry statutes have a common skeleton: the tenant may not unreasonably withhold consent, the landlord may not abuse the right of access or use it to harass, and there is an exception for emergencies. What differs is the clock. Some states fix a number of hours for every entry (Minnesota, Oregon, Delaware). Some vary it by reason, such as Washington's shorter notice for showings or Virginia's 72 hours for routine maintenance only. Some state no number at all, leaving "reasonable" to the facts. And some limit the hours of the day, which a notice-length test would miss. The checker above takes all three inputs.

The nine statutes side by side

"Reasonable notice" means the statute itself gives no number, and the rule is applied case by case. For Florida, the 24 hours is the statute's definition of reasonable notice for repairs only. Florida also lets a landlord enter at any time for the protection or preservation of the premises, and with the tenant's consent, so its inspection and showing rows read as reasonable notice with no fixed count.

What counts as notice

Written notice is required in California, where the notice must say the date, approximate time and purpose, and in Washington, where it must give the exact date and time or an earliest and latest time, plus a phone number for objections. Oregon asks for actual notice, and the tenant can block a routine entry by giving actual notice that consent is denied. Minnesota's notice must name a time or window, and a landlord who enters when the tenant is out and no notice was given must leave a written disclosure of the entry. Connecticut accepts written or oral notice. Delaware lets a tenant waive the 48 hours for prospective tenants or purchasers only in a signed addendum or separate signed document.

When no notice is needed

Emergency entry is the common exception, and each statute describes it in its own words: Minnesota lists immediate entry to prevent injury or damage, to check a tenant's safety, or to comply with local ordinances on unlawful activity. Oregon requires the landlord to give the tenant actual notice within 24 hours after an emergency entry in their absence, naming the date, time, nature of the emergency and who entered. Repairs the tenant asked for are the second exception. In Oregon, a written repair request lets the landlord enter without further notice for seven days. In Delaware the 48 hours does not apply to repairs the tenant requested, in Arizona a tenant's service request counts as permission to enter, and in Virginia notice of routine maintenance is not required when the tenant made the request. California treats an oral agreement for repairs as enough if the entry follows within a week.

Worked example (hypothetical)

A landlord in Minnesota leaves a note at 6 p.m. on Monday saying he will inspect the furnace at 7 p.m. on Tuesday. That is 25 hours, which clears the 24-hour minimum, and 7 p.m. is inside the 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. window, so the notice passes if it also stated the time or window. If he instead showed up at 8:30 p.m. the same day he would be outside the window even with a full day's notice. In Washington the same note would fail for an ordinary inspection, which needs two days written notice, but would pass for a showing to a prospective buyer, which needs one day. The dates and times are invented.

Common mistakes

• Counting from the date on the notice instead of the time the tenant received it.
• Assuming 24 hours everywhere. Washington, Delaware and Arizona use two days or 48 hours.
• Forgetting the hours-of-day limit. Minnesota, Delaware and Florida (for repairs) fix daily windows.
• Treating a lease clause that waives notice as binding. Minnesota says a tenant may not waive the right and a landlord may not require a waiver.
• Reading a state that is not in the table as having no rule. It was not checked.

Who this is for

Tenants who got a notice and want to know whether it is long enough, landlords and property managers scheduling inspections and repairs, and maintenance teams who work across several states.

What this page does not cover

• The other states, which were not read for this page. Several statutes use "reasonable" without a number, and this page does not claim to know which states do.
• Local ordinances, lease terms that give a tenant more protection, mobile home parks and subsidized housing programs.
• Remedies and penalties, other than noting that Minnesota provides a rent reduction and a civil penalty of up to $500 per violation.
• This is general legal information, not legal advice. Confirm the current statute before acting.