Florida Eviction Notices: 3-Day, 7-Day, and 30-Day Rules

Florida residential tenancies run on written notices, and the notice a landlord uses depends on why the tenancy is ending. This article covers the four notices a landlord uses before an eviction: the 3-day notice for unpaid rent, the 7-day notice to cure a lease violation, the 7-day notice to vacate for conduct that cannot be cured, and the 30-day notice to end a month-to-month tenancy. It also covers how each notice must be delivered. The framework sits within Florida landlord-tenant law under Chapter 83, and the court steps that follow an expired notice are a separate stage.

The 3-day notice for unpaid rent

The most common Florida eviction notice is the one for nonpayment of rent. Under Fla. Stat. § 83.56(3), if rent is unpaid when due and the default continues for 3 days after the landlord delivers a written demand for the rent or possession, the landlord may terminate the rental agreement. The 3-day count excludes Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays, and the statute limits “legal holidays” to court-observed holidays only.

The day the notice is delivered does not count as one of the 3 days; the count starts the next day. Because weekends and court holidays are skipped, a notice delivered on a Thursday before a Monday holiday can give the tenant until the following Wednesday to pay.

The statute sets out the exact language the notice must contain. It states the amount owed, identifies the premises by address and county, and demands payment of the rent or possession within 3 days (excluding Saturday, Sunday, and legal holidays) by a stated date. A demand that inflates the amount with late fees or other charges the lease does not tie to rent is a frequent reason these notices fail.

If the tenant pays the full amount demanded within the 3 days, the default is cured and the tenancy continues. If the landlord accepts a partial payment after posting the notice, Fla. Stat. § 83.56(5) requires the landlord to give a receipt and either place the partial rent in the court registry when filing or post a new 3-day notice for the new balance.

The 7-day notice to cure a lease violation

When the problem is a lease violation other than unpaid rent, and the tenant can fix it, the landlord uses a 7-day notice to cure under Fla. Stat. § 83.56(2)(b). The notice specifies the noncompliance and states that if the tenant does not correct it within 7 days of delivery, the rental agreement will be terminated. Examples in the statute include unauthorized pets, guests, or vehicles, parking violations, and failing to keep the premises clean and sanitary.

Unlike the 3-day rent count, the 7 days for a cure notice run as calendar days from delivery; the statute does not exclude weekends or holidays from this count. The tenant corrects the violation within that window to keep the tenancy in place.

The cure notice carries a repeat-violation consequence. If the same conduct, or conduct of a similar nature, recurs within 12 months after the notice, the statute allows an eviction action to begin without delivering another notice. The first 7-day cure notice is what makes a later repeat enforceable without a fresh warning.

The 7-day notice to vacate for uncurable conduct

Some conduct is serious enough that the statute does not require the landlord to offer a chance to fix it. Under Fla. Stat. § 83.56(2)(a), the landlord delivers a written notice specifying the noncompliance and stating an intent to terminate, and the tenant has 7 days from delivery to vacate the premises.

The statute lists intentional destruction, damage, or misuse of the landlord’s or other tenants’ property, and continued unreasonable disturbances, as examples of conduct that does not get an opportunity to cure. A subsequent or continuing noncompliance within 12 months of a written warning of a similar violation can also fall under this no-cure notice rather than the cure notice.

The 30-day notice to end a month-to-month tenancy

A tenancy with no fixed end date, the typical month-to-month arrangement, can be ended by either the landlord or the tenant without alleging any fault. The notice period depends on the rental period. Under Fla. Stat. § 83.57, a month-to-month tenancy requires at least 30 days’ written notice before the end of a monthly period, a year-to-year tenancy requires at least 60 days before the end of the annual period, and a week-to-week tenancy requires at least 7 days.

The 30-day figure changed in recent years. Florida increased the month-to-month notice period from 15 days to 30 days effective July 1, 2023, so notice forms and older guides referencing a 15-day period reflect the prior version of the statute. As of 2026, the required period for a month-to-month tenancy is 30 days.

Under Fla. Stat. § 83.57, the notice must give a full 30 days before the end of a monthly period, so the timing depends on when the rental month runs. A no-fault notice to end an open-ended tenancy differs from the fault-based 3-day and 7-day notices: it ends the tenancy on schedule rather than terminating a lease for a breach.

How a Florida eviction notice must be delivered

The delivery rules for the 3-day and 7-day notices are set by Fla. Stat. § 83.56(4). A landlord may deliver these notices by mailing a true copy, by hand-delivering a true copy, by e-mail in accordance with § 83.505, or, if the tenant is absent from the rental, by leaving a copy at the residence. The same subsection provides that these notice requirements cannot be waived in the rental agreement.

E-mail delivery is a newer option. Under Fla. Stat. § 83.505, added in 2025, notices may be delivered by e-mail only if the landlord and tenant signed an addendum specifically agreeing to electronic delivery and each provided a valid e-mail address. A notice sent under that section is deemed delivered when sent, unless the e-mail bounces back as undeliverable, and the sender must keep a copy and proof of transmission.

1. Match the notice to the reason

   Use the 3-day notice for unpaid rent, the 7-day cure notice for a fixable lease violation, the 7-day no-cure notice for serious conduct, or the 30-day notice to end a month-to-month tenancy. The reason for ending the tenancy determines which notice applies.

2. Use the statutory language and correct count

   The 3-day notice must track the form in § 83.56(3) and count only business days, excluding court holidays. The 7-day and 30-day notices run as calendar days from delivery or before the end of the period.

3. Deliver it by a permitted method

   Deliver by mailing or hand-delivering a true copy, by leaving a copy at the residence if the tenant is absent, or by e-mail only where a signed § 83.505 addendum is in place. Keep evidence of how and when the notice was delivered.

What happens after the notice period ends

The notice is the first step, not the eviction itself. If the notice period passes and the tenant has not paid, cured, or moved out, the tenancy is terminated, and the landlord’s next step is to file in court. Under Fla. Stat. § 83.59, a landlord who wants possession must file a complaint for eviction in the county court where the premises are located and is entitled to a summary procedure that the court advances on its calendar.

Florida law does not permit a landlord to skip the court process. Only after a judgment and a court-issued writ of possession can a sheriff remove a tenant. Shutting off utilities, changing the locks, or removing a tenant’s belongings to force a move-out is prohibited self-help, separate from the notice rules described here.

A defective notice can undo the case at this stage. Because the county court reads the notice requirements strictly, a wrong day count, an inflated rent demand, or the wrong notice type for the conduct can lead the court to dismiss the action and require the landlord to serve a correct notice and start again.