How to evict a tenant in Tennessee (URLTA counties): notice, detainer warrant and sheriff
In the 17 Tennessee counties covered by the Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act, a landlord who wants a tenant out for unpaid rent usually gives a written notice with at least 14 days, during which the tenant can pay and stay. If the tenant does not leave, the landlord files a detainer warrant in court. After a judgment the tenant has at least 10 more days, and then the sheriff's department carries out the removal. Locks and utilities are off limits.
Which Tennessee counties follow the same rules?
Tennessee does not have one statewide landlord-tenant law. The Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (URLTA) applies in particular counties, and the Tennessee Department of Health and Legal Aid publish a renter's guide for these: Anderson, Blount, Bradley, Davidson, Hamilton, Knox, Madison, Maury, Montgomery, Rutherford, Sevier, Shelby, Sullivan, Sumner, Washington, Williamson and Wilson. The 14-day nonpayment period is in Tenn. Code Ann. 66-28-505. The guide we read was last dated July 2015, so confirm the current Code before you rely on a number. If your rental is in any other county, different rules apply, and this post does not cover them. Check the county first.
What notice does the landlord give?
According to the guide, the landlord must first give written warning to move out, saying how many days the tenant has. The length depends on why.
| Reason | Written notice before court |
|---|---|
| Unpaid rent (most cases) | At least 14 days, in writing |
| Dangerous act, or making the place unsafe | 3 days |
| A repeat of a fixed problem within 6 months | 7 days |
| A breach that cannot be fixed by paying or repairing | 14 days |
| Any other lease breach | 14 days |
| No lease, no fault: monthly rent / weekly rent | 30 days / 10 days |
There is an exception that matters for how you write the lease. The guide says a lease that has the tenant waive written notice lets the landlord go straight to court when rent is behind, without sending a letter first. Even then, a dated written notice gives you a record. A 2025 bill to cut the 14 days in Tenn. Code Ann. 66-28-505 to 7 days (HB 1345) failed in a House subcommittee on March 12, 2025, and its Senate companion (SB 1088) had no action after March 18, 2025, so the 14-day period stands as last read; check the current Code for any change. See how to serve a notice and prove it.
Can the tenant pay and stay?
Usually yes within the notice period. The guide says the tenant may not have to move if the tenant pays the rent or fixes the problem within the 14 days, which start the day the landlord tells the tenant in writing to move. For unpaid rent or late fees the tenant must pay what is owed; for damage the tenant pays to fix it, with the landlord's written okay. A tenant who repeats the same problem within 6 months gets only a 7-day warning. If a landlord took late rent and the tenant shows a receipt or cancelled check in court, the judge may decide the tenant does not have to move, though a tenant who has paid late before does not have a right to have the landlord take payment after 5 days.
What happens in court, and after?
If the tenant stays, the landlord files for a detainer warrant. The guide stresses that a detainer warrant is not an arrest warrant. It tells the tenant when to come to the eviction hearing. Fees vary by county. A tenant who gets a notice with the wrong number of days can tell the judge, who may give more time. A tenant sued for possession is told to keep paying rent, because the lease obligation continues while the case runs, and a landlord who takes rent mid-case should write down what it is for.
If the judge orders the tenant out, the guide says the tenant has at least 10 more days to leave. After that the sheriff's department comes and the tenant and belongings are set out. The landlord cannot set belongings out on the street until after the sheriff comes.
Example a made-up landlord in a URLTA county delivers a written notice to a monthly tenant on Monday, November 2, 2026, giving 14 days to pay the $1,180 owed or move. The 14 days end Monday, November 16. The tenant does not pay, so the landlord files a detainer warrant on Tuesday, November 17. Suppose the court sets the hearing for Monday, November 30 and the judge orders the tenant to move. The tenant has at least 10 more days, until Thursday, December 10, and the sheriff's department can then carry out the removal. That is 38 days from the notice, with no continuance and no appeal. If the tenant had paid the $1,180 on or before November 16, the tenant could stay.
What can a Tennessee landlord not do?
The guide is direct. The landlord cannot change the locks to make a tenant leave, even if the tenant is behind on rent or broke the lease, and it is against the law. The landlord cannot set the tenant's things on the street until after the sheriff comes. The landlord cannot shut off lights, water or gas to make the tenant leave, even if the tenant is behind or broke the lease, and the guide says doing so is almost always against the law. Utilities may be cut if the tenant moved out, or if the lease requires the tenant to put them in the tenant's name and the tenant fails to within the first 3 days after moving in. A tenant can sue a landlord who forces a tenant out. To make a tenant move, the landlord must first go to court.
On retaliation, the guide says a landlord may evict a tenant who reports a problem if the tenant is behind on rent, if the tenant or a guest caused the problems, or if the landlord would have to tear down or remodel the home to fix them.
How DoorKeeping handles it
DoorKeeping records rent in each property's books and keeps late fees within your state's cap, which the guide puts at 10% of the rent owed for private rentals. The tenant ledger, lease and written notice are stored as documents, and you can email tenants. It does not file detainer warrants or serve notices. DoorKeeping gives general information, not legal advice. If a case is contested, or the tenant files an answer, talk to a local attorney.
Sources
Questions
- How much notice for unpaid rent in Tennessee?
- In the URLTA counties, most of the time at least 14 days in writing, and the tenant can stay by paying within that time. A lease can waive written notice.
- Does Tennessee have one eviction law for the whole state?
- No. The Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act applies in specific counties, so check which county the rental is in before relying on a rule.
- Can a Tennessee landlord change the locks on a tenant behind on rent?
- No. The state's renter guide says changing the locks to make a tenant leave is against the law even if the tenant is behind on rent or broke the lease.