Minnesota: Month-to-Month Tenancy Termination Notice Requirements
The short answer
In Minnesota a month-to-month rental is a 'tenancy at will,' and either the landlord or the tenant may end it with written notice at least as long as one rent period — one month for a monthly tenancy. The clock is the same for both sides. Because the period is measured by the rent interval, time the notice to cover a full rent-to-rent period. Minnesota has no statewide 'just cause' law, so a timely no-cause notice needs no reason under state law.
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This is the general rule in Minnesota. Ezel applies current Minnesota law to your specific facts and answers with citations to the statutes.
| Governing law | A Minnesota month-to-month tenancy is a 'tenancy at will' — 'a tenancy in which the tenant holds possession by permission of the landlord but without a fixed ending date' (Minn. Stat. § 504B.001, subd. 13). No-fault termination by either side is governed by Minn. Stat. § 504B.135. Nonpayment and lease-breach terminations run under the eviction provisions of chapter 504B and are outside this survey |
|---|---|
| Landlord's notice period | Written notice at least as long as one rent period. Section 504B.135 requires 'notice in writing,' and 'the time of the notice must be at least as long as the interval between the time rent is due or three months, whichever is less.' For a month-to-month tenancy the interval is one month, and one month is less than three — so at least one month's written notice. There is no occupancy-length tier and no longer landlord-only clock |
| Tenant's notice period | The same — at least one month's written notice. Section 504B.135 sets one rule for 'either party,' so the tenant's clock mirrors the landlord's: one rent interval (one month for a monthly tenancy), or three months, whichever is less. Symmetric |
| When termination takes effect | The statute fixes the notice LENGTH — at least one interval — and keys it to 'the interval between the time rent is due,' so the notice must cover a full rental period. Section 504B.135 does not name a specific end date, but because the required period is measured by the rent interval, a month-to-month notice is customarily made effective on a rent-due date and must run a complete month; a notice that leaves less than a full interval before the intended end date is short. Give at least one full rent-to-rent period |
| Form and required contents | Written. Section 504B.135 requires the termination be 'by giving notice in writing.' Beyond writing and communicating the intent to end the tenancy, the statute prescribes no particular form or required language for a no-fault termination of a tenancy at will; state the intended termination date so the one-interval period can be measured |
| How notice must be delivered | Section 504B.135 requires written notice but does not prescribe how it must be delivered — there is no statutory service method for a notice ending a tenancy at will (unlike the separate rules for an eviction action). Deliver the written notice in a way that establishes when the other party received it, and measure the one-month period from that point |
| What the lease can change | Section 504B.135 sets a floor — 'at least as long as' one interval (or three months, whichever is less) — so treat one month as the minimum for a monthly tenancy at will; the statute does not authorize cutting it shorter. Parties who want different timing typically sign a written fixed-term lease, which ends on its own terms rather than under § 504B.135. A lease may require a longer notice |
| Just-cause limits | Minnesota has no statewide just-cause law. Section 504B.135 lets 'either party' end a tenancy at will by proper written notice for any reason or none; no cause need be stated and no relocation payment is required. If the tenant stays past the termination date, the landlord recovers possession through a court eviction under chapter 504B. Some Minnesota cities have adopted their own tenant-protection or notice ordinances, so check local law for the specific address |
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Requirements one by one
Governing law
In Minnesota a month-to-month rental is a tenancy at will — the statute
defines that as "a tenancy in which the tenant holds possession by permission of
the landlord but without a fixed ending date" (Minn. Stat. § 504B.001, subd. 13).
One short statute ends it: Minn. Stat. § 504B.135. Terminations for unpaid rent
or a lease breach follow the eviction rules elsewhere in chapter 504B and are
outside this page.
The notice period
Minnesota measures the notice by the rent interval, not by a fixed number of
days. Section 504B.135 says "the time of the notice must be at least as long as
the interval between the time rent is due or three months, whichever is less." For
a monthly tenancy the interval is one month, and one month is less than three — so
either party must give at least one month's written notice. The rule is the
same for the landlord and the tenant.
When termination takes effect
Because the required period is tied to "the interval between the time rent is
due," the notice has to cover a full rental period. The statute does not spell out
a specific end date, but the safe and customary practice is to make the notice
effective on a rent-due date and let it run a complete month. A notice that leaves
less than a whole interval before the date you want the tenancy to end is short —
it will not cut the period below one month.
Just-cause limits
Minnesota has no statewide just-cause law. Section 504B.135 lets "either party"
end a tenancy at will by proper written notice for any reason or none; no cause
need be stated and no relocation payment is owed. If the tenant does not leave by
the termination date, the landlord recovers possession through a court eviction
under chapter 504B. Some Minnesota cities have their own tenant-protection
ordinances, so check local rules for the specific address.
What trips people up
The clock is one rent period, not a flat count of days. Section 504B.135 ties
the notice to "the interval between the time rent is due." For a monthly tenancy
that is one month; a weekly tenancy at will would take only a week.
Give a full rent-to-rent period. Because the period is measured by the rent
interval, a notice that does not leave a complete interval before the intended
end date does not shorten the month — time it from a rent-due date to be safe.
"At least as long as" is a floor. The lease can require more notice, but the
one-interval minimum for a monthly tenancy at will cannot be cut shorter under the
statute.
Common questions
I rent month-to-month in Minnesota and want to move out. How much notice? At
least one month's written notice, timed to cover a full rent period
(§ 504B.135). You do not need a reason.
Is it exactly 30 days? Not quite — the statute measures a rent interval
(one month), and lines up with a rent-due date rather than a flat 30-day count, so
give a full month running to the next rent date.
Does my landlord need a reason to end my month-to-month tenancy? No. Minnesota
has no statewide just-cause rule, so a proper one-month written notice for any
reason is enough under state law — check whether your city adds requirements.
Statutes and sources
- Minn. Stat. § 504B.135 — terminating a tenancy at will: written notice by either
party, at least as long as one rent interval or three months, whichever is less.
https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/504B.135 (accessed 2026-07-15) - Minn. Stat. § 504B.001, subd. 13 — definition of "tenancy at will" (possession
by permission without a fixed ending date), the category a month-to-month rental
falls in.
https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/504B.001 (accessed 2026-07-15)
Source links
Every statute quoted above, linked, with the date we checked it.
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