How much notice does a Georgia landlord have to give before evicting for nonpayment?

Georgia does have one, and it is three BUSINESS days. Under O.C.G.A. 44-7-50(c), added by the Safe at Home Act (HB 404, 2024 Ga. Laws 392, effective 1 July 2024 for leases entered into or renewed on or after that date), the landlord may go before the court only after the tenant has been provided with a notice to vacate or pay all past-due rent, late fees, utilities and other charges owed within three business days and has refused to pay or failed to deliver possession. The three-day figure is the statute, not industry custom.

Can I include late fees in the amount demanded?

Yes. O.C.G.A. 44-7-50(c) is written in terms of "rent, late fees, utilities, or other charges owed to the landlord," and the notice is a notice to vacate or pay "all past due rent, late fees, utilities, and other charges owed to the landlord." Late fees and utility arrears therefore belong in the demand where the lease makes them owing. The requirement is accuracy, not rent-only: an amount the landlord cannot substantiate is the real defect.

What happens if I accept partial payment after serving the 3-day notice?

Accepting partial rent after serving the 3-day notice may waive the notice and require a fresh notice for the remaining balance. Georgia courts have repeatedly voided unlawful detainer actions where the landlord accepted any portion of the rent demanded after the notice was served. Best practice: do not accept any payment during the notice period unless it is the full amount.

How is the 3-day notice served?

Georgia prescribes one method for this notice and it is unusual. Under O.C.G.A. 44-7-50(d) the notice must be posted in a SEALED ENVELOPE conspicuously on the door of the property AND delivered via any additional method or methods agreed upon in the rental agreement. A lease that names no additional method leaves the landlord with the sealed-envelope posting alone, which is why the additional methods should be written into the lease before they are needed.

Can the tenant pay after the 3-day period expires?

Once the three business days in O.C.G.A. 44-7-50(c) have run without payment or surrender, the landlord may file and is not obliged to accept a later payment. But the tenant gets a second, separate statutory chance: under O.C.G.A. 44-7-52 a tenant sued for nonpayment may tender all rent allegedly owed plus the cost of the dispossessory warrant within seven days of service, and that tender is a COMPLETE DEFENCE - though a landlord must accept such a tender from a given tenant only once in any 12-month period.

What if the rental property is in a city with rent control?

There is no such city in Georgia. O.C.G.A. 44-7-19 provides that no county or municipal corporation may enact, maintain or enforce any ordinance or resolution regulating in any way the amount of rent charged for privately owned residential rental property. Local rent regulation is preempted statewide and Georgia has no rent board, so the three-business-day notice in O.C.G.A. 44-7-50(c) is the whole of the pre-filing requirement.

How long is the full eviction process if the tenant does not pay?

After the 3-day notice expires, the unlawful detainer is filed. The tenant has 5-21 days to respond depending on Georgia rules. If the tenant defaults, judgment can issue within 1-3 weeks. If contested, trial is set within 20-60 days. After judgment, the sheriff posts a notice to vacate before lockout. Total timeline: 30-90 days uncontested, 60-180 days contested.

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Free Georgia 3-Day Notice to Pay Rent or Quit

The 3-day demand for rent a Georgia landlord serves before filing eviction for nonpayment. O.C.G.A. § 44-7-50(c) requires three BUSINESS days to pay or vacate before the dispossessory may be filed. Ga. Code sec. 44-7-50 (demand for possession). Built for Georgia landlords.

Georgia 3-Day Notice Ga. Code sec. 44-7-50 (demand for possession) 3 Business Days — O.C.G.A. 44-7-50(c) Free PDF 2026 Edition

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Free Georgia 3-Day Notice to Pay Rent or Quit — overview