Free Louisiana Notice of Non-Renewal
The written notice Louisiana landlords use to end a periodic tenancy or decline to renew a fixed-term lease. La. Civ. Code art. 2728 sets the notice period: 10 days written notice. Built for Louisiana landlords.
Free Louisiana Notice of Non-Renewal — overview
Notice of Non-Renewal is one of the highest-stakes routine documents in Louisiana landlord-tenant practice. A defective notice — wrong period, improper service, missing required information — cannot support an eviction action, forcing the landlord to start over and pushing recovery of possession back by months. Louisiana non-renewal practice has technical requirements: the notice period is keyed to the rental period and counted back from the end of it; a fixed-term lease needs no notice at all under art. 2720; written notice must be delivered to the lessee under La. Code Civ. Proc. art. 4701; the notice must be in writing with all required elements. The form on this page handles the mechanics correctly; the page itself walks through the analysis step by step.
LA Notice Period
10 days
Authority
art. 2728
Allowed Hours
Business hours
Emergency
No notice required
On this page
A Louisiana Notice of Non-Renewal is the written notice a landlord uses to end a periodic tenancy or to communicate that a fixed-term lease will not be renewed at expiration. La. Civ. Code art. 2728 sets the notice-period requirements: 10 days written notice. Service must follow La. Code Civ. Proc. art. 4701. Getting the notice right is high-stakes work: a defective notice cannot support an eviction action, and the landlord must start over with a corrected notice — pushing recovery of possession back by months. The form on this page handles the mechanics; the rest of this guide walks through the requirements.
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Enter the date you’ll deliver the notice. The calculator shows the earliest valid termination date under La. Civ. Code art. 2728.
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What a Notice of Non-Renewal does
A Louisiana Notice of Non-Renewal is the document that ends a residential tenancy without alleging tenant fault. It is the formal communication that the tenancy will not continue past the date specified in the notice. Two distinct scenarios trigger its use: (1) ending a periodic (month-to-month) tenancy, and (2) declining to renew a fixed-term lease at expiration.
The notice is procedurally similar to other Louisiana eviction-related notices, but substantively different. A pay-rent-or-quit notice alleges nonpayment. A cure-or-quit notice alleges a curable lease breach. A notice of non-renewal does not necessarily allege any wrongdoing — it simply ends the tenancy at the end of the notice period.
What the notice accomplishes practically: it establishes the date on which the tenant’s legal right to occupy the premises ends. After that date, if the tenant has not vacated, the landlord may file an unlawful detainer or eviction action to recover possession. The non-renewal notice is the precondition to the eviction action — without it (or with a defective version), the landlord cannot lawfully recover possession of a tenancy that has not otherwise been forfeited.
The form on this page produces a Notice of Non-Renewal that satisfies La. Civ. Code art. 2728 and complies with Louisiana’s notice-period requirements. The mechanical accuracy of the document is critical: a notice that gets the period wrong, omits required information, or fails proper service is unenforceable, and the landlord must start over.
Louisiana legal framework
Louisiana non-renewal of a residential tenancy operates under several layered sources of law. Three primary frameworks apply to most non-renewal notices in this state.
1. La. Civ. Code arts. 2727–2729 — the notice-period articles. Art. 2727 provides that a lease with an indeterminate term ends by notice; art. 2728 fixes the timing; art. 2729 fixes the form. Art. 2728 sets four periods keyed to the length of the rental period — thirty calendar days where the term is longer than a month, ten calendar days for month-to-month, five calendar days where the term is a week or more but shorter than a month, and any time before expiration for a term shorter than a week. Crucially, each is a deadline counted back from the end of the rental period, not forward from delivery: a timely notice ends the lease at the end of the period specified in it, or at the end of the first period for which it is timely.
2. La. Code Civ. Proc. art. 4701 — the notice to vacate. This is the eviction predicate, and it is worth reading closely because it does not do what most guides say it does. It prescribes no methods at all. Its whole command is that “the lessor or his agent shall cause written notice to vacate the premises to be delivered to the lessee,” allowing “not less than five days from the date of its delivery.” It adds two Louisiana-specific rules: where the lease has a definite term, the notice to vacate may be given not more than thirty days before the term expires; and a lessee may waive the notice requirement entirely by written waiver contained in the lease, in which case the lessor may institute eviction proceedings immediately. The only delivery rule in the Title is art. 4703, and it is conditional: if the premises are abandoned or closed, or the lessee’s whereabouts are unknown, the notice may be attached to a door of the premises, and that “shall have the same effect as delivery to, or personal service on, the lessee.” No mailing accompanies it. Do not import the three-tier personal/substituted/posting ladder used in common-law states — Louisiana has no such requirement, and a landlord who believes a mailing must accompany a door attachment is following another state’s law.
3. Implied covenant of quiet enjoyment. Independent of any specific statute, every Louisiana residential lease carries an implied covenant that the tenant will have peaceful, exclusive possession of the premises for the duration of the tenancy. A non-renewal notice that is part of a pattern of harassment, retaliation, or discrimination breaches this covenant and exposes the landlord to claims for damages, attorney’s fees, and equitable relief.
Anti-retaliation protections. Louisiana does not have a strong statutory anti-retaliation framework specific to landlord-tenant relationships. However, federal law (42 U.S.C. § 3617 and related provisions) and common-law principles still prohibit a landlord from retaliating against a tenant for exercising fair-housing rights. A non-renewal that follows protected tenant conduct (fair-housing complaint, code-enforcement contact) can support a federal retaliation claim.
Anti-discrimination protections — federal Fair Housing Act and Louisiana fair housing law. A non-renewal notice that targets a tenant based on a protected class (race, color, religion, national origin, sex, familial status, disability, and source of income in some jurisdictions) violates fair housing law regardless of whether the technical notice-period requirements are met. Disparate-impact analysis can also reach facially neutral policies that disproportionately affect a protected class.
Notice period under art. 2728
La. Civ. Code art. 2728 sets the timing of the notice required by art. 2727 to end a lease with an indeterminate term. It is not a single figure: the article sets four periods keyed to the length of the rental period. For the month-to-month tenancy most residential non-renewals involve, the period is ten calendar days before the end of that month.
| Tenancy | Required notice | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Term longer than a month (e.g. year-to-year) | 30 calendar days before the end of the period | La. Civ. Code art. 2728(1) |
| Month-to-month | 10 calendar days before the end of that month | La. Civ. Code art. 2728(2) |
| Week or more, shorter than a month | 5 calendar days before the end of the period | La. Civ. Code art. 2728(3) |
| Shorter than a week | Any time before the period expires | La. Civ. Code art. 2728(4) |
| Fixed term | No notice required to end at expiration | La. Civ. Code art. 2720 |
Count backwards from the end of the period, not forwards from delivery. This is the single most misreported rule in Louisiana termination practice. Art. 2728 does not start a clock on delivery; it sets a deadline before the end of the rental period. The notice must be given at or before that mark, and the article’s closing paragraph supplies the effect: a timely notice “terminates the lease at the end of the period specified in the notice, and, if none is specified, at the end of the first period for which the notice is timely.” A month-to-month notice delivered on 3 April ends the tenancy on 30 April; the same notice delivered on 25 April is late for April and ends it on 31 May instead. Note that this differs from the separate five-day period in C.C.P. art. 4701, which is measured “from the date of its delivery” — the two run on different clocks and should not be conflated.
The rental period controls — not length of residence. Art. 2728 measures the notice period by the length of the rental period alone. Louisiana has no rule lengthening the period for a long-tenured tenant, and no rule that sequential leases must be added together. A tenant of ten years on a month-to-month footing gets the same ten calendar days as a tenant of ten months. What a fresh fixed-term lease does change is which article applies at all: while a fixed term is running, art. 2720 governs and no notice is required to end it at expiration.
Fixed-term leases — non-renewal vs. termination. A fixed-term lease typically expires by its own terms on the last day of the term. If the lease itself requires the landlord to give advance notice of non-renewal, failing to give that notice may convert the tenancy to month-to-month on the same terms. Check the lease before assuming the fixed term simply expires.
The notice cannot be shortened by lease provision. A lease term that purports to authorize less than the statutory notice period is void and unenforceable as to that provision. The tenant can consent to a shorter period at the time the notice is issued, but cannot prospectively waive the art. 2728 minimum in advance through a lease.
C.C.P. art. 4701 expressly permits a lease to waive the notice to vacate. This is a genuinely distinctive Louisiana rule and it cuts against the usual assumption that a statutory notice floor cannot be contracted away. Art. 4701’s third paragraph provides that “a lessee may waive the notice requirements of this Article by written waiver contained in the lease, in which case, upon termination of the lessee’s right of occupancy for any reason, the lessor or his agent may immediately institute eviction proceedings.” Such waivers are common in Louisiana residential leases. Read the lease before assuming any notice to vacate is owed at all.
The notice can be lengthened by lease provision. A lease that requires the landlord to give 90 days notice of non-renewal is enforceable — the landlord must give the longer period the lease specifies. Longer-notice lease provisions are common in larger rental developments and corporate-owned properties.
Delivery of the notice
Louisiana does not publish a list of authorized service methods for a termination or non-renewal notice, and this is where imported guidance does the most damage. La. Civ. Code art. 2729 requires only that the notice be in writing where the leased thing is an immovable or a movable used as a residence. La. Code Civ. Proc. art. 4701 requires only that written notice to vacate be delivered to the lessee. Neither ranks methods, and neither requires a mailing. The single delivery rule in Title XI is art. 4703, and it is a conditional substitute rather than a step in a ladder.
| Method | Procedure | Effective date |
|---|---|---|
| Personal delivery | Hand the written notice directly to the lessee. Nothing in art. 4701 or art. 2729 requires more. | Date of delivery — art. 4701 measures its five days “from the date of its delivery” |
| Attachment to a door (art. 4703) | Only where the premises are abandoned or closed, or the lessee’s whereabouts are unknown. Attach the notice to a door of the premises. No mailing is required. Photograph it in place. | Date of attachment — art. 4703 gives it “the same effect as delivery to, or personal service on, the lessee” |
| Certified mail, return receipt | Not prescribed by statute and not excluded by it. Widely used because it produces proof of delivery. It does not substitute for art. 4703’s conditions if the lessee cannot be located. | Date the lessee actually receives it |
| Leaving it with another occupant | Louisiana prescribes no substituted-service procedure for these notices, so this is neither authorized nor forbidden by statute — it simply leaves you proving actual delivery to the lessee. | Date you can prove the lessee received it |
| Email or text alone | Art. 2729 requires writing for a residence; a purely electronic notice invites an argument about whether it was delivered. Treat it as a supplement to, not a replacement for, a provable physical delivery. | — |
Personal delivery is the cleanest and most defensible. Whenever practical, deliver the notice personally to the tenant. Document the date, time, and circumstances of delivery — ideally with a witness or photo. Personal delivery starts the notice clock immediately, eliminating any dispute about when the period began.
There is no substituted-service step to perfect. Guidance telling Louisiana landlords that leaving the notice with an adult occupant must be paired with a mailing is describing another state’s statute. Louisiana’s Civil Code and Code of Civil Procedure impose no such pairing. What matters here is not which tier you climbed but whether you can prove the written notice reached the lessee — or that art. 4703’s conditions were met.
Door attachment is conditional, not a fallback for a missed knock. Art. 4703 is available only if the premises are abandoned or closed, or the lessee’s whereabouts are unknown. A lessee who is simply out at work has not made the premises “closed” in the sense the article means, and a landlord who attaches the notice to the door on that basis has taken a real risk at the rule for possession. Where art. 4703 does apply, the attachment stands on its own — no mailing is required to complete it. Photograph it in place, dated, for the file.
Document delivery rigorously. Whatever method is used, the landlord should document the date, time, method, and circumstances of delivery. The landlord’s defense in any later challenge to the notice — including in an unlawful detainer or eviction proceeding — depends almost entirely on this documentation. Keep delivery documentation in the property file for the duration of the tenancy plus the applicable statute of limitations.
Required information for the notice
La. Civ. Code art. 2728 does not specify a precise content requirement for non-renewal notices, but settled Louisiana practice and case law establish a minimum set of elements the notice must contain.
| Element | Why it’s required |
|---|---|
| Date of the notice | Establishes the timeline; required for proof of service |
| Names of all tenants | The notice must run against every adult tenant on the lease (or all named occupants if no formal lease) |
| Property address | Identifies the specific premises being terminated |
| Termination date | Must be at least the required period after delivery; specific calendar date |
| Statutory authority | Reference to La. Civ. Code art. 2728 establishes the legal basis |
| Landlord name and contact | Required for any tenant response or follow-up |
| Signature | Must be signed by the landlord or authorized agent |
| Method of service | Notice itself doesn’t require this, but proof of service should be prepared and retained |
Termination date must be calculated correctly. The date stated in the notice as the termination date must be at least the statutory required number of days after the date of delivery. A notice that says “tenancy terminates X days from the date of this notice” without identifying a specific calendar date creates ambiguity and is on weaker enforcement ground. Pick a specific calendar date and verify the math.
The landlord’s identity must be unambiguous. If a property-management company is serving the notice on behalf of an owner, the notice should make that relationship clear. A notice signed in an ambiguous capacity invites disputes about authority.
Documentation supports the notice. Beyond the notice itself, the landlord should retain a copy of the lease (showing the tenancy duration and terms), a record of delivery (proof of service), and any communications with the tenant about the non-renewal. These documents become evidence if the tenant disputes the notice.
Common mistakes that void the notice
Counting forward from delivery instead of back from the end of the period
This is the most common art. 2728 error. The article does not start a clock on the delivery date; it sets a deadline before the rental period ends. A month-to-month notice must be given at or before ten calendar days before the end of the month, and the tenancy then ends at the end of that month. A landlord who delivers on 25 April and writes a termination date of 5 May has produced a notice that is late for April and, on the article’s own terms, ends the lease on 31 May instead. Note that the five-day period in C.C.P. art. 4701 is different and is measured “from the date of its delivery” — the two clocks run differently and conflating them is how notices fail at the rule for possession.
Importing another state’s occupancy tiers
Several states tier the notice period by how long the tenant has lived in the unit, so that a tenancy over a year requires a longer notice. Louisiana does not. Art. 2728 keys the period entirely to the length of the rental period — monthly, weekly, longer than a month — and says nothing about how long the tenant has lived there. A landlord who gives sixty days because the tenant has been there three years is being generous, not compliant; a landlord who thinks the ten-day period is unavailable for a long-tenured month-to-month tenant is wrong.
Treating art. 4701 as a service-methods statute
Art. 4701 prescribes no methods. Landlords who believe Louisiana requires a mailing alongside a posting, or that a ranked ladder of delivery methods has to be worked through top to bottom, are following common-law-state practice that the Louisiana articles do not contain. The one delivery rule is art. 4703’s conditional door attachment, and it needs no mailing.
Email or text-only delivery
Email and text are not authorized methods of service for termination notices in Louisiana, even if the lease purports to authorize electronic service. A notice delivered only by email or text is generally void.
Issuing a non-renewal during a protected period
Louisiana does not have a state-statutory anti-retaliation framework, but federal law and common-law principles still apply. Avoid issuing a non-renewal that follows tenant fair-housing or habitability assertions without a documented legitimate reason. Issuing a non-renewal within the protected period without a documented legitimate reason invites a retaliation claim and shifts the burden of proof to the landlord.
Targeting a tenant in a protected class
Even where the technical notice-period requirements are met, a non-renewal that targets a tenant based on race, religion, national origin, familial status (including pregnancy or having children), disability, source of income, or other protected characteristics under federal and Louisiana fair housing law is illegal. Disparate-impact analysis can also reach facially neutral patterns. A pattern of non-renewals concentrated in one demographic exposes the landlord to fair housing claims.
Failing to identify all tenants on the notice
Every adult tenant named on the lease should be named on the non-renewal notice. A notice that omits one of the named tenants is on weaker ground and may not support an eviction action against the omitted tenant. Some courts also require service on each named tenant individually.
Wrong termination date for the rental period
For periodic tenancies, the termination date should fall at the end of a rental period, not in the middle. A notice that terminates the tenancy mid-month for a month-to-month tenancy may not support an eviction until the end of the next rental period. Louisiana courts vary on how strictly this is enforced, but the safer practice is to align termination with the end of a rental period.
Not retaining a copy of the notice and proof of service
The notice and proof of service are the landlord’s primary evidence in any later eviction proceeding. Failing to retain copies leaves the landlord without the foundation to prove proper notice was given. Maintain the notice, proof of service, and any related communications in the property file.
Tenant remedies for defective notice
A Louisiana tenant who receives a defective non-renewal notice — wrong period, improper service, missing required information, or retaliatory or discriminatory motive — has multiple potential remedies. Understanding these helps landlords appreciate why getting the notice right matters.
Affirmative defense in eviction proceedings
The most common scenario: the landlord serves a defective notice, the tenant does not vacate by the termination date, the landlord files an eviction action, and the tenant raises the defective notice as an affirmative defense. If the defense succeeds, the action is dismissed and the landlord must serve a corrected notice and start over. The tenant typically remains in possession during the do-over and may be entitled to attorney’s fees if the lease has a fees clause.
Anti-retaliation damages
Louisiana does not have a state-statutory retaliation cause of action specific to landlord-tenant. However, federal Fair Housing Act protections (42 U.S.C. § 3617) provide remedies for retaliation tied to fair-housing rights. State common-law contract and tort theories may also support claims based on landlord misconduct that includes retaliatory non-renewal.
Fair housing claims — federal FHA and Louisiana fair housing law
A non-renewal that targets a tenant based on a protected class violates state and federal fair housing law independent of any notice-period issue. Remedies include actual damages, statutory penalties, attorney’s fees, and injunctive relief. HUD accepts complaints; private actions are also available.
Constructive eviction and quiet-enjoyment claims
A non-renewal that is part of a pattern of harassment — repeated baseless notices, threats, illegal entry, utility shutoffs — supports a constructive-eviction claim and a breach of the implied covenant of quiet enjoyment. These claims provide damages independent of the notice itself and can be raised in any eviction action or in a separate civil action.
Bottom line for landlords: the cost of getting a non-renewal notice right is small; the cost of getting it wrong can be substantial. A defective notice typically delays recovery of possession by several months (during the redo plus any eviction proceeding), exposes the landlord to attorney’s fees, and may trigger fair-housing or retaliation claims if the defects suggest bad faith. The form on this page handles the mechanics; the analysis above is the legal context.
Get the full Louisiana landlord-tenant picture
Notice of Non-Renewal is one of the highest-stakes routine documents in Louisiana landlord-tenant practice. Our Louisiana habitability law guide and tenant-rights guide cover the broader framework — implied warranty of habitability, repair-and-deduct remedies, retaliation protections, and the operational rhythm of Louisiana residential tenancy.
Read Louisiana habitability lawsLouisiana statute reference table
| Statute | Subject | Key requirement |
|---|---|---|
| La. Civ. Code art. 2727 | Termination of a lease with an indeterminate term | Ends by notice to the other party |
| La. Civ. Code art. 2728 | Notice of termination; timing | 30 / 10 / 5 calendar days before the end of the period, by term length |
| La. Civ. Code art. 2729 | Notice of termination; form | Must be in writing for an immovable or a residence |
| La. Civ. Code art. 2720 | Termination of a lease with a fixed term | Terminates on expiration without need of notice |
| La. Civ. Code art. 2721 | Reconduction | One week of unopposed holdover reconducts a non-agricultural lease |
| La. Code Civ. Proc. art. 4701 | Notice to vacate; waiver of notice | Written, delivered, not less than five days; waivable by written lease clause |
| La. Code Civ. Proc. art. 4703 | Delivery when premises abandoned or closed | Door attachment equals personal service; no mailing required |
| 42 U.S.C. § 3601 et seq. | Fair Housing Act — federal | Federal-level fair housing protections; HUD enforcement |
Louisiana statute citations are to the official code as referenced. Local ordinances may layer additional requirements on top of state law and should be consulted independently.
Frequently asked questions
How much notice do I have to give to non-renew a Louisiana tenancy?
Do I need to give a reason for non-renewing the tenancy?
How do I serve the notice?
What happens if my fixed-term lease expires?
Can a tenant waive the notice period in advance?
What if the tenant has been a long-term resident?
What happens if my notice is defective?
Can I issue a non-renewal in retaliation for a tenant complaint?
Does a non-renewal need to be in writing?
What if my lease specifies a different notice period?
When to consult an attorney
Most Louisiana non-renewals are routine and never need an attorney. If the tenant has raised retaliation or fair-housing claims, the property is in a city with a local just-cause ordinance, the tenancy involves long-term occupants or complicated lease history, or you suspect the tenant may contest the notice, consult a Louisiana landlord-tenant attorney before serving. A clean art. 2728 procedure with documented service and contemporaneous file records is the foundation of a defensible non-renewal; an attorney’s review at the right moment is far cheaper than defending a defective notice in eviction proceedings.
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Sources cited on this page
- La. Civ. Code arts. 2668-2729; La. R.S. 9:3251-9:3261.2; La. C.C.P. arts. 4701-4735 (the residential landlord-tenant act)
- 42 U.S.C. § 3601 et seq. (federal Fair Housing Act)
- 50 U.S.C. § 3901 et seq. (Servicemembers Civil Relief Act)
This form and the accompanying guidance are provided for general informational purposes only and do not constitute legal advice. Louisiana landlord-tenant law has technical requirements that can change with legislation and case law. La. Civ. Code art. 2728 and related provisions vary in interpretation by jurisdiction and over time. Specific situations — long-term tenancies, fixed-term leases with renewal-notice clauses, retaliation and fair-housing defenses, local ordinance overlays — depend on facts that this general guidance cannot fully address. Always verify current requirements with the Louisiana statute book, applicable local ordinances, or a qualified Louisiana landlord-tenant attorney before relying on this notice in any contested or sensitive situation. Review Louisiana eviction notice laws.
