Free Minnesota 14-Day Notice to Pay Rent or Quit

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The 14-day notice to pay rent or quit is the notice a Minnesota landlord must give before filing an eviction action for nonpayment of rent. Since January 1, 2024, Minn. Stat. § 504B.321 subd. 1a requires at least 14 days’ written notice stating the total amount due, a specific accounting, and three mandated statements. Paying the total due within the period continues the tenancy. Generate a compliant notice below.

14-Day Notice Minn. Stat. § 504B.321 subd. 1a Effective Jan 1, 2024 Free PDF

A Minnesota 14-Day Notice to Pay Rent or Quit is the statutorily-required written notice a landlord must give before filing an eviction action for nonpayment of rent. It is governed by Minn. Stat. § 504B.321 subd. 1a, added by the 2023 Legislature and effective January 1, 2024. Before that date Minnesota required no pre-filing notice for nonpayment at all — a landlord could file the moment rent was late. The new statute imposes a hard 14-day waiting period and a detailed content checklist: the total amount due, a specific accounting of that total, the payee’s name and address, and three verbatim statements about legal help, financial assistance, and the eviction warning. The form below produces a subd. 1a-compliant notice; our Minnesota eviction notice laws guide covers the full process, and the tenant screening service helps you place reliable renters in the first place.

The 14-Day Notice to Pay Rent or Quit is the statutorily-required written notice a Minnesota landlord must give a tenant who has failed to pay rent when due, before the landlord may file an eviction action under Minn. Stat. § 504B.321 subd. 1. It is a creature of new law: the 2023 Minnesota Legislature added subdivision 1a, effective January 1, 2024, and for the first time made a pre-filing notice a hard prerequisite to a nonpayment eviction. Until then Minnesota was one of the states where a landlord could file an eviction the day rent was late, with no advance warning required.

The notice does three things in one document. First, it demands the amount due with a specific accounting. Subdivision 1a requires the notice to state the total amount due and to break that total down into unpaid rent, late fees, and any other charges the lease makes due. A bare “you owe money” demand is not enough — the tenant must be able to see exactly what makes up the total.

Second, it gives the tenant a 14-day cure period. The tenant has 14 calendar days from delivery or mailing to pay the total amount due or vacate. If the tenant pays the full amount within that window, the delinquency is corrected and the landlord may not file on that ground. The 14 days are the statutory cure opportunity, and they are a floor: a city ordinance that requires a longer nonpayment notice period controls over the state 14 days.

Third, it provides the three mandated statements. Subdivision 1a requires the notice to carry three specific statements word for word: a right-to-legal-help statement pointing tenants to Legal Aid and LawHelpMN.org, a financial-assistance statement pointing to county and Tribal social services, MNBenefits.mn.gov, and the 2-1-1 information line, and an eviction-warning statement telling the tenant that a case may be filed if the total is not paid or the tenant does not move out within 14 days. The form on this page reproduces all three verbatim and assembles the accounting and payee information correctly.

The 14-day pay-or-quit notice sits inside Minnesota’s eviction-action chapter, Minn. Stat. §§ 504B.281 to 504B.371. The core statute is Minn. Stat. § 504B.321, which governs the complaint and summons in an eviction action. Subdivision 1 allows a landlord to bring the action; subdivision 1a — the provision that matters here — requires the pre-filing 14-day notice for nonpayment and spells out its contents and delivery.

The redemption right is at Minn. Stat. § 504B.291. In a nonpayment case (where the landlord is not also evicting for a separate material lease violation) the tenant may redeem the tenancy and be restored to possession at any time before possession has actually been delivered, by paying the rent in arrears, interest if charged, the costs of the action, and a statutory attorney fee capped at five dollars. If the tenant can pay the arrears but not the interest and costs, the court may allow those amounts to be paid into court. This pay-and-stay right runs much later than the 14-day cure window — it survives all the way to the moment the tenant is put out.

The judgment and writ provisions are at Minn. Stat. § 504B.345, which authorizes the court to enter judgment and issue a Writ of Recovery of Premises and Order to Vacate, and to stay issuance of the writ for a period. Execution of the writ is governed by Minn. Stat. § 504B.365: the county sheriff serves or posts the writ and may remove the tenant 24 hours later.

Local ordinances can layer additional requirements. St. Paul’s tenant-protection ordinance requires a longer nonpayment notice period than the state 14 days, and both St. Paul and Minneapolis operate just-cause and tenant-protection frameworks. Subdivision 1a expressly defers to any longer local notice period, so the operative rule binds all of this together: the notice must match the statute and any stricter city ordinance exactly. Defects that might be forgiven elsewhere — a missing statement, an incomplete accounting, a premature filing — void the notice, and the statute directs the court to dismiss and expunge.

Minn. Stat. § 504B.321 subd. 1a is a content checklist as much as a waiting period. A notice that skips any required element is defective. A compliant Minnesota 14-day notice must contain:

1. The total amount due. A single, correct figure the tenant must pay to cure.
2. A specific accounting of that total. The total must be broken down into unpaid rent, late fees, and any other charges the lease makes due, so the tenant can see what makes up the number and challenge any item that is not actually owed.
3. The name and address of the person authorized to receive rent and fees on the landlord’s behalf, so the tenant knows exactly where to deliver payment within the 14 days.
4. The right-to-legal-help statement, verbatim: that the tenant has the right to seek legal help, that free legal help may be available, and that the tenant can contact Legal Aid or visit LawHelpMN.org.
5. The financial-assistance statement, verbatim: that to apply for financial help the tenant can contact the local county or Tribal social services office, apply online at MNBenefits.mn.gov, or call the United Way information line by dialing 2-1-1 or 800-543-7709.
6. The eviction-warning statement, verbatim: that the landlord can file an eviction case if the tenant does not pay the total amount due or move out within 14 days of the notice, and that some local governments may have a notice period longer than 14 days.

Why the three statements are quoted, not paraphrased. The Legislature wrote the legal-help, financial-assistance, and eviction-warning language into the statute as fixed text. A landlord who paraphrases risks a court finding the notice non-compliant. The generator on this page prints all three statements exactly as the statute frames them, so the served notice carries the mandated wording rather than an approximation. If you draft a notice by hand, copy the three statements from the current statute word for word.

The 14-day period under Minn. Stat. § 504B.321 subd. 1a is measured in calendar days, not business days. The statute says “14 days” without a business-day qualifier, so Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays are counted. The clock starts on the day the notice is delivered personally or placed in first-class mail.

No add-days-for-mail rule. Unlike some states that add extra days when a notice is mailed, Minnesota’s subd. 1a runs the 14 days from “the delivery or mailing of the notice.” Mailing does not buy the tenant extra time under the statute — the clock starts on the mailing date itself. Because mail transit still eats into the tenant’s real window, many Minnesota landlords personally deliver, or add a few days of cushion when mailing, so the tenant genuinely has the full period and no dispute arises over when the clock started.

Worked example — personal delivery. A notice personally delivered on the 1st of the month starts the count that day; the 14-day period ends on the 15th. The landlord may not file an eviction action until the 15th has passed with no payment or move-out.

Worked example — first-class mail. A notice placed in first-class mail on the 1st also starts the count on the 1st under the statute, even though it may not arrive until the 3rd or 4th. Prudent practice is to treat the mailing date as day zero but build in a cushion so that, accounting for transit, the tenant has close to a full 14 days after actual receipt before you file.

Worked example — longer local period. For a rental in St. Paul, the city’s nonpayment notice period is longer than the state 14 days (a temporary 60-day period in effect through the end of 2026, then 30 days beginning January 1, 2027). Subd. 1a defers to that longer period, so a St. Paul landlord counts the city’s days, not 14. Always confirm the current city ordinance before you rely on the state minimum.

Complete the form below to generate a Minn. Stat. § 504B.321 subd. 1a compliant 14-Day Notice to Pay Rent or Quit. The form assembles the total-due accounting, the payee block, and the three mandated statements, and prints the 14-day deadline computed from the date you enter. Deliver personally or by first-class mail to the leased premises.

Minn. Stat. § 504B.321 subd. 1a is narrow on how the notice reaches the tenant: the landlord or an agent of the landlord must deliver it personally or by first-class mail to the tenant at the address of the leased premises. Unlike the later eviction summons, this pre-filing notice has no posting option, and email, text, and hand-off to a neighbor are not authorized methods.

Keep a copy for the complaint

Subdivision 1a is enforced through the complaint: the eviction complaint must attach a copy of the 14-day notice. If the landlord fails to provide the required notice, the court must dismiss the action without prejudice and grant an expungement of the eviction case court file. Retain the signed original notice, proof of personal delivery or a certificate of mailing, and a copy of the itemized accounting, so the notice and its proof are ready to file as exhibits.

Documentation retention

Keep the notice, the delivery proof, and the accounting for the life of the tenancy and any eviction, and well beyond — Minnesota civil limitation periods can reach six years for contract claims. If the eviction is filed, the notice and its proof become court exhibits; if the tenant pays within the 14 days, the documentation supports the cure record and closes the matter cleanly.

Minnesota gives tenants a powerful pay-and-stay right that outlasts the 14-day cure window. Under Minn. Stat. § 504B.291, in a nonpayment case the tenant may redeem the tenancy and be restored to possession at any time before possession has actually been delivered — that is, right up until the sheriff puts the tenant out under the writ.

What the tenant must pay to redeem. To exercise the redemption right, the tenant pays (or brings into court) the rent in arrears, interest on that amount if the lease charges interest, the costs of the eviction action (the filing fee, process-server fee, and any subpoenaed-witness costs), and a statutory attorney fee that Minnesota caps at five dollars — not the landlord’s actual attorney bill. Because the attorney-fee component is nominal, redemption is realistically achievable for a tenant who can raise the back rent plus court costs.

Payment into court. If the tenant can pay the rent in arrears but not the interest and costs, the court may permit the tenant to pay those amounts into court and be restored to possession within any stay period the court grants for the order to vacate. This is a meaningful backstop: a tenant who receives rental-assistance funds late in the process may still be able to stop the eviction.

Why it matters for the notice. Because redemption survives to the moment of lockout, a Minnesota landlord should treat a nonpayment eviction as curable throughout — and should keep the amount due, the accounting, and any partial payments carefully documented, because the redemption figure will be computed against that record. It also means accepting a partial payment mid-case does not extinguish the tenant’s rights; if anything, it changes the math and often warrants a fresh, corrected notice.

If the tenant neither pays the total due nor vacates within the 14 days (or the longer local period), the landlord may file an eviction action — Minnesota’s summary proceeding to recover possession, formerly called unlawful detainer.

Where it is filed. The eviction action is brought in district court. In Hennepin and Ramsey counties, evictions are heard in the specialized Housing Court division; elsewhere they proceed in the general district court. The complaint must allege nonpayment and, critically, attach a copy of the 14-day notice.

Summons and hearing. After filing, the summons and complaint must be served on or posted for each tenant at least seven days before the court appearance, not counting the hearing date. Minnesota eviction is expedited: the first hearing comes quickly, and if the tenant contests, the court sets a short-timeline trial rather than a months-long civil case.

Judgment, writ, and lockout. If the landlord prevails, the court enters judgment and issues a Writ of Recovery of Premises and Order to Vacate under Minn. Stat. § 504B.345; the court may stay the writ for a period, especially in hardship situations. The county sheriff executes the writ under Minn. Stat. § 504B.365, serving or posting it and giving the tenant 24 hours before removal. Only the sheriff may carry out the lockout — a landlord may never change the locks, remove belongings, or shut off utilities to force a tenant out, which are prohibited self-help measures under Minnesota law.

Minnesota’s 14-day notice is a statewide floor, but the two largest cities impose stricter rules that a landlord must layer on top.

St. Paul. St. Paul’s tenant-protection ordinance requires a longer nonpayment notice period than the state 14 days. A temporary 60-day nonpayment notice period is in effect through the end of 2026, reverting to a 30-day period on January 1, 2027. St. Paul also operates a rent-stabilization ordinance capping annual increases and a just-cause framework in which nonpayment is a valid cause. Because subd. 1a defers to a longer local period, a St. Paul landlord counts the city’s days, not 14.

Minneapolis. Minneapolis has enacted tenant-protection ordinances that limit evictions to specified causes and impose additional procedural steps; the city’s exact nonpayment notice period and requirements should be verified against the current ordinance before serving, as they change by council action. Minneapolis authorized rent stabilization by ballot measure but has not enacted an active rent cap.

The practical rule. Confirm the property’s city ordinance before relying on 14 days. If the city requires a longer period, use it; the state notice content requirements still apply, but the waiting period lengthens. When in doubt, give the longer period — extra days work in the tenant’s favor and create no defect.

• Omitting the specific accounting. A lump-sum demand fails subd. 1a. The notice must break the total into rent, late fees, and other charges so the tenant can see and challenge each item.
• Leaving out any of the three statements. The legal-help, financial-assistance, and eviction-warning statements are mandated verbatim. Dropping or paraphrasing any of them can render the notice defective.
• Filing before the 14 days expire. Filing early defeats the action. Wait the full 14 calendar days — or the longer local period — from delivery or mailing before filing.
• Forgetting to attach the notice to the complaint. The statute directs the court to dismiss without prejudice and expunge the file if the required notice was not provided. Attach a copy of the notice to the eviction complaint.
• Using an unauthorized delivery method. Posting, email, and text do not satisfy subd. 1a. Only personal delivery or first-class mail to the leased premises qualify for this pre-filing notice.
• Overstating the amount due. Folding disputed or uncollectible charges into the total invites a challenge to the accounting. Demand only amounts the lease actually makes due.
• Ignoring a longer city ordinance. A St. Paul or Minneapolis rental may require more than 14 days. Counting the state minimum in a city with a longer period produces a premature, defective filing.

Minnesota tenants who receive a 14-day pay-or-quit notice have significant statutory rights. Understanding them helps landlords appreciate why procedural precision matters.

Right to a compliant notice. A tenant may defend an eviction by showing the notice omitted the accounting, any of the three statements, or the payee information, or that it was delivered by an unauthorized method. Because the complaint must attach the notice, a defective notice is visible on the face of the case and leads to dismissal and expungement. Right to seek legal help and assistance. The mandated statements exist to connect tenants with Legal Aid, LawHelpMN.org, county and Tribal services, MNBenefits.mn.gov, and the 2-1-1 line — and many tenants who follow them obtain rental assistance or counsel that changes the outcome.

Right to cure within 14 days. Paying the total amount due within the period corrects the delinquency, and the landlord may not file on that ground. Right to redeem before lockout. Under § 504B.291 the tenant may be restored to possession any time before possession is delivered by paying the arrears, interest if charged, costs, and the five-dollar statutory attorney fee — or by paying those amounts into court where the court allows.

Right to seven days’ notice of the court hearing. The eviction summons and complaint must be served or posted at least seven days before the appearance. Right to a sheriff-executed lockout only. A landlord may never resort to self-help — changing locks, removing belongings, or cutting utilities is prohibited, and only the sheriff, acting on a writ, may remove a tenant, after 24 hours’ notice.

Right against retaliation. Minnesota law (Minn. Stat. § 504B.285 and § 504B.441) protects tenants from retaliatory eviction. A nonpayment notice issued in response to a habitability complaint, a report to a housing inspector, or the tenant’s exercise of legal rights can give rise to a retaliation defense. Right to fair-housing protection. The federal Fair Housing Act and the Minnesota Human Rights Act prohibit eviction decisions based on protected characteristics; nonpayment must be a genuine, documented ground, not a pretext.

Local ordinances (St. Paul, Minneapolis, and others) layer additional notice and procedural requirements on top of state law. Always verify with the city before relying solely on state-level requirements, and see our guide to Minnesota eviction procedure for the full process, or the eviction notice laws by state hub to compare other states.

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