Maryland notice to vacate: notice periods and mailing rules

For a month-to-month tenancy, the landlord must give 60 days' written notice to terminate or not renew a residential month-to-month tenancy (Md. Code, Real Prop. § 8-402); the day of delivery is not counted. Local jurisdictions such as Baltimore City and Montgomery County may impose their own periods. (Md. Code, Real Prop. § 8-402, Md. Code, Real Prop. § 8-401(c), Md. Code, Real Prop. § 8-402.1)

If your lease requires more notice than the statute, the lease controls. Count days from the date notice is properly served, not the date you write it. Statutes change — verify the current text before serving, and treat this as a starting point, not a substitute for the statute.

the landlord must serve a written 10-day Notice of Intent to File a Complaint for Summary Ejectment on the Judiciary form (DC-CV-115) and let the 10 days run before filing for nonpayment (Real Prop. § 8-401(c)). Lease-breach evictions instead use 30 days' notice, or 14 days for clear and imminent danger.

Nonpayment notices are the strictest documents in landlord-tenant law: the wording, the cure period, and the service method often come straight from the statute, and a defective notice restarts the whole clock. Where your state publishes required form language, use it verbatim.

verified for nonpayment: the § 8-401(c) notice is effective when sent by first-class mail with a USPS certificate of mailing, affixed to the dwelling door, or sent electronically if the tenant elected. For § 8-402 termination notices, Maryland courts presume mailed notice is delivered about 3 days after mailing.

Whichever method you use, keep dated proof. Certified Mail gives you a USPS record of when the notice was mailed and delivered — the fact an eviction case usually turns on.

no statewide rent control or just-cause law, though some localities have rent stabilization. The Renters' Rights and Stabilization Act of 2024 capped security deposits at one month and requires the Maryland Tenants' Bill of Rights with leases — it did not change the 60-day or 10-day notice periods.

Local ordinances can add further requirements on top of state law — check the rules for the property's city and county before serving.

This sample notice works for a Maryland tenancy once you confirm the notice period above and any wording your statute or lease requires. Replace the bracketed fields, count the days carefully, and keep a copy of everything.

[Date]

[Tenant Name(s)]
[Property Address, Unit]
[City, MD ZIP]

Re: Notice to vacate — [Property Address, Unit]

Dear [Tenant Name(s)],

This letter is your written notice that your tenancy at [Property Address, Unit] will end on [Termination Date], in accordance with your rental agreement and Maryland law. Please vacate and return all keys by that date.

[If month-to-month: This notice is given at least [Notice Period] days before the termination date, as required for a month-to-month tenancy in Maryland.]

Please leave the unit in the condition required by your lease, and provide a forwarding address for the return of your security deposit and any required documentation.

If you have questions about this notice, contact me at [Phone / Email].

This notice is delivered by [first-class / certified] mail.

Sincerely,

[Landlord / Property Manager Name]
[Signature]
[Company, if any]
[Mailing Address]
[Phone / Email]

Fill it in, sign it, and PostalForm prints and mails it — you see the exact PDF and the exact price before anything sends, and Certified Mail adds a dated USPS delivery record.

• Termination and Modification of Tenancy (MD People's Law Library)
• Md. Code, Real Prop. § 8-401 (MD General Assembly)
• DC-CV-115 Notice of Intent to File form (MD Courts)

Statutes change. Verify the current text of the statute and any local ordinance before serving a notice, and talk to a Maryland landlord-tenant attorney when the stakes are high. This page is general information, not legal advice.