Ohio notice to vacate: notice periods and mailing rules

For a month-to-month tenancy, either party may terminate or non-renew a month-to-month tenancy with notice given at least 30 days prior to the periodic rental date (O.R.C. § 5321.17(B)); week-to-week requires 7 days. (O.R.C. § 5321.17, O.R.C. § 1923.04)

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.

3-day notice to leave the premises (O.R.C. § 1923.04), served three or more days before filing eviction, and it must conspicuously include the statutory warning language. Ohio has no statewide statutory right to cure after the notice is served.

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.

O.R.C. § 1923.04 authorizes service by certified mail with return receipt requested, by handing a written copy to the tenant in person, or by leaving it at the tenant's usual place of abode or the premises.

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 rent control statewide (expressly preempted since 2022), but roughly 20 Ohio cities including Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, Dayton, and Akron have local pay-to-stay ordinances letting tenants defeat a nonpayment eviction by tendering all back rent plus reasonable fees before judgment.

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 Ohio 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, OH 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 Ohio 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 Ohio.]

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.

• O.R.C. 5321.17 (Ohio Laws)
• O.R.C. 1923.04 (Ohio Laws)
• Eviction Innovation — Pay-to-Stay Ordinances in Ohio Cities

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