Tennessee Landlord Entry Notice Law
Tennessee sets no fixed number of hours; the statute requires no general advance-notice period. Tenant may not unreasonably withhold consent to entry to inspect, repair, supply services or show the unit; landlord may enter without consent in an emergency or when utilities were cut off through no fault of the landlord; access also allowed by court order, after abandonment/surrender, or if the tenant is deceased, incapacitated or incarcerated, and during a tenant absence of more than 7 days (§ 66-28-507(b)). Showings to prospective tenants in the final 30 days require a lease clause and at least 24 hours' notice. No harassing use of access.
Last verified: · Researched and cited by MakeLease · not yet attorney-reviewed
Tennessee landlord entry notice rules at a glance
| Notice before entry | No general advance-notice period. Tenant may not unreasonably withhold consent to entry to inspect, repair, supply services or show the unit; landlord may enter without consent in an emergency or when utilities were cut off through no fault of the landlord; access also allowed by court order, after abandonment/surrender, or if the tenant is deceased, incapacitated or incarcerated, and during a tenant absence of more than 7 days (§ 66-28-507(b)). Showings to prospective tenants in the final 30 days require a lease clause and at least 24 hours' notice. No harassing use of access.Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-28-403 |
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What Tennessee law says
How much notice must a Tennessee landlord give before entering a rental?
In URLTA counties Tennessee sets no fixed notice period for routine entry, but a tenant may not unreasonably refuse access, and showing the unit to new renters during the last 30 days requires a lease clause and 24 hours' notice (Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-28-403).
How Tennessee compares
28 of 51 verified jurisdictions set a fixed number of hours.
None of Tennessee's 8 neighbors follows the same rule.
| Notice before entry | States |
|---|---|
| No fixed number of hours | Tennessee |
| 48 hours | Alabama |
| No statewide rule | Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina |
| Set by local law only | Kentucky |
| 72 hours | Virginia |
Local rules in Tennessee
Tennessee's Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (Tenn. Code Ann. Title 66, Ch. 28), which holds the deposit and late-fee rules below, applies only in counties with more than 75,000 people per the 2010 federal census (currently Anderson, Blount, Bradley, Davidson, Hamilton, Knox, Madison, Maury, Montgomery, Rutherford, Sevier, Shelby, Sullivan, Sumner, Washington, Williamson and Wilson). In other counties these statutory rules do not apply and the lease and general contract law govern.