Housing & Tenant · Eviction Notice

Eviction Notice in Missouri

How many days of written notice a landlord must give before filing an eviction in Missouri, broken down by reason, and what you can do about it, cited to the statute.

Confirmedagainst §535.010; §535.020; §441.060 · code chapter read; no provision sets this — the law is silentReviewed by Cholilurrohman · July 2026

Notice before an eviction can be filed · Missouri

No statutory waiting period for unpaid rent

Pay or quit

Missouri sets no number of days for a renter to pay before the landlord can sue. Mo. Rev. Stat. 535.010 lets the landlord recover possession once rent is in default, and it never names a figure.

Nonpayment of rentNone set by statute

Curable lease violationVaries

No-cause (month-to-month)1 month

Statute§535.010; §535.020; §441.060

Every notice period in Missouri

The written notice for each reason a landlord can end a tenancy, and what each one means.

Reason for the notice	Notice in Missouri	What it means
Nonpayment of rent	Can fix and stayNone set by statute	Missouri fixes no waiting period. Mo. Rev. Stat. 535.010 lets the landlord dispossess a tenant once rent is in default, and 535.020 states that the notice under 441.060 is not required, while 535.060 lets the demand be made the instant rent is due. Paying the rent and costs can still end a rent-and-possession case in practice.
No cause, tenancy at will or month-to-month	1 month	A no-cause end of a tenancy at will or a month-to-month tenancy takes one month written notice, set on a rent-paying date not less than one month after receipt (Mo. Rev. Stat. 441.060).
No cause, mobile home lot	60 days	A mobile home lot tenancy takes at least 60 days, ending not sooner than sixty days from the date rent next becomes due (Mo. Rev. Stat. 441.060).
After the notice	Court	The landlord makes a demand for rent and then files a rent-and-possession action. The mechanics of the demand sit in Mo. Rev. Stat. 535.020 rather than in 535.010. Only a court can order a tenant removed.
Statute	Mo. Rev. Stat. §535.010; §535.020; §441.060	The controlling statute for these notice periods. Read the full text through the source link below.

Recent or pending change

Almost every online guide prints a Missouri figure, usually three or five days, and none of those come from the code. Missouri sets no waiting period for unpaid rent, so treat any published number with caution and check the lease, which is the operative source for timing.

What you can do right now

Concrete, neutral steps if you have received an eviction notice in Missouri. This is legal information, not legal advice.

Do not rely on a three or five day figure
Missouri sets no statutory waiting period for unpaid rent, despite what many guides say. Your timing comes from the lease and from how fast the landlord chooses to demand rent and file, so read your lease rather than counting on a fixed number.
Pay the rent and costs if you can
Even without a statutory grace period, paying the rent, and any costs, can end a rent-and-possession case in practice. If you can pay, do it quickly and get written confirmation, because the landlord can move fast.
Respond to the rent-and-possession case
If the landlord files, you are served with a court date. Appear with your lease, receipts, and any messages. A tenant who does not show up can lose by default, and Missouri does not give you a statutory cure window to fall back on.
Get local legal help
A local Missouri legal aid office can explain your lease terms and the rent-and-possession process, and check whether a St. Louis or Kansas City ordinance adds anything. Search for legal aid in your area and act quickly.

This is general legal information, not legal advice. Read your own lease and check for a local ordinance, since either can change the notice that applies to your home.

What Missouri renters get wrong

Missouri is the state where the honest answer is that there is no number. Almost every online guide prints a figure for Missouri, usually three days or five, and none of those figures come from the code. Section 535.010 gives the landlord the right to dispossess a tenant the moment rent is in default, and then hands the procedure to the rest of the chapter without ever setting a waiting period. Missouri goes further than mere silence: section 535.020 states in terms that the notice that would otherwise come from section 441.060 is not required, and section 535.060 lets the demand be made the instant rent is due. So the operative source for a Missouri renter is the lease, not a statutory grace period. Paying the rent and costs can still end a rent-and-possession case in practice, but there is no fixed number of days to rely on. Ending a month-to-month tenancy without cause is different and does carry a figure: one month under section 441.060, and 60 days for a mobile home lot. This page exists to correct the number every competitor is publishing.

Common questions

Is there really no eviction notice period in Missouri?

For unpaid rent, that is correct. Mo. Rev. Stat. 535.010 lets the landlord recover possession once rent is in default without setting a waiting period, and 535.020 says the 441.060 notice is not required. Your timing comes from the lease, not from a statutory grace period.

Why do other sites say Missouri is a 3-day or 5-day state?

Those figures are not in the Missouri code. They appear to be borrowed from other states or from older guidance. The chapter that governs rent-and-possession actions sets no number of days, which is why we report no statutory waiting period rather than a figure we cannot source.

Does the demand for rent have to be in writing in Missouri?

The demand is a step in the rent-and-possession process, and its mechanics sit in Mo. Rev. Stat. 535.020 rather than in 535.010. Because the details matter and can turn on your lease, confirm the specific requirements with a local legal aid office before relying on any single description.

How much notice ends a month-to-month tenancy in Missouri?

One month under Mo. Rev. Stat. 441.060, set on a rent-paying date at least a month after the tenant receives it. A mobile home lot tenancy takes at least 60 days. Those no-cause periods are separate from unpaid rent, which has no statutory waiting period at all.

Primary source

→ Mo. Rev. Stat. §535.010; §535.020; §441.060

Missouri Revised Statutes (§535.010) · revisor.mo.gov

Cholilurrohman
Every figure on this page is checked line-by-line against the current statute. Editorial standards →

Not legal advicePlainStatute provides plain-language summaries of public law for general information only. This is not legal advice. Statutes change; always confirm current requirements with the official source linked above before acting.

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