Free eviction notice California landlords can use

California eviction notice: a free template with the statute cited

In California, a landlord owed rent serves a 3-day notice to pay rent or quit: the tenant has 3 days, not counting weekends and court holidays to pay in full or move out, and paying in time stops the eviction (Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 1161(2); Cal. Civ. Code § 1946.2).

Unpaid rent notice: 3 court days; Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 1161(2); Cal. Civ. Code § 1946.2
Lease violation notice: 3 court days; Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 1161(3), (4); Cal. Civ. Code § 1946.2
Paying in time: Stops it
Statutes read on: November 1, 2026

Fill in the eviction notice template California landlords serve

Which notice

The notice a landlord serves before filing for unpaid rent.

State

Dated and delivered on

Landlord

Tenant or tenants

Address of the premises

Rent owed

Rent for

The month or period the rent was for.

Rent was due on

In California, the 3-day notice to pay rent or quit gives the tenant 3 days, not counting weekends and court holidays. Saturdays and Sundays are skipped in that count; each holiday inside it moves the end one day later. Paying the full amount inside the period stops the eviction, by statute.

Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 1161(2); Cal. Civ. Code § 1946.2: Saturdays, Sundays and judicial holidays are not counted, and the notice may demand only past-due rent, not late fees or other charges. Where the Tenant Protection Act applies, the landlord also needs just cause, and many cities add their own rules.

Every field is optional; a blank one prints as a line to write on. The notice is in English, as it is served in the US.

3-DAY NOTICE TO PAY RENT OR QUIT

Date: ____________________

To: ____________________, and all other occupants

Premises: ____________________

Rent owed

You owe rent of $____________________ for ____________________, which was due on ____________________.

What you must do

Within 3 days, not counting weekends and court holidays, after this notice is delivered to you, that is by the end of ____________________, you must pay the full amount above or move out of the premises and return possession to the Landlord.

If you pay the full amount within that time, this notice ends and your tenancy continues.

If you do not, the Landlord may start a court action to recover possession of the premises, the rent owed and costs.

This notice is given under Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 1161(2); Cal. Civ. Code § 1946.2.

Landlord: ____________________

Signature: ____________________

Proof of service

I delivered this notice on ____________________ by: [ ] personal delivery to the tenant [ ] substituted service on a person of suitable age and discretion at home or work, plus mailing to the home [ ] posting in a conspicuous place at the unit, plus mailing to the unit, if personal and substituted service fail

Methods of service: Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 1162(a).

Served by: ____________________ Signature: ____________________

Prepared from California statutes as read on November 1, 2026. Not legal advice: a city or county can add requirements, and the court decides whether a notice was valid.

The notice as it will print, updating as you type.

For a landlord in the US. Nothing is stored and nothing is sent; the notice is built in this browser.

The rules

What a valid California eviction notice must say

1Its name: 3-day notice to pay rent or quit, the words California law uses.
2The tenants’ names, every other occupant, and the address of the premises.
3The rent owed, the period it was for and the date it was due.
4The period: 3 days, not counting weekends and court holidays, counted from the day after it is delivered.
5That paying in full inside the period stops the eviction.
6The statute it is given under: Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 1161(2); Cal. Civ. Code § 1946.2.
7Your signature and the date, and a proof of service filled in once it is delivered.

What the statute says about unpaid rent

Saturdays, Sundays and judicial holidays are not counted, and the notice may demand only past-due rent, not late fees or other charges. Where the Tenant Protection Act applies, the landlord also needs just cause, and many cities add their own rules. (Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 1161(2); Cal. Civ. Code § 1946.2)

What the statute says about a lease violation

Weekends and judicial holidays are not counted for a curable breach. Nuisance, waste, illegal use and similar breaches allow a 3-day notice to quit with no cure, counted in calendar days, but under the Tenant Protection Act a chance to cure must usually be given first. (Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 1161(3), (4); Cal. Civ. Code § 1946.2)

Delivery

How to serve an eviction notice in California

The statute names these ways to deliver it (Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 1162(a)). Fill in the proof of service on the notice the day you do it.

personal delivery to the tenant
substituted service on a person of suitable age and discretion at home or work, plus mailing to the home
posting in a conspicuous place at the unit, plus mailing to the unit, if personal and substituted service fail

After the notice

What happens next in California

Step 1
Fill in the notice
Name every tenant and the premises, and state the rent owed or the breach. The template sets the California title and period.
Step 2
Deliver it and record how
Use a method the statute names, and fill in the proof of service the same day.
Step 3
Wait out the period
Give the tenant the full 3 days, not counting weekends and court holidays. A case filed early can be dismissed.
Step 4
File in court if nothing changed
File a unlawful detainer in the superior court. Never change the locks or cut the utilities yourself.

Hearing: trial within 20 days after a request to set the case for trial
Days to answer: 10
Removal: sheriff serves or posts the writ with a notice to vacate, and the tenant has 5 days before removal
Days to appeal: Not set by statute

Court procedure: Cal. Code Civ. Proc. §§ 1167 (10 court days to respond), 1170.5(a), 715.010, 715.020

The rest of the California picture

What Dardaris does instead

Dardaris notices late rent on day one and drafts the California notice for you to sign

It reads your bank account, sees the rent that did not arrive, and sends the tenant a friendly reminder that morning. If the rent stays unpaid, it drafts the notice with your state’s days and statute. Nothing goes out until you approve it.

Start with one property

Free for 14 days, cancel whenever · Nothing is switched on until you say so

88 Maple Street, Apt 2ARent due on the 1st has not arrivedDay 1

Dardaris

Rent for 88 Maple Street, Apt 2A has not arrived. I sent the reminder below this morning. If it stays unpaid, the California 3-day notice to pay rent or quit is drafted with its 3 days, not counting weekends and court holidays and waits for your signature.

LATE RENT NOTICE

Rent for 88 Maple Street, Apt 2A was due on the 1st and has not been received.

If it is already on its way, thank you. If something has changed, reply and we can agree a plan.

Waits for you to approveReview and send

Every rule, with its statute

California eviction notice rules and statutes

California eviction notice rules and statutes
Rule	Sets	Statute
Unpaid rent3-day notice to pay rent or quit	3 court days	Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 1161(2); Cal. Civ. Code § 1946.2
Lease violation3-day notice to perform covenants or quit	3 court days	Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 1161(3), (4); Cal. Civ. Code § 1946.2
Service	3 methods	Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 1162(a)
Lockouts and utility shut-offs	Banned	Cal. Civ. Code § 789.3

Read from these official texts on November 1, 2026:

The questions that follow.

What goes in a {abbr} eviction notice template?

The name California law gives it (3-day notice to pay rent or quit), the tenants and the premises, the rent owed or the breach, the days the tenant has and how they are counted, the statute, your signature and a proof of service. The generator above puts each of them in.

Is there a free {state} eviction notice template?

Yes, this one: fill it in above and download it in Word or PDF. Nothing is stored and nothing is sent; it is built in your browser.

When does a {days}-day eviction notice {state} landlords serve run out?

Count 3 days from the day after it is delivered, skipping Saturdays and Sundays: delivered on November 1, 2026, it runs out at the end of November 4, 2026, unless a holiday falls inside the period and moves it a day later.

Can I download a {days} day eviction notice {state} template as a PDF?

Yes. Choose PDF or Word above; the 3 days, the way they are counted and Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 1161(2); Cal. Civ. Code § 1946.2 are already in it.

Can the tenant stop the eviction by paying?

Yes. Paying the full rent owed within the 3 days, not counting weekends and court holidays stops it, by statute (Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 1161(2); Cal. Civ. Code § 1946.2).

How do I serve an eviction notice in {state}?

California statute names these ways (Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 1162(a)): personal delivery to the tenant; substituted service on a person of suitable age and discretion at home or work, plus mailing to the home; posting in a conspicuous place at the unit, plus mailing to the unit, if personal and substituted service fail.

What happens after the notice runs out?

If the tenant is still there, you file a unlawful detainer in the superior court. Our guide to the California eviction process walks through each step.

Can I change the locks instead?

No. California bans lockouts and utility shut-offs (Cal. Civ. Code § 789.3); only a court can order a tenant out.

Eviction notices in other states

Every state’s eviction notice

Not legal adviceThis notice is filled in from California statutes as read on November 1, 2026. A city or county can add requirements, a lease can give more time, and only a court decides whether a notice was valid. For a contested eviction, speak to a lawyer licensed in California.

Late rent, seen on day one, and the notice already drafted

Dardaris reads the bank, sends the reminder, and drafts the notice with your state’s days and statute. You read it and sign.