Most states with an entry statute require about 24 hours' advance notice before a landlord may enter an occupied rental for repairs, inspections, or showings — 24 hours is the single most common rule (17 states), with the rest ranging from 12 hours (Wisconsin) up to 48 hours or 2 days. But 23 states have no general entry-notice statute at all, leaving notice to the lease, and every state allows immediate entry in a genuine emergency.
The table below lists every state's entry-notice requirement, the permitted purposes and exceptions, and the statute behind each rule.
Last updated · Verified against each state's official statute publisher
Every state name links to that state's full tenant-rights guide; every citation links to the statute text.
| State | Entry notice | Key conditions | Statute |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 2 days | Purposes: inspect, repair/alter/improve, supply services, show unit. Tenant may consent to shorter notice; emergency entry needs no notice. | Ala. Code § 35-9A-303(c) |
| Alaska | 24 hours | Purposes: inspect, repair/decorate/alter/improve, supply services, exhibit unit. Emergency entry allowed without notice. | Alaska Stat. § 34.03.140(c) |
| Arizona | 48 hours | Purposes: inspect, repair/decorate/alter/improve, supply services, exhibit unit. Emergency/impracticable excepted. | Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 33-1343(D) |
| Arkansas | No statutory notice period | No statutory hour/day figure — the lease governs. Entry for inspections, repairs, alterations, improvements, services, or showings. | Ark. Code § 18-17-602 |
| California | 24 hours | Purposes: emergency; agreed repairs/decorations/alterations/improvements; services; showings; § 1950.5(f) move-out inspection (48-hour notice); abandonment; court order. | Cal. Civ. Code § 1954 |
| Colorado | No statutory notice period | VERIFIED (2026): the circulating '24-hour general-entry' rule is a mis-attribution — HB25-1090 was confirmed via the Colorado General Assembly to be a deceptive-pricing/fees law, NOT an entry statute. No general entry-notice statute exists. | No general entry statute; Colo. Rev. Stat. § 38-12-1004 (bed-bug inspection, 48h) |
| Connecticut | No statutory notice period | Statute requires only 'reasonable notice' — no numeric figure. Purposes: inspect, repair/alter/improve, supply services, exhibit unit. Emergency entry allowed without notice. | Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-16 |
| Delaware | 48 hours | No 48-hour notice for tenant-requested repairs; emergency entry anytime. As to prospective tenants/purchasers, tenant may waive the 48-hour notice in a signed addendum. | 25 Del. C. § 5509(b) |
| District of Columbia | 48 hours | Written notice may be electronic (email/text) if the tenant acknowledges in writing, else paper is required. Emergency entry needs no notice. When a tenant alleges a housing-code violation, the tenant must provide access within 48 hours of a written request. | D.C. Code § 42-3505.51 |
| Florida | 24 hours | 24 hours (not 12). Entry allowed with consent, in emergency, when consent unreasonably withheld, or if tenant is absent for half a rent period. | Fla. Stat. § 83.53(2) |
| Georgia | No statutory notice period | No statutory hour figure. If the lease is silent, entry defaults to reasonable access with tenant permission. | No statute |
| Hawaii | 2 days | Unit is DAYS (not hours). Purposes: inspect, repair/alter/improve, supply services, exhibit unit. Emergency entry needs no notice. | HRS § 521-53(b) |
| Idaho | No statutory notice period | No statewide statute governs advance entry notice; ~24 hours is guidance/practice only. Entry terms are governed by the lease; emergencies excepted. | No statute |
| Illinois | No statutory notice period | State law is silent; local ordinances impose it (Chicago RLTO § 5-12-050 = 2 days). Where no ordinance applies, the lease governs. | No statute |
| Indiana | No statutory notice period | 'Reasonable notice' is not a fixed number (commonly read as ~24 hours but not codified). Emergency entry excepted (§ 32-31-5-6(f)). | Ind. Code § 32-31-5-6 |
| Iowa | 24 hours | Purposes: inspect, repair/decorate/alter/improve, supply services, exhibit unit. Unlawful entry/harassment: tenant may recover actual damages not less than one month's rent plus fees. | Iowa Code § 562A.19(3) |
| Kansas | No statutory notice period | No numeric hour value in statute. Purposes: inspect, repair/decorate/alter/improve, supply services, exhibit unit. Emergency (loss of life / severe damage) excepted. | K.S.A. 58-2557 |
| Kentucky | 2 days | URLTA-only (unit is DAYS, not hours). Purposes: inspect, repair/decorate/alter/improve, supply services, exhibit unit. (Local-adoption caveat applies.) | KRS 383.615(2) |
| Louisiana | No statutory notice period | Entry is governed by the lease and the lessee's Civil Code right to peaceful possession; ~24 hours is a practice benchmark but no statute mandates a period. | No statute |
| Maine | 24 hours | Rebuttable presumption, not an absolute floor. Emergency entry excepted. Tenant remedy: actual damages or $100, injunctive relief, and fees. | 14 M.R.S. § 6025 |
| Maryland | No statutory notice period | No statewide hours-based entry-notice statute. The DHCD Tenants' Bill of Rights references 24 hours' notice before inspections (guidance, not codified). Some localities impose their own rules. | Md. Code, Real Prop. (no general entry-notice statute) |
| Massachusetts | No statutory notice period | No statutory hours-based entry-notice requirement; 'reasonable notice' (commonly 24h) is a practice norm, not codified. | Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 186, § 15B(1)(a) |
| Michigan | No statutory notice period | No statutory entry-notice figure. Tenants retain protection against illegal entry under MCL 600.2918 (anti-lockout), which cannot be waived by lease. | No statute |
| Minnesota | 24 hours | Fixed statutory minimum of 24 hours (not merely 'reasonable notice'). Emergency exception applies. Enforcement: rent reduction, deposit return, civil penalty up to $500 per violation, and fees. | Minn. Stat. § 504B.211, subd. 2 |
| Mississippi | No statutory notice period | No statutory entry-notice requirement; entry rights governed entirely by the rental agreement. Emergency entry generally permitted regardless of lease. | No statute |
| Missouri | No statutory notice period | No statutory entry-notice figure. Best practice is 24–48 hours but not codified; emergency/code-compliance entry may occur without notice. | No statute |
| Montana | 24 hours | Purposes: inspection, repairs/decorations/alterations/improvements, agreed services, or exhibiting the unit. No notice in an emergency. | MCA § 70-24-312(3) |
| Nebraska | 24 hours | Purposes: inspection, repairs/decorations/alterations/improvements, agreed services, or exhibiting the unit. No advance notice in an emergency. | Neb. Rev. Stat. § 76-1423 |
| Nevada | 24 hours | Emergency entry allowed without notice. Purposes: inspection, repairs/decorating/alterations/improvements, agreed services, exhibiting the unit. | NRS 118A.330 |
| New Hampshire | No statutory notice period | No fixed statutory hours for routine entry. Context-specific figures exist (72-hour rodent/insect entry; 48-hour bed-bug evaluation in adjacent units). Emergency repairs need no advance notice. | RSA 540-A:3, IV |
| New Jersey | No statutory notice period | No fixed statutory entry-notice period (~24h is commonly reasonable but not statutory). N.J.S.A. 2A:39-1 makes self-help eviction unlawful — possession only via court judgment and warrant of removal. | N.J.S.A. 2A:39-1 (peaceable entry / anti-lockout) |
| New Mexico | 24 hours | No 24-hour notice for emergencies, tenant-requested repairs within 7 days, or when accompanied by a public official/utility rep. | NMSA 1978 § 47-8-24(A) |
| New York | No statutory notice period | NYC (not statewide) local rules generally require at least 24 hours' notice for inspections and one week's notice for repairs, with no-notice emergency entry. | No statute |
| North Carolina | No statutory notice period | Entry rights/notice come from the lease and the common-law right to quiet enjoyment; repeated/harassing unannounced non-emergency entry can breach quiet enjoyment. | No statute |
| North Dakota | No statutory notice period | No 24-hour/48-hour figure in statute. Purposes: inspection, repairs/alterations/improvements, services, showings. Emergency/abandonment/substantial-violation entry allowed without notice. | N.D. Cent. Code § 47-16-07.3 |
| Ohio | 24 hours | No notice in an emergency or when impracticable. Statute presumes 24 hours reasonable but does not fix an absolute number. | Ohio Rev. Code § 5321.04(A)(8) |
| Oklahoma | 1 day | Emergency entry allowed without consent. If tenant unreasonably refuses lawful access, landlord may seek injunctive relief or terminate. | 41 Okla. Stat. § 128 |
| Oregon | 24 hours | Emergency entry allowed with no notice, but landlord must give actual notice within 24 hours after an emergency entry made in the tenant's absence. | ORS 90.322 |
| Pennsylvania | No statutory notice period | Rights governed by the lease and the common-law covenant of quiet enjoyment; 24 hours is customary but not required. Entry without notice only in emergencies. | No statute |
| Rhode Island | 2 days | Statute uses '2 days,' not '48 hours.' Emergency entry allowed without notice. Purposes: inspection, repairs, improvements, services, showings. | R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-26 |
| South Carolina | 24 hours | Scheduled periodic services (9 a.m.–6 p.m.) and tenant-requested services (8 a.m.–8 p.m.) have their own access windows when conspicuously stated in the lease. | S.C. Code Ann. § 27-40-530 |
| South Dakota | 24 hours | Entry only with consent during reasonable hours except in emergency (fire, flooding, gas leak, explosion). 24 hours is presumptively reasonable, not an absolute minimum. | SDCL 43-32-32 |
| Tennessee | 24 hours | The explicit 24-hour rule is narrow (last-30-day showings). No blanket statutory hour figure for all entries; emergencies need no notice. | Tenn. Code § 66-28-403 |
| Texas | No statutory notice period | No statutory requirement for general residential tenancies. The 24-hour figure in some sources applies only to manufactured-home lots (§ 94.004). | No statute |
| Utah | 24 hours | The lease may modify the 24-hour default. Emergencies require no notice. | Utah Code § 57-22-4(2) |
| Vermont | 48 hours | Entry limited to 9 A.M.–9 P.M. plus 48-hour notice. Entry without consent/notice only on reasonable belief of imminent danger to person or property. | 9 V.S.A. § 4460(a) |
| Virginia | 24 hours | Two figures: 24 hours for general access; 72 hours for routine maintenance not requested by the tenant. Emergency entry needs no notice. | Va. Code § 55.1-1229 |
| Washington | 2 days | 2 days (48 hours) general entry; only 1 day for showings to prospective/actual purchasers or tenants. | RCW 59.18.150(6) |
| West Virginia | No statutory notice period | Entry rights and any notice are governed entirely by the lease. | No statute |
| Wisconsin | 12 hours | 12 hours is shorter than most states' 24-hour default; codified in ATCP 134.09(2). Lease cannot waive the reasonable-times/notice protection below the ATCP floor. | Wis. Stat. § 704.05(2); Wis. Admin. Code ATCP 134.09(2) |
| Wyoming | No statutory notice period | Entry rights/notice are governed by the lease. | No statute |
Periods marked “Varies” are not fixed by a statute we could verify — treat them as guidance, not firm legal deadlines. “No statutory notice period” means the state sets no fixed number, so the lease and general law govern. Local ordinances can add stricter rules. Verified July 2, 2026 against each state's official statute publisher.
In states with an entry statute, a landlord must give the tenant advance notice — most often 24 hours — and may enter only at reasonable times, for statutory purposes such as inspections, repairs, supplying services, or showing the unit. Entering without required notice can violate the tenant's right to quiet enjoyment, and repeated abuse gives tenants remedies in many states.
Twenty-three states have no general statute requiring advance notice before entry. That does not mean a landlord may walk in at will — the lease, the covenant of quiet enjoyment, and (in several of these states) statutory duties not to abuse access still apply. In no-statute states, the lease's entry clause is the rule that governs, so read it closely before signing.
Every state allows a landlord to enter without notice in a genuine emergency — fire, flooding, a gas leak, or similar threats to life or property. Many statutes also excuse notice when the tenant consents at the time, when the unit appears abandoned, or under a court order.
Where a statute sets a figure, 24 hours is the most common rule (17 states, including California, Florida, Ohio, Oregon, and Virginia). Others require 48 hours (Arizona, Delaware, Vermont, and Washington, D.C.), 2 days (Alabama, Hawaii, Kentucky, Rhode Island, Washington), 1 day (Oklahoma), or 12 hours (Wisconsin). Entry must generally also be at a reasonable time.
Twenty-three states have no general entry-notice statute: Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Texas, West Virginia, and Wyoming. In these places the lease and general tenant protections govern. (Washington, D.C. codifies 48 hours' written notice — D.C. Code § 42-3505.51.)
Yes, in limited situations — a genuine emergency (fire, flood, gas leak) allows immediate entry everywhere. Many statutes also allow entry without advance notice when the tenant consents at the time, when the unit appears abandoned, or under court order. Outside those exceptions, entry in a notice state without proper notice is unlawful.
In states with an entry statute, a clause waiving the statutory notice is often unenforceable — many landlord-tenant acts bar waiving the act's protections in a lease. In the states with no entry statute, the lease clause usually is the governing rule, which makes it worth negotiating. When in doubt, check your state's statute in the table or scan your lease.
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