Written by NotALawyer Legal AI · Reviewed by External Legal AI · Published April 27, 2026 · Last reviewed June 26, 2026
A lease shouldn't trap you in a dangerous home. Most states have statutes that let domestic-violence survivors end a lease early without owing the remaining rent. Requirements vary by state, but the steps below are common to most.
Most states require a protective order, a police report, or a signed statement from a qualified third party (counselor, doctor, or advocate). Without documentation, the standard lease-break rules apply.
In most states the move is: deliver written notice that you are terminating under the domestic-violence statute, attach your documentation, and set a termination date — often 30 days out, but it varies by state.
The statute releases you from the rest of the lease. You remain responsible for rent up to the termination date plus any unpaid balance you already owe — not the months that would have followed.
Most statutes bar landlords from refusing to rent to you, evicting you, or retaliating because you are a survivor. Some also limit what a landlord can tell future landlords.
Many states let you request new locks at the landlord's cost, or end the abuser's tenancy while you stay. Check your state's statute, and a local domestic-violence advocate can walk you through either option.
More on this topic: the Renting hub
If you survive domestic violence, most states let you end your lease early without paying the rest of the rent — but each sets its own rule for how much written notice (or how much rent) you must give your landlord. Each value is cited to the state statute or agency; a state with no sourced figure shows "Not yet sourced."
| State | Early-termination notice | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Not yet sourced | — |
| Alaska | Not yet sourced | — |
| Arizona | 30 days | Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 33-1318 |
| Arkansas | Not yet sourced | — |
| California | 14 days | Cal. Civ. Code § 1946.7 |
| Colorado | 1 month's rent | Colo. Rev. Stat. § 38-12-402 |
| Connecticut | 30 days | Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-11e |
| Delaware | 30 days | 25 Del. C. § 5314 |
| District of Columbia | 14 days | D.C. Code § 42-3505.07 |
| Florida | Not yet sourced | — |
| Georgia | 30 days | O.C.G.A. § 44-7-23 |
| Hawaii | 14 days | Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521-80 |
| Idaho | Not yet sourced | — |
| Illinois | 3 days | 765 ILCS 750 (Safe Homes Act) |
| Indiana | 30 days | Ind. Code § 32-31-9-12 |
| Iowa | 14–30 days | Iowa Code § 562A.9A |
| Kansas | 1 month's rent | Kan. Stat. § 58-25,137 |
| Kentucky | 30 days | Ky. Rev. Stat. § 383.300 |
| Louisiana | 30 days | La. Rev. Stat. § 9:3261.1 |
| Maine | 7 or 30 days | 14 M.R.S. § 6001(6) |
| Maryland | 30 days | Md. Real Prop. § 8-5A-02 |
| Massachusetts | ~30 days | Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 186, § 24 |
| Michigan | Up to 2 months | Mich. Comp. Laws § 554.601b |
| Minnesota | 1 month's rent | Minn. Stat. § 504B.206 |
| Mississippi | Not yet sourced | — |
| Missouri | No set notice | Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.920 |
| Montana | Not yet sourced | — |
| Nebraska | 14–30 days | Neb. Rev. Stat. § 76-1431.01 |
| Nevada | 30 days | Nev. Rev. Stat. § 118A.345 |
| New Hampshire | Not yet sourced | — |
| New Jersey | 30 days | N.J.S.A. 46:8-9.6 (Safe Housing Act) |
| New Mexico | 30 days | N.M. Stat. § 47-8-33.2 (2019 SB 423) |
| New York | Court order | N.Y. Real Prop. Law § 227-c |
| North Carolina | 30 days | N.C. Gen. Stat. § 42-45.1 |
| North Dakota | 1 month's rent | N.D. Cent. Code § 47-16-17.1 |
| Ohio | Not yet sourced | — |
| Oklahoma | Written notice | Okla. Stat. tit. 41, § 111(F) |
| Oregon | 14 days | Or. Rev. Stat. § 90.453 |
| Pennsylvania | Not yet sourced | — |
| Rhode Island | 30 days | R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-40.1 |
| South Carolina | 30 days | S.C. Code § 27-40-350 (2026, H.3569) |
| South Dakota | Month of move-out | S.D. Codified Laws § 43-32-19.1 |
| Tennessee | 30 days | Tenn. Code § 66-28-205 |
| Texas | 30 days | Tex. Prop. Code § 92.016 |
| Utah | 45 days' rent | Utah Code § 57-22-5.1 |
| Vermont | 30 days | 9 V.S.A. § 4472 |
| Virginia | 30 days | Va. Code § 55.1-1236 |
| Washington | Current month | Wash. Rev. Code § 59.18.575 |
| West Virginia | Not yet sourced | — |
| Wisconsin | End of next month | Wis. Stat. § 704.16 |
| Wyoming | 7 days | Wyo. Stat. § 1-21-1303 (Safe Homes Act) |
General information, not legal advice. Rules change and exceptions apply — confirm the current rule with the cited source for your state.
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