Tennessee Eviction Process: Notice Periods, Timeline & Tenant Defenses (2026)

How eviction works step by step, and what defenses you have at each stage

At a glance

• Notice required before filing: 3 or 7 or 14 days, depending on the grounds
• Court required: Yes — possession is recovered through court, not by self-help
• Governing statute: Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-28-505

Who this covers — and who it does not

This page covers the eviction process in Tennessee for a residential tenancy — the notices a landlord must serve, the timeline, and what you can do at each stage.

It does not cover commercial leases, or mobile home parks where a separate statute applies. Where a city has its own rules, those may differ from the state statute below.

What the statute actually says

Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-28-505 — 欠租 14 天 pay-or-quit（cure 后租约继续）；6 个月内重复违约 7 天 quit；危险/暴力行为 3 天（66-28-517）。仅 URLTA 县（人口 >75,000）适用。

田纳西驱逐是司法驱逐（detainer warrant，仅法院判决执行）。URLTA 仅覆盖人口 >75,000 的县；小县走普通法。欠租 14 天 cure；6 个月内重复违约 7 天无 cure；月租终止 30 天（66-28-512）。

Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-28-505 ↗

Notice periods by grounds

How the process runs, step by step

1. 房东送达通知（欠租 14 天 / 重复违约 7 天 / 危险 3 天） (from 欠租/违约). 欠租 14 天 cure、重复违约 7 天 quit、危险/暴力 3 天。
2. 房东向 General Sessions Court 提起 detainer warrant (from 通知期届满). 通知期届满未纠正，房东起诉；仅法院判决执行。
3. 判决 + 法警执行 (from 判决). 仅法院判决由法警执行；房东不得自行搬物或换锁。

Can the landlord use self-help?

田纳西禁止自力救济：房东不得换锁、断水电或搬物；仅法院 detainer warrant 由法警执行。

Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-28-505 ↗

Common landlord claims and how to answer them

Remedies for an illegal eviction

非法自力救济的租客可追偿损害，并可请求恢复占有。

Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-28-505 ↗

Sources and how to verify them

Every figure on this page comes from the official text or a state court opinion, not from a summary. The table below lists each provision used and the date it was last checked.

Statute	Last verified	Source
Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-28-505	2026-10-16	official text ↗
Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-28-505(a)(2)	2026-10-16	official text ↗
Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-28-505(a)(2)(B)	2026-10-16	official text ↗
Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-28-517	2026-10-16	official text ↗
Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-28-505, 66-28-517	2026-10-16	official text ↗
Tenn. Code Ann. § 29-18-130	2026-10-16	official text ↗
Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-28-505 (self-help prohibition)	2026-10-16	official text ↗

Where the official text and a secondary summary disagree, this page follows the official text and says so. Where a provision admits of more than one reading, that is flagged rather than smoothed over.

When you need a lawyer instead of a tool

A self-help guide is the right starting point for understanding your position. Get legal help if:

• You have received an eviction notice — the timeline is now court-driven
• The dispute involves discrimination, unsafe conditions or retaliation
• Your landlord has filed anything in court already
• You are unsure whether a local ordinance changes the state rule

Local legal aid organisations and tenant unions offer free help for qualifying cases. They are independent of this site — we list them because they are the right place to go, not because they link here.

More Tennessee guides

Tennessee Security Deposit Return · Tennessee Security Deposit Rules · Tennessee Rent Increase Rules · Tennessee Repairs & Habitability · Tennessee Landlord Retaliation

→ All Tennessee tenant rights topics

Common questions