Just Cause Eviction Laws by State and City (2026)

Most opt-in towns set the cutoff at 345% of fair market rent, well above New York City's 245% default. A higher cutoff means more apartments fall inside the law, so a unit renting at 300% of local fair market rent is covered in Albany or White Plains but would be exempt in NYC.

The jump from $11,000 to $23,150 for a tenant under 3 years shows how much the household matters. If you are 62 or older, disabled, or have minor children at home, Los Angeles roughly doubles what a landlord owes for a no-fault eviction.

Washington ties notice to the reason. A tenant accused of waste or nuisance gets 3 days, while a building slated for demolition or a change of use gets 120.

DC gives long notice for no-fault endings, up to 180 days for demolition. Nonpayment notice is 10 days, and it is not required at all if unpaid rent is under $600.

Statewide just-cause and good-cause eviction laws compared (2026)

Source: FindLaw (reproduction of state code), California Civil Code § 1946.2 (Tenant Protection Act of 2019, AB 1482); Oregon Laws (oregon.public.law, reproduction of ORS), Oregon Revised Statutes § 90.427; Washington State Legislature, Revised Code of Washington 59.18.650; New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, Truth in Renting: A guide to the rights and responsibilities of residential tenants and landlords in New Jersey; Colorado Judicial Branch, JDF 99C Notice of No-Fault Eviction (C.R.S. § 38-12-1303); Colorado General Assembly, HB24-1098 Prohibit Residential Evictions Without Cause; New York State Division of Housing and Community Renewal, Good Cause Eviction Law: Required DHCR Notice; New York State Office of the Attorney General, New York State Good Cause Eviction Law; Council of the District of Columbia, D.C. Code § 42-3505.01 Evictions; Runyon Law Office, When the Lease Ends: New Hampshire's New No-Fault Termination Law; NHPR / Keene Sentinel (Granite State News Collaborative), End-of-lease evictions allowed under new state law; Connecticut Public, CT's expansion of the Just Cause eviction bill is one step closer to becoming law; Connecticut Public, A look at CT housing bills that did and didn't pass this legislative session. Download as image

Selected city just-cause and good-cause eviction laws (2026)

Source: New York State Office of the Attorney General, New York State Good Cause Eviction Law; New York State Division of Housing and Community Renewal, Good Cause Eviction Law: Required DHCR Notice; Los Angeles Housing Department, Just Cause For Eviction Ordinance (JCO); Los Angeles Housing Department, Relocation Assistance Bulletins A and B: No-Fault Evictions Under the RSO & JCO; City of Philadelphia (via American Legal Publishing), Philadelphia Bill No. 250330-AA (Certified Copy), amending Chapter 9-800 Landlord and Tenant; City of Philadelphia, Fair Housing Commission, Unfair rental practices; City of Seattle, Just Cause Eviction Ordinance (Renting in Seattle). Download as image

Just-cause eviction protection by state

• 5Statewide just-cause law
• 1Applies in NYC and opt-in localities
• 2Limited (some tenants or lease end allowed)
• 42No statewide just-cause law

What is just cause eviction?

A just-cause law limits the reasons a landlord can use to end your tenancy, including at the end of a lease. Without one, a landlord can usually let a lease run out or send a notice to end a month-to-month rental, and they don't have to say why.

The reasons in these laws fall into two groups. At-fault reasons are things the tenant did: not paying rent, breaking a material lease term, damaging the unit, or criminal activity. No-fault reasons are about the owner's plans: moving in, selling, renovating, or taking the unit off the rental market. No-fault endings are where tenants get the most help, through longer notice and, in some places, relocation money.

Just cause is not rent control, though some states pair the two. California's Tenant Protection Act has a separate annual rent cap, and New York's Good Cause law treats a rent increase above 5% plus CPI, capped at 10%, as presumptively unreasonable, and an unreasonable increase can't be used to push you out.

If you freelance or run a small business from your apartment, this matters more than it might seem. Losing your home also means losing your office, your mailing address and maybe your client calls for a few weeks. Knowing if your landlord needs a reason, and how much notice you'd get, tells you how much time you'd have to line up a new place without losing work.

Which states have just cause eviction laws in 2026?

California, Colorado, New Jersey, Oregon, Washington and the District of Columbia have statewide rules. They differ a lot in who they cover and when protection starts.

California's Tenant Protection Act kicks in after 12 months of occupancy. Many homes are exempt, including housing with a certificate of occupancy issued in the past 15 years. The law is set to repeal on January 1, 2030 unless lawmakers extend it. Colorado's law, approved April 19, 2024, covers tenants after 1 year in the home and lists 6 no-fault grounds, each requiring 90 days notice. Washington and New Jersey protect tenants from the first day of the tenancy, and DC limits evictions to listed grounds from the start.

New York is a special case. Its Good Cause law applies in New York City and only in other towns that opt in by local law. Connecticut and New Hampshire sit in the limited category. Connecticut's rule covers seniors and tenants with disabilities, and a 2026 bill to reach all tenants in 5+ unit buildings was not voted on. New Hampshire went the other way. Since July 1, 2026, lease expiration has been a valid ground, with at least 60 days notice.

Oregon's law covers tenants after the first year of occupancy, and it appears on the map as statewide. A 2025 law changed its rules for sales to owner-occupants, and we haven't yet checked those changes against the current statute. If you rent in Oregon, confirm the details before you rely on them.

Do cities have their own just cause rules?

Yes, and the city rule can matter more than the state one. Los Angeles applies its Just Cause Ordinance to most units not under rent stabilization after 6 months or when the original lease expires, which can be sooner than California's 12-month trigger. For most tenants, its relocation payments for July 2026 to June 2027 run from $11,000 to $27,400, compared with 1 month's rent under state law.

Seattle has its own ordinance with 16 listed just-cause reasons and 90 days notice for a family move-in or sale. Philadelphia has protected tenants on leases under one year, and from November 1, 2026 that protection extends to leases of any length.

So check your city before you assume the state rule is the whole story. A tenant more than 6 months into a Los Angeles lease can be covered by the city ordinance while a neighbor just outside city limits, on the same timeline, is not yet covered by state law.

Can a landlord refuse to renew your lease without a reason?

In most states, yes. If your state isn't on the map as covered and your city has no ordinance, a landlord can generally let the lease end without explaining, as long as they follow the notice rules and don't act out of discrimination or retaliation.

Inside a just-cause area, the answer depends on the details. In Washington, a landlord can still end certain fixed-term leases without cause on 60 days notice, such as a 6 to 12 month lease that converts to month-to-month, or a lease of 12 months or more. In New York, the law doesn't reach small landlords, buildings with a certificate of occupancy on or after January 1, 2009, or units with rent above the local cutoff. In NYC, a small landlord means 10 or fewer units. In Albany it means no more than one unit in New York, and in White Plains no more than four.

Here is a common case. You work from home in Rochester, which uses the 245% cutoff, and your building's certificate of occupancy is dated after January 1, 2009. The law exists in your city, but your building is exempt. Before you plan around protection, confirm both the place and the building.

What to do if you get a no-fault notice

• Check the stated reason against your state or city list. A notice that gives no reason, or a reason not on the list, may be invalid where just cause applies.
• Count the days. Colorado requires at least 90 days for no-fault endings, and DC ranges from 90 to 180 days depending on the ground.
• Look at your building, not just your city. Exemptions for newer buildings, owner-occupied homes and small landlords knock a lot of units out of coverage.
• Ask about relocation money in writing. California requires 1 month's rent for a no-fault ending, and Los Angeles owes far more.
• Keep every notice, text and email, and note the date you received each one.
• Contact a local tenant group or legal aid office before you move out. Leaving early can waive rights you would otherwise keep.

Sources and method

Every number on this page comes from the sources below, each opened and read on or before October 18, 2026. A second, independent review checked every figure against its source and corrected anything that did not match. 50 of 51 state entries were confirmed; any that could not be are marked "Not yet confirmed" and left out of every count and chart.

1. Center for Public Health Law Research, Temple University, for the Legal Services Corporation, State/Territory Eviction Laws: Final Summary Report (LSC Eviction Laws Database) (Laws in effect as of January 1, 2021)
2. FindLaw (reproduction of state code), California Civil Code § 1946.2 (Tenant Protection Act of 2019, AB 1482) (Current as of January 1, 2026)
3. Oregon Laws (oregon.public.law, reproduction of ORS), Oregon Revised Statutes § 90.427 (2023 edition of ORS with 2024 session changes (does not include 2025 session amendments))
4. Washington State Legislature, Revised Code of Washington 59.18.650 (Version effective until January 1, 2028 (2021 c 212 s 2))
5. Washington State Legislature, Revised Code of Washington 59.18.200 (Current code as read October 2026)
6. New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, Truth in Renting: A guide to the rights and responsibilities of residential tenants and landlords in New Jersey (Current edition (PDF file revised August 2025))
7. Colorado Judicial Branch, JDF 99C Notice of No-Fault Eviction (C.R.S. § 38-12-1303) (Revised May 6, 2024)
8. Colorado General Assembly, HB24-1098 Prohibit Residential Evictions Without Cause (Approved by Governor April 19, 2024)
9. New York State Division of Housing and Community Renewal, Good Cause Eviction Law: Required DHCR Notice (Posted July 16, 2026; reposted August 17, 2026)
10. New York State Office of the Attorney General, New York State Good Cause Eviction Law (2026 (page copyright 2026))
11. NHPR / Keene Sentinel (Granite State News Collaborative), End-of-lease evictions allowed under new state law (August 5, 2025)
12. Runyon Law Office, When the Lease Ends: New Hampshire's New No-Fault Termination Law (October 7, 2026)
13. Connecticut Public, CT's expansion of the Just Cause eviction bill is one step closer to becoming law (March 12, 2026)
14. Connecticut Public, A look at CT housing bills that did and didn't pass this legislative session (May 20, 2026)
15. Council of the District of Columbia, D.C. Code § 42-3505.01 Evictions (As amended by D.C. Law 26-108 (April 16, 2026))
16. City of Philadelphia (via American Legal Publishing), Philadelphia Bill No. 250330-AA (Certified Copy), amending Chapter 9-800 Landlord and Tenant (Passed April 23, 2026; signed May 7, 2026)
17. City of Philadelphia, Fair Housing Commission, Unfair rental practices (Undated; read October 2026)
18. Los Angeles Housing Department, Just Cause For Eviction Ordinance (JCO) (Undated; read October 2026)
19. Los Angeles Housing Department, Relocation Assistance Bulletins A and B: No-Fault Evictions Under the RSO & JCO (Amounts effective July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027)
20. City of Seattle, Just Cause Eviction Ordinance (Renting in Seattle) (Undated; read October 2026)