What notice does a landlord have to give before evicting for unpaid rent in California?
3 days' written notice to pay rent or quit, excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and judicial holidays. The notice must state the amount due and payment details.
California's 3-day notice to pay rent or quit doesn't count Saturdays, Sundays or judicial holidays, and it must give the tenant everything they need to pay: the amount, who to pay, and how.
Step by step in California
State the exact rent due.
Give the name, phone number and address of the person to pay.
If payment can be made in person, list the usual days and hours someone is available. Or give a bank account and the institution's name and street address within five miles.
Serve it and count three days, skipping weekends and judicial holidays.
This is general information, not legal advice. The verified rule and official sources above control. Check the source or a local attorney for your situation.
Related California rules
Eviction court process & timeline
After being served with an eviction complaint, the tenant has 10 days, not counting weekends and court holidays, to file a response.
Limited civil unlawful detainer first-paper filing fees are $240 when the amount demanded is up to $10,000, and $385 when it is over $10,000 up to $35,000 (statewide schedule effective January 1, 2026). Those totals already include the extra $15 under CCP § 1161.2; unlimited-civil UD filings over $35,000 are $435, and a few counties add local courthouse-construction surcharges. Schedule text: "Complaint or other first paper in unlawful detainer (amount up to $10,000) GC 70613(b), 70602.5, CCP 1161.2 $ 240*" / "Complaint or other first paper in unlawful detainer (amount over $10,000 up to $35,000) GC 70613(a), 70602.5, CCP 1161.2 $ 385*" (footnote: "These amounts incorporate the additional $15 fee under CCP 1161.2 charged to plaintiffs in limited civil unlawful detainer cases.").
A landlord may not willfully interrupt utilities (water, heat, electricity, gas and others) in order to force a residential tenant out, even if the utility service is not under the landlord's control. Lockouts and removing doors, windows or the tenant's property are also banned.
If a tenant is current on rent and has exercised legal rights or complained to an agency about habitability, the landlord may not evict, raise rent or cut services in retaliation within 180 days. Threatening to report a tenant to immigration authorities counts as retaliation.
If a tenant stays after the lease ends and the landlord accepts rent, the lease is presumed renewed on the same terms. The renewal runs no longer than one month when rent is paid monthly, and never more than one year.
A landlord may not demand or collect rent, raise the rent, or serve a 3-day notice to pay rent or quit when all of these apply: the unit is substandard, a housing inspector has given the landlord notice, and the conditions have gone uncorrected for the period set in the statute.
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