Eviction notices in Georgia

For leases entered into or renewed on or after July 1, 2024, before filing for unpaid rent the landlord must give a written notice to vacate or pay all past-due rent, late fees, utilities and other charges within three business days; only if the tenant does not pay or leave may the landlord file the dispossessory affidavit (O.C.G.A. § 44-7-50(c); HB 404 § 6). For older leases not renewed since July 1, 2024, the statute requires only a demand for possession, after which the landlord may file immediately (§ 44-7-50(a)).

Can the tenant pay to stop it? The tenant can stop the filing by paying all past-due rent, late fees, utilities and other charges owed to the landlord within the 3 business days.

Type:

Pay or move out

Notice period:

3 business days

Days not counted:

The statute says "business days" and does not define the term.

Law:

O.C.G.A. § 44-7-50(a), (c); 2024 HB 404 § 6

Georgia statute gives no cure period for lease violations. The landlord must demand possession; if the tenant refuses or fails to deliver possession, the landlord may "immediately" file a dispossessory affidavit (O.C.G.A. § 44-7-50(a)). Any cure right or longer notice comes only from the lease.

Type:

Varies

Notice period:

No fixed number of days

Law:

O.C.G.A. § 44-7-50(a)

The nonpayment notice runs "three business days"; § 44-7-50 does not define business days or say when counting starts, and the general Georgia time-computation statute could not be checked from an official source. The court's summons says the tenant must answer on or before the 7th day after service, and the Georgia courts' self-help page says that if the 7th day is a weekend or legal holiday the answer is due the next day.

Both the demand for possession and the 3-business-day notice must be posted in a sealed envelope conspicuously on the door of the property AND delivered by any additional method agreed to in the lease (O.C.G.A. § 44-7-50(d)).

The landlord files a dispossessory affidavit in magistrate court (or another court with jurisdiction) (O.C.G.A. § 44-7-50). The summons and affidavit are served by the sheriff, a constable or an approved process server, personally, on a resident of suitable age, or by posting plus first-class mail the same day (§ 44-7-51(a), as amended 2025). The tenant must answer in writing or orally on or before the 7th day after service, or a writ of possession may issue (Magistrate Court form MAG 30-02). In a nonpayment case the tenant may stop the eviction by paying all rent owed plus court costs within 7 days of being served; the landlord must accept this only once in 12 months (Georgia Legal Aid). A landlord must get a court order to evict; lockouts and other self-help are illegal (Georgia courts self-help; Georgia Legal Aid), and cutting a tenant's utilities before final judgment can bring a fine of up to $500 (O.C.G.A. § 44-7-14.1, per Georgia Legal Aid).

• The 3-business-day notice applies only to leases entered into or renewed on or after July 1, 2024 (HB 404 § 6).
• HB 1389 (2025–2026 session) proposed extending the notice to 7 business days; it is not on the Governor's 2026 signed-legislation list, so the 3-business-day rule is current law.
• Public housing authorities may give the demand for possession together with the federal lease-termination notice (O.C.G.A. § 44-7-50(b)).

• Georgia notice to end a month-to-month tenancy (no-cause notice by tenant or landlord)
• Georgia security deposit law: deadlines after move-out
• Federal 30-day notice for covered properties (CARES Act)

• HB 404 (2024) as passed, amending O.C.G.A. § 44-7-50 Retrieved October 13, 2026.
• HB 270 (2025) Eviction Service Act, amending O.C.G.A. § 44-7-51(a) Retrieved October 13, 2026.
• HB 1389 (2026) as introduced Retrieved October 13, 2026.
• Governor of Georgia: 2026 signed legislation Retrieved October 13, 2026.
• Magistrate Court form MAG 30-02 Dispossessory Affidavit and Summons Retrieved October 13, 2026.
• Georgia Courts A2J: Landlord/Tenant self-help Retrieved October 13, 2026.
• Georgia Legal Aid: How to answer a dispossessory Retrieved October 13, 2026.

Laws change. This page was checked against the sources above on October 13, 2026. It is legal information, not legal advice; if you have an eviction case, contact your state's legal aid. See our methodology.