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South Carolina Notice to Pay Rent or Quit

Quick answer: for unpaid rent, South Carolina requires 5 days under S.C. Code Ann. 27-40-710(B) before an eviction case can be filed. The table and sections below cover the other grounds, the service rules, and the step-by-step process.

A notice to pay or quit is the formal demand a South Carolina landlord must serve before starting a nonpayment eviction. In South Carolina, a landlord must generally give 5 days' notice to pay rent or quit under S.C. Code Ann. 27-40-710(B).

Fill in the rent owed, the rental period it covers, and the deadline, and download a South Carolina pay or quit notice ready to serve, in Word and PDF.

Create your South Carolina notice to pay rent or quitRead the full Notice to Pay Rent or Quit guide

South Carolina notice periods

South Carolina pay or quit notice period: 5 days (S.C. Code Ann. 27-40-710(B)).

South Carolina eviction notice periods by notice type
Notice typeMinimum noticeStatute
Nonpayment of rent (pay or quit)5 daysS.C. Code Ann. 27-40-710(B)
Lease violation (cure or quit)14 daysS.C. Code Ann. 27-40-710(A)
No-fault termination (month to month)30 daysS.C. Code Ann. 27-40-770

Verify before you rely on it

Landlord-tenant statutes change, and cities or counties can add stricter local rules. Confirm the current South Carolina requirement in the statute cited above (or with your local court's self-help resources) before serving your notice.

South Carolina notice to pay rent or quit requirements

South Carolina requires 5 days' written notice before a nonpayment eviction can be filed (S.C. Code Ann. 27-40-710(B)). The document should identify the rental period, the exact amount owed, and the deadline. Serving the notice too early or demanding more than the statute allows are the two mistakes that most often get these cases dismissed.

If the tenant breached another lease term (an unauthorized occupant, property damage, a prohibited pet), South Carolina gives them 14 days to cure the violation or move out under S.C. Code Ann. 27-40-710(A). Vague notices are the classic weak point here: name the clause breached and the facts, with dates.

To end a month-to-month tenancy without alleging any fault, South Carolina requires 30 days' notice (S.C. Code Ann. 27-40-770). This is a different document from a pay or quit notice: it does not accuse the tenant of anything, it simply ends the periodic tenancy on the stated date.

Do not improvise the delivery. Eviction statutes list the service methods a court will accept (personal delivery, substituted service on another occupant, post and mail, or mail variants), and a notice served the wrong way can be treated as no notice at all. Verify the methods South Carolina authorizes, follow one to the letter, and write down when and how you served it.

Keep in mind what the notice legally is: the mandatory first step of a court process. Once the South Carolina period expires with no payment or cure, the landlord files an eviction action and a judge decides. Locking the tenant out, hauling belongings to the curb, or shutting off utilities without a judgment is the kind of self-help that turns a strong case into a liability problem.

How to complete a notice to pay rent or quit in South Carolina, step by step

Here is how landlords typically take a pay or quit notice from blank page to served document in South Carolina. Each step protects the notice against the objections tenants most commonly raise in court.

  1. Confirm the ground for the notice. Identify precisely why you are serving it: unpaid rent, a specific lease violation, or a no-fault end of a month-to-month tenancy. The ground determines which South Carolina notice period applies and what the notice must say, so getting this wrong invalidates everything that follows.
  2. Apply the correct notice period. For unpaid rent in South Carolina, that means 5 days (S.C. Code Ann. 27-40-710(B)). Count the days the way the statute counts them, and when in doubt add a day rather than cut one: a notice that gives too little time fails, one that gives extra time does not.
  3. Fill in the notice completely. Name every adult tenant on the lease, state the full rental property address including the unit, and describe the demand exactly: the amount of rent owed and the period it covers, or the violation and how to cure it. Ambiguity in this document becomes the tenant's argument in court.
  4. Serve it by an authorized method. Use a delivery method South Carolina law authorizes for eviction notices and follow it exactly. If you post the notice, mail a copy too when the statute pairs the two. Never rely on a text message or an email alone unless the statute expressly allows it.
  5. Keep proof of service. Note the date, time, place, and method of delivery, and keep a copy of the signed notice. Many landlords have a third party serve it and sign a short declaration of service. This record is what you will hand the South Carolina court if the tenant claims they were never notified.
  6. Wait out the period, then file if needed. If the tenant pays, cures, or moves out within the period, the matter ends there. If not, file an eviction case with the South Carolina court that handles landlord-tenant matters in your county. Bring the lease, the notice, the proof of service, and your payment records.

How this template works in South Carolina

Answer guided questions about the landlord, the tenant, and the amounts owed, then enter the South Carolina notice period from the table above. The finished notice is ready to serve and download in Word and PDF.

The form, the live preview, and the full guide live on the main Notice to Pay Rent or Quit page.

South Carolina notice to pay rent or quit FAQ

How much notice does a landlord have to give before an eviction in South Carolina?

For unpaid rent, South Carolina requires 5 days under S.C. Code Ann. 27-40-710(B). Other grounds have their own periods: 14 days to cure a lease violation (S.C. Code Ann. 27-40-710(A)), and 30 days to end a month-to-month tenancy (S.C. Code Ann. 27-40-770).

Can a landlord evict a tenant in South Carolina without going to court?

No. The notice is only the mandatory first step: if the tenant does not pay, cure, or leave within the period, the landlord must file an eviction case and obtain a judgment before the tenant can be removed. Changing the locks, removing belongings, or shutting off utilities without a court order exposes the landlord to liability.

What happens if the tenant pays after receiving a pay or quit notice in South Carolina?

Paying the full amount demanded within the notice period generally cures a nonpayment default, and the landlord cannot file an eviction case based on that notice. Partial payments are different: accepting one can restart or complicate the process depending on the statute and the lease, so decide deliberately before taking partial rent.

How long does a tenant have to fix a lease violation in South Carolina?

South Carolina gives the tenant 14 days under S.C. Code Ann. 27-40-710(A). The notice must describe the violation clearly enough for the tenant to know what compliance looks like. If the violation is cured within the period, the tenancy continues.

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