Just cause eviction rules in Clay County, MO — sometimes called tenant protection or "for cause" eviction ordinances — list the specific legal reasons a landlord can end a tenancy.
Missouri has no just-cause eviction law, and Clay County cannot add one. A landlord ends a month-to-month tenancy with one month's written notice under §441.060, then files a rent-and-possession or unlawful-detainer suit; only a judge can order removal.
No Missouri statute requires a landlord to prove cause before ending a tenancy. Under §441.060 either party may end a month-to-month tenancy with written notice fixing termination on a rent-paying date at least one month out; a fixed-term lease simply expires. For nonpayment, the landlord uses the rent-and-possession action in Chapter 535; for a lease breach, an unlawful-detainer suit under Chapter 534. Clay County cannot impose just-cause, relocation pay, or a good-cause defense — Missouri grants counties no such power. Self-help eviction, such as changing locks or cutting utilities, is illegal; the tenant's protection is the court process itself.
A landlord who locks out a tenant or shuts off utilities instead of using the courts commits an illegal self-help eviction and faces damages. Skipping the required notice gets the eviction case dismissed.
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