California Lease Termination Notice (Civ. Code §§ 1946.1, 1946.2)

Civil Code § 1946.1 governs termination of residential periodic tenancies. A tenant must give written notice at least as long as the rental period, generally 30 days. A landlord must give "notice at least 30 days prior to the proposed date of termination" if the tenant has resided there less than one year, or "at least 60 days" if the tenant has occupied the unit one year or more. For units covered by AB 1482, Civil Code § 1946.2 bars termination after 12 months without stated just cause, and no-fault terminations require relocation assistance "equal to one month of the tenant's rent." Separate laws let active-duty servicemembers (SCRA) and domestic-violence survivors (Civ. Code § 1946.7) terminate early on documented grounds.

A termination notice with too short a period is defective and cannot support an eviction. For covered units, terminating without just cause or unpaid relocation assistance voids the notice; willful violations expose a landlord to treble actual damages plus fees.