Warranty of Habitability, State-by-State

Tenant Mold Rights by State

Mold in a rental is a tenant law problem before it is a contractor problem. Each state's warranty of habitability and notice procedure is different, and getting the procedure wrong can forfeit the remedy. The state pages below cite the controlling statute and link to the legislature so you can read the current text directly.

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Each state page cites the controlling warranty-of-habitability statute and links to the legislature for the current text. Tenant remedy procedures vary widely by state, so the cited statute is always the controlling reference.

Alabama Ala. Code Title 35 Ch. 9A (Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act) Alaska AS 34.03 (Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act) Arizona A.R.S. §§ 33-1301 et seq. (Arizona Residential Landlord and Tenant Act) Arkansas Ark. Code Title 18, Ch. 17 (Residential Landlord-Tenant) California Cal. Civil Code § 1941 and Cal. Health & Safety Code § 17920.3 Colorado C.R.S. § 38-12-503 (Warranty of Habitability) Connecticut Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-7 Delaware 25 Del. C. § 5305 (Landlord obligations) District of Columbia DC Code § 42-3505.01 (Housing Code) and DC Code § 8-241.04 (Mold) Florida Fla. Stat. § 83.51 (landlord obligations) and § 83.56 (7-day cure notice) Georgia O.C.G.A. § 44-7-13 (landlord's duty to repair) Hawaii HRS § 521-42 (landlord obligations) and Ch. 521 (Residential Landlord-Tenant … Idaho Idaho Code § 6-320 (tenant remedies for landlord noncompliance) Illinois 765 ILCS 742 / 765 ILCS 705 (general); Chicago RLTO §§ 5-12-070 (Chicago … Indiana Ind. Code § 32-31-8 (Residential Tenant Obligations) Iowa Iowa Code § 562A.15 (landlord to maintain fit premises) Kansas K.S.A. § 58-2553 (landlord to maintain premises) Kentucky KRS § 383.595 (landlord obligations under URLTA, where adopted) Louisiana La. C.C. arts. 2682 to 2702 (Lease) Maine 14 M.R.S.A. § 6021 (Implied warranty and covenant of habitability) Maryland Md. Code Real Prop. § 8-211 (Repair of dangerous defects) Massachusetts M.G.L. ch. 186 § 14 (warranty of habitability) and ch. 111 § 127A (state … Michigan MCL 554.139 (covenants in residential leases) Minnesota Minn. Stat. § 504B.161 (Covenants of Landlord) Mississippi Miss. Code § 89-8-23 (landlord obligations) Missouri Mo. Rev. Stat. Ch. 441 (Landlord and Tenant) Montana Mont. Code § 70-24-303 (landlord obligations to maintain premises) Nebraska Neb. Rev. Stat. § 76-1419 (landlord obligations) Nevada NRS 118A.290 (habitability of dwelling unit) New Hampshire RSA 48-A:14 (Standards for Fitness for Human Habitation) New Jersey NJSA 2A:42-85 to 96 (Anti-Eviction Act and habitability) and Marini v. Ireland … New Mexico NMSA 1978 § 47-8-20 (Owner's obligations under Uniform Owner-Resident Relations … New York NY Real Property Law § 235-b (Warranty of habitability) and NYC Local Law 55 … North Carolina NC Gen. Stat. § 42-42 (landlord to provide fit premises) North Dakota NDCC § 47-16-13 (lessor of building for occupation) Ohio ORC § 5321.04 (Landlord obligations) Oklahoma 41 Okla. Stat. § 118 (Landlord obligations under URLTA) Oregon ORS 90.320 (Habitability) Pennsylvania Pugh v. Holmes (1979) (judicial warranty of habitability) and 68 P.S. § 250.501 … Rhode Island R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-22 (landlord to maintain fit and habitable premises) South Carolina SC Code § 27-40-440 (Residential Landlord-Tenant Act, landlord obligations) South Dakota SDCL § 43-32-8 (lessor's obligations) Tennessee Tenn. Code § 66-28-304 (URLTA, landlord to maintain premises) Texas Tex. Property Code § 92.052 (landlord duty to repair) and § 92.056 (tenant … Utah Utah Code § 57-22-4 (Owner's duty - Habitability) Vermont 9 V.S.A. § 4457 (Habitability) Virginia VA Code § 55.1-1220 (Landlord obligations under VRLTA) Washington RCW 59.18.060 (Duties of landlord) West Virginia WV Code § 37-6-30 (landlord obligations) Wisconsin Wis. Stat. § 704.07 (Repairs - Untenantability) Wyoming Wyo. Stat. § 1-21-1202 (Renter's right to specific repairs)
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Why tenant remedies are state-specific

Most US states recognize a residential warranty of habitability, either by statute (most common) or through case law (Pennsylvania’s Pugh v. Holmes, New Jersey’s Marini v. Ireland). The basic principle is the same everywhere: a residential landlord has to deliver and maintain a unit fit for human occupation. The procedural details, however, vary widely:

  • Notice requirements. Some states require written notice with specific language; some accept any reasonable notice; some let local code enforcement act on a complaint without tenant notice at all.
  • Cure periods. A landlord’s window to fix the problem can range from a few days to many weeks, depending on the state and the severity of the issue.
  • Remedies available. Termination, repair-and-deduct, rent withholding, and rent reduction are common, but each is governed by procedure rules. Doing the wrong thing in the wrong order can cost a tenant the case.
  • Mold-specific rules. A handful of jurisdictions (NYC’s Local Law 55, California’s HSC § 17920.3 visible-mold rule, DC’s mold statute) have mold-specific provisions on top of the general warranty.

This hub is informational, not legal advice. Tenants in active disputes should not act unilaterally. Read the statute on the legislature’s site, talk to a local attorney or legal aid organization, and document everything in writing first.

How this hub pairs with the rest

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