How Long Does An Eviction Take From Start To Finish?

The eviction journey runs from notice to sheriff's enforcement, and each phase carries its own window.

1. Serve the eviction notice - Landlord delivers the notice; tenants typically have a 3‑5 day response period to pay rent or quit (state‑specific). Personal service can happen instantly, while mailed or posted notices may add a day or two before the clock starts.
2. File the complaint - Once the response window ends, landlord files the petition. Courts usually set a hearing within 10‑20 days for fast‑track non‑payment cases, 30‑60 days in the majority of jurisdictions, and up to 90 days where docket congestion exists.
3. Attend the court hearing - Both sides present evidence; a judge issues an eviction judgment often the same day or within a few days after the session.
4. Observe the post‑judgment grace period - The judgment includes a written order giving the tenant 5‑10 days (sometimes longer) to vacate voluntarily, as dictated by local law.
5. Sheriff's enforcement - If the tenant stays past the grace period, the sheriff serves a writ of execution and arranges lockout, typically within 3‑7 days of the order.

Every step hinges on the prior one, so checking state‑specific statutes before moving forward prevents costly surprises.

The eviction notice 'hits' the exact day the tenant is legally served, and that start point hinges on the state‑specific method used - personal delivery, posting on the premises, or a licensed process server; only a handful of jurisdictions accept certified mail when the lease or statutes explicitly allow it, while ordinary first‑class mail never satisfies legal service requirements (proper eviction‑notice service rules).

As we covered in the process overview, the clock begins once service is complete, so a landlord who hands the notice to the tenant in person starts the countdown immediately, whereas posting the notice typically adds a statutory waiting period of three to seven days before the notice period is considered triggered. Consequently, a 3‑day notice in California, Texas, or Florida effectively expires three days after personal service but may lapse after ten days if the tenant only sees a posted notice. Certified‑mail delivery, where permitted, counts from the date the tenant signs for the envelope; otherwise, the notice never legally starts, delaying the subsequent filing of eviction papers (state eviction‑notice forms).

Once you file the eviction papers, the clock starts ticking toward the court hearing.

• Serve the summons and complaint within 5‑10 days of filing; most jurisdictions insist on prompt delivery.
• Tenant must file an answer in 5 days in California (see state guidelines), while many other states allow 7‑14 days.
• Courts typically schedule a hearing 20‑45 days after service, though overloaded dockets can extend that to 60 days.
• A statutory 'stay' of 10‑day cooling‑off may apply before the hearing, giving the tenant a brief reprieve.
• Expect the overall wait from filing to hearing to average 3‑6 weeks, but budget up to 8 weeks in high‑volume jurisdictions.

After filing the eviction papers, the court usually schedules a hearing within 2 to 6 weeks, though states with back‑logged dockets can push the date to 8 or 12 weeks. The exact timing hinges on local court calendars and whether the tenant requests a continuance.

During the waiting period, gather the lease, rent ledgers, and any breach documentation, then upload them to the online docket if available. Some jurisdictions also offer mandatory mediation before the hearing; participating can trim later delays. Once the court date arrives, the focus shifts to securing an eviction judgment.

The eviction judgment usually lands within one to three weeks after the court hearing, though exact timing hinges on state‑dependent averages and court workload. Most jurisdictions issue a written decision at the hearing or mail it shortly thereafter, giving landlords a concrete date to plan next steps.

Factors such as clear lease violations, undisputed rent arrears, and complete paperwork can push the judgment toward the one‑week end, while contested evidence or a backlog may stretch it toward three weeks. Judges often reserve a short deliberation period, then sign the order before it becomes official.

Once the judgment lands, the post‑judgment grace period kicks in, typically giving tenants five to fourteen days to vacate before the sheriff's enforcement begins (see state‑dependent eviction timelines for variations). This window determines how quickly the final removal phase unfolds.

The court's eviction judgment triggers a short, state‑specific move‑out window; tenants must leave once the deadline expires or risk forced removal by the sheriff.

• Five‑day grace period - most states (e.g., California, Texas, Ohio) grant tenants five business days after judgment to vacate.
• Seven‑to‑fourteen‑day window - jurisdictions that require a writ of possession (such as New York, Illinois) often wait 7‑14 calendar days before the writ is issued and the clock starts.
• Extended stays - a handful of local courts may allow longer periods (up to 30 days) only when a judge explicitly orders an extension, usually after a tenant demonstrates hardship.
• Court‑ordered extensions - not automatic; the landlord must request additional time, and the judge decides the length, which can vary widely.

Check the exact deadline in the relevant state statutes or the local court's rules; the Nolo guide to eviction judgments outlines where to find those details.

If the tenant remains past the allotted days, the next phase - sheriff's enforcement - takes over, as described in the following section.

After the court issues an eviction judgment, the landlord must secure a writ of possession; only then can the sheriff's office intervene. Most jurisdictions require a notice period after the writ is filed - typically five days in California, and a 48‑hour to three‑day notice in New York - before the sheriff schedules a physical removal (see California Civil Procedure rules and NYC sheriff enforcement guidelines).

Once the notice expires, the sheriff's deputies post the eviction notice at the property and coordinate the actual move‑out, usually within the next business day. This step follows the post‑judgment grace period discussed earlier and marks the final removal timeline, which can range from 24 hours in some states to a few days where local court calendars add minor delays.

State statutes dictate the length of each eviction step, so timelines balloon whenever a jurisdiction imposes longer notices or extra procedural hurdles. Texas and Georgia both require a three‑day notice for nonpayment, yet California limits the same step to three days instead of the mythic 30‑ to 60‑day window some guides claim (see California Civil Code 1161). New York's notice varies: 14 days for most rent arrears and 30 days for month‑to‑month agreements (see NY Real Property Law § 711), while Illinois leaves the period to city ordinances, meaning Chicago tenants get five days but some suburbs receive ten (see Illinois Local Ordinances).

After a judgment, courts can issue a writ of possession immediately; neither Texas nor Georgia forces a five‑day grace period, allowing sheriffs to act within 24 - 48 hours. As we noted in the 'file eviction papers' step, these statutory quirks alone can add a week or more before the hearing even begins.

Court administration amplifies the stretch, especially where mandatory settlement conferences, docket congestion, or limited sheriff resources intervene. California's civil courts often require a settlement conference before any eviction hearing, inserting a 10‑ to 14‑day wait that does not exist in most Georgia districts. New York's housing courts schedule hearings on a rolling calendar, sometimes pushing the date six weeks out during peak seasons, while Illinois counties with single‑judge dockets may delay issuance of the writ for another week after judgment. Sheriff departments in rural Texas counties frequently need two days to travel to the property, extending the final enforcement window beyond the statutory minimum. These procedural layers, discussed earlier in the 'wait for your eviction hearing' section, explain why the same three‑step process can span from a few weeks in a streamlined jurisdiction to several months elsewhere.

The fastest eviction for unpaid rent usually spans 21 to 35 days from the first notice to the sheriff's removal order.

Definition

Landlords serve a rent‑due eviction notice (typically 3 - 5 days in most states). After the notice expires, filing the complaint takes 1 - 3 days where the court assigns a hearing date within 7 - 14 days. The judge often issues a judgment at the hearing or within a couple of days thereafter. A post‑judgment grace period of 3 - 5 days allows the tenant to vacate voluntarily. If the unit remains occupied, the sheriff's office executes the writ of possession in 5 - 10 days, completing the process.

Examples

In California, a 3‑day 'pay‑or‑quit' notice followed by a court filing can lead to a hearing in about 10 days; the judgment, a 5‑day grace period, and sheriff enforcement typically finish within 28 days total. Texas permits a 3‑day notice, a filing lag of 2 days, a hearing within 10 days, a 5‑day post‑judgment window, and sheriff action after 7 days, compressing the timeline to roughly 22 days (see state‑by‑state eviction guide).

Both illustrate the same sequence, only the exact day counts shift per jurisdiction.

A lease violation adds a mandatory notice window, pushing the eviction hearing back by days or weeks depending on the breach type.

• Health‑safety breach - most jurisdictions require a 30‑day cure notice (California follows Civil Code §1946.1, with a 60‑day notice for tenancies longer than one year).
• Illegal activity - many states serve a 3‑day 'cure or quit' notice, though some extend to 5‑7 days or require a longer period if the activity isn't immediately dangerous.
• Building‑code or structural violation - courts typically enforce a 30‑day notice to remedy the issue before proceeding.
• Repeated lease‑term breaches - landlords usually must deliver a 30‑day termination notice; a few states lengthen that to 60 days for long‑standing tenancies.
• Non‑payment of rent - a 3‑day notice remains the norm, adding those days to the overall schedule already discussed in the previous section.

Squatters can inflate an eviction from weeks to months by weaponizing procedural loopholes, and the exact delay hinges on state and local statutes.

Key traps landlords encounter:

• Assert an existing lease or month‑to‑month tenancy, forcing the court to verify notice compliance before proceeding.
• File a 'quiet title' or adverse possession claim, which adds a separate hearing and possible discovery phase.
• Request a stay of execution pending an appeal, pausing sheriff's enforcement for up to 30 days in many jurisdictions.
• Challenge service of process on technical grounds, triggering a reschedule of the court hearing.

Since each jurisdiction caps appeals or stays differently, consulting local counsel before filing the eviction judgment ensures the post‑judgment grace period and sheriff's enforcement aren't needlessly stalled.

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• Contesting the eviction adds at least one extra month, often two, because the court must schedule a trial after the initial hearing.
• The tenant's answer triggers a discovery phase; filing motions, gathering evidence, and possible settlement talks consume 30‑60 days, depending on state rules.
• A new judgment follows the trial, extending the post‑judgment grace period another 7‑14 days before the sheriff's enforcement can occur.
• As we covered above, the uncontested waiting period (typically 2‑4 weeks) expands to a total of 2‑3 months from notice to final removal when a tenant fights the eviction.