The information is only for evictions from a home or apartment. Talk to a lawyer for help with commercial (business) evictions.
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PRINT EMAILThis is a summary of the eviction process. A landlord must meet many legal requirements before they can ask for a court order that says their tenant must move out. There are step-by-step instructions at the bottom of this page with more details.
The landlord gives the tenant a written Notice to do something by a deadline
For example, a Notice might say to fix a problem or move out by a certain date. The deadlines can be very short, like 3 days, or months.
The Landlord starts an eviction case in court
If the tenant doesn't do what the Notice says by the deadline, the landlord can file an eviction case (called an unlawful detainer). The landlord must have a copy of the court papers delivered (served) to the tenant.
The tenant has a few days to file a response in court
If the tenant doesn't respond by the deadline, the landlord can file papers asking a judge to decide the case without their input. If the tenant does respond, either side can ask for a trial where a judge or jury will decide.
The judge makes a decision
If the landlord wins, they can ask the judge for papers that tell the sheriff to evict the tenants. The sheriff will post a Notice to Vacate and the tenant has time to move out.
turn off the power or other utilities, lock a tenant out, or throw out their belongings to get their tenant to move out. If they do, the landlord may have to pay the tenant a penalty.