Learn about eviction
Plain-English guides to how eviction works — and exactly what the rules are in your state.
See the rules for your state
Choose your state at the top of the page — or use your location — and we’ll show the notices, deadlines and court for your state.
Guides
Landlords & tenants · 6 min read
How eviction works: the process from start to finish
The five stages every eviction goes through — notice, filing, service, hearing and removal — and what happens at each one.
Landlords & tenants · 5 min read
Eviction notices explained
Pay-or-quit, cure-or-quit, unconditional quit and termination notices — what each one means and what makes a notice valid.
Landlords · 4 min read
How to serve a notice (and prove it)
Allowed delivery methods, who can serve, and how to fill in a proof of service the court will accept.
Landlords & tenants · 5 min read
Going to eviction court: what to bring and what to expect
Preparing for the hearing — documents, witnesses, mediation, and how the judge decides.
Tenants · 6 min read
Tenant rights and common defenses
The defenses tenants raise most often — and what evidence supports them.
Landlords & tenants · 4 min read
Just-cause eviction and rent control
Where a landlord needs a legal reason to end a tenancy, what counts as “cause”, and relocation payments.
Landlords & tenants · 4 min read
Federal rules: CARES Act, subsidized housing and fair housing
The 30-day notice for covered properties, Section 8 and public housing rules, and the Fair Housing Act.
Landlords & tenants · 4 min read
After the judgment: writs, moving out and money owed
What happens after the court rules — the writ or warrant of possession, timelines, belongings and collecting money.
Landlords & tenants · 3 min read
Eviction glossary
Plain-English definitions of the words you will see on notices and court papers.
Eviction law by state
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- District of Columbia
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
General information, not legal advice. Laws change; we strive for accuracy but don’t guarantee it. Check your court’s rules or ask a lawyer or legal aid.