Short answer. Cases go to the District Court (shared with Circuit Court). Seven calendar days after service to answer the claim for possession (14 days for a money claim). Who carries out a lockout: sheriff.
At a glance
- Court
- District Court (shared with Circuit Court). Eviction (unlawful detainer) cases can be filed in District Court or Circuit Court; the county court pages describe District Court filing.
"District Court and Circuit Court have concurrent jurisdiction."
Source 1 - Filing fee
- Set locally. County court pages we opened list $280 (Russell), $305 (Escambia) and $350 (Mobile and Montgomery) to start a case, with added fees per defendant.
"the initial filing fee is $350.00"
Source 1 - Time to answer or appear
- Seven calendar days after service to answer the claim for possession (14 days for a money claim).
"Seven (7) calendar days to file an answer to complaint for possession of property."
Source 3 - Judgment to writ
- The writ of possession can be requested only after the 7-day stay that follows the judgment (the time to appeal) has run.
"ONLY after the automatic-Stay of seven(7) days has fully elapsed"
Source 4 - Who carries out the lockout
- Sheriff. The writ directs the county's law enforcement (the sheriff) to restore possession to the landlord.
"a court order to the Sheriff to immediately return property to the property owner"
Source 4
Sample timeline: filed Monday, December 7, 2026
Earliest under the statute; courts' calendars often take longer.
- Answer due (if served the day of filing): Monday, December 14, 2026
- Hearing or trial: no date (The official pages don't give a period for setting the hearing)
- Judgment: no date (Follows the hearing, which isn't dated here)
- Writ or warrant of possession: no date (7 days after the judgment, which isn't dated here)
- Earliest lockout: no date (Not confirmed on an official page)
Another date: open the estimator.
Help the official pages point to
- Legal Services Alabama (1-866-456-4995), named on the Russell County packet (source 3)
Worth knowing
An appeal does not stop the writ unless the tenant pays the circuit clerk all rent properly payable (Act 2006-316, section 35-9A-461(d)); the Mobile and Montgomery pages describe this as an appeal bond based on past-due and accruing rent. The writ timing above comes from a county procedure sheet; other counties may word it differently.
Not stated on the pages we read: hearing after filing, writ to lockout, paying to stop the case, right to counsel (statewide), diversion or mediation (statewide).
Official sources
- Mobile County (Thirteenth Judicial Circuit): Unlawful Detainers (checked November 2026)
- Montgomery County (Fifteenth Judicial Circuit): Unlawful Detainers (Eviction) (checked November 2026)
- Russell County District Court: Residential Landlord-Tenant Guidelines to Filing of Unlawful Detainer Actions (checked November 2026)
- Escambia County: Eviction / Unlawful Detainer Procedure (07/2025) (checked November 2026)
- Alabama Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (Act 2006-316), posted by the Macon County court (checked November 2026)
General information, not legal advice; we are not lawyers. Not a court form. Earliest under the statute; courts' calendars often take longer.
Common questions
Which court hears eviction cases in Alabama?
District Court (shared with Circuit Court). Eviction (unlawful detainer) cases can be filed in District Court or Circuit Court; the county court pages describe District Court filing.
How long does a tenant in Alabama have to respond?
Seven calendar days after service to answer the claim for possession (14 days for a money claim).
When can a Alabama landlord get the writ after winning?
The writ of possession can be requested only after the 7-day stay that follows the judgment (the time to appeal) has run.
Who carries out an eviction in Alabama?
Sheriff. The writ directs the county's law enforcement (the sheriff) to restore possession to the landlord. The officer acts on the court's order.
What does it cost to file in Alabama?
Set locally. County court pages we opened list $280 (Russell), $305 (Escambia) and $350 (Mobile and Montgomery) to start a case, with added fees per defendant.
Anything else to know about Alabama evictions?
An appeal does not stop the writ unless the tenant pays the circuit clerk all rent properly payable (Act 2006-316, section 35-9A-461(d)); the Mobile and Montgomery pages describe this as an appeal bond based on past-due and accruing rent. The writ timing above comes from a county procedure sheet; other counties may word it differently.
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