--- title: "District of Columbia Eviction Process and Court Timeline" description: "District of Columbia eviction court steps: Landlord and Tenant Branch, Superior Court, answer At the hearing, writ 48 hours, u.s. marshals service. From officia" url: "https://mcc-solutionsnj.com/tools/eviction-process-district-of-columbia" --- Eviction process · District of Columbia # District of Columbia eviction process and court timeline What happens after the landlord files: court, filing fee, hearing after filing, time to answer or appear, judgment to writ, who carries out the lockout, paying to stop the case, right to counsel (statewide) and diversion or mediation (statewide), from the state's own pages. **Short answer.** Cases go to the Landlord and Tenant Branch, Superior Court. No written answer is needed unless the tenant wants a jury trial (or raises a plea of title or counterclaim); the tenant comes to the initial hearing. Who carries out a lockout: u.s. marshals service. ## At a glance Court Landlord and Tenant Branch, Superior Court. The Landlord and Tenant Branch of the Superior Court's Civil Division. "Civil Division, Landlord and Tenant Branch of the Superior Court" Source 2 Filing fee $15 to file a complaint in the Landlord and Tenant Branch; the writ of restitution costs $213 more ($10 court fee, $195 U.S. Marshal fee and $8 administrative fee). "Filing a Complaint | $15" Source 5 Hearing after filing Initial hearings are scheduled at least 28 calendar days after filing. "Initial hearings are scheduled at least 28 calendar days from the file date." Source 2 Time to answer or appear No written answer is needed unless the tenant wants a jury trial (or raises a plea of title or counterclaim); the tenant comes to the initial hearing. "Defendants are not required to file a written answer unless they are requesting a trial by jury" Source 2 Judgment to writ The landlord waits at least 48 hours after a judgment or default before filing for the writ of restitution (valid for 75 days). "wait at least forty-eight hours after entry of a judgment or a default" Source 1 Who carries out the lockout U.S. Marshals Service. The eviction is carried out under the supervision of the United States Marshals Service. "under the supervision of the United States Marshals Service" Source 2 Paying to stop the case The tenant can redeem the tenancy by paying all rent, interest and costs owed at any time before the eviction. "a defendant may redeem the tenancy by paying in full the past due rent." Source 2 Right to counsel (statewide) No statewide right to counsel for tenants in eviction cases (as of November 2026, per the National Coalition for a Civil Right to Counsel): its tracker of enacted laws lists no statewide law here. "An eviction right to counsel is created by an enacted law that, at a minimum:" Source 3, National Coalition for a Civil Right to Counsel (secondary source) Diversion or mediation (statewide) Yes: the D.C. Courts take part in the National Center for State Courts' Eviction Diversion Initiative, which supports court-based eviction diversion (as of November 2026, per the National Center for State Courts). "District of Columbia Courts" Source 4, National Center for State Courts (secondary source) ## Sample timeline: filed Monday, December 7, 2026 **Earliest under the statute; courts' calendars often take longer.** Need the other side served? [Process serving with an affidavit of service](/notary/process-serving). - **Answer or appear:** Monday, January 4, 2027 - **Hearing or trial:** Monday, January 4, 2027 - **Judgment:** Monday, January 4, 2027 - **Writ or warrant of possession:** Wednesday, January 6, 2027 - **Earliest lockout:** no date (Not confirmed on an official page) Another date: [open the estimator](/tools/eviction-timeline-estimator?state=dc). ## Want us to handle it? A runner files your papers in person at the clerk's window and sends you a scan of the stamped copy. We file what you prepared; we don't give legal advice. **Price:** Outside New Jersey it goes through our contractor network: quote-based, confirmed before any work starts, and booked once a local contractor accepts. In New Jersey it is from $75 per filing, court fees at cost. Starting rates. Your exact price is quoted after we confirm a local notary/runner, before you pay. [Request a court filing](/notary/court-filing#request) ## Help the official pages point to - The tenant can redeem the tenancy by paying all rent, interest and costs owed at any time before the eviction. - Yes: the D.C. Courts take part in the National Center for State Courts' Eviction Diversion Initiative, which supports court-based eviction diversion (as of November 2026, per the National Center for State Courts). - Landlord Tenant Legal Assistance Network (D.C. Bar Pro Bono Center), free legal information for tenants and small landlords (source 2) - Landlord and Tenant Resource Center and a free court mediator at initial hearings (source 2) **Not stated on the pages we read:** writ to lockout. ## Sources - [D.C. Courts: I have a judgment or a default against my tenant. How do I evict the tenant?](https://www.dccourts.gov/node/510) (checked November 2026) - [D.C. Superior Court: Case Management Plan, Landlord and Tenant Branch (rev. Feb. 2021)](https://www.dccourts.gov/sites/default/files/matters-docs/Case-Management-Plan-Landlord-and-Tenant-Branch.pdf) (checked November 2026) - [National Coalition for a Civil Right to Counsel (secondary source): National Coalition for a Civil Right to Counsel: Enacted Eviction Right to Counsel and Eviction Defense Programs (last modified November 2026)](https://civilrighttocounsel.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/RTC_Enacted_Legislation_in_Eviction_Proceedings_FINAL.pdf) (checked November 2026) - [National Center for State Courts (secondary source): National Center for State Courts: Eviction Diversion Initiative, participating courts](https://www.ncsc.org/evictiondiversion) (checked November 2026) - [D.C. Courts: Filing Fees](https://www.dccourts.gov/node/12073) (checked November 2026) Sourced from official pages; a few facts from vetted secondary sources, marked "(secondary source)". 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 District of Columbia?** Landlord and Tenant Branch, Superior Court. The Landlord and Tenant Branch of the Superior Court's Civil Division. **How long does a tenant in District of Columbia have to respond?** No written answer is needed unless the tenant wants a jury trial (or raises a plea of title or counterclaim); the tenant comes to the initial hearing. **How soon after filing is the District of Columbia hearing?** Initial hearings are scheduled at least 28 calendar days after filing. That's the statute's window; the court's own calendar decides the actual date. **When can a District of Columbia landlord get the writ after winning?** The landlord waits at least 48 hours after a judgment or default before filing for the writ of restitution (valid for 75 days). **Who carries out an eviction in District of Columbia?** U.S. Marshals Service. The eviction is carried out under the supervision of the United States Marshals Service. The officer acts on the court's order. **Can paying the rent stop a District of Columbia eviction case?** The tenant can redeem the tenancy by paying all rent, interest and costs owed at any time before the eviction. **What does it cost to file in District of Columbia?** $15 to file a complaint in the Landlord and Tenant Branch; the writ of restitution costs $213 more ($10 court fee, $195 U.S. Marshal fee and $8 administrative fee). Notice step: [notice periods](/tools/landlord-tenant-notice-periods-by-state) · Deposit step: [deposit rules](/tools/security-deposit-rules-by-state) · All states: [eviction process by state](/tools/eviction-process-timeline-by-state) · [Delaware](/tools/eviction-process-delaware) · [Florida](/tools/eviction-process-florida) ## Keep rental records in order [Bookkeeping for landlords](/bookkeeping/for/small-landlords)[Call (908) 444-6373](tel:+19084446373)