--- title: "Maine Eviction Process and Court Timeline | MCC Solutions" description: "Maine eviction court steps: writ 7 days, lockout 48 hours, sheriff or constable. From official pages, with the earliest dates and links." url: "https://mcc-solutionsnj.com/tools/eviction-process-maine" --- Eviction process · Maine # Maine eviction process and court timeline What happens after the landlord files: filing fee, hearing after filing, judgment to writ, writ to lockout, who carries out the lockout, paying to stop the case and right to counsel (statewide), from the state's own pages. **Short answer.** Who carries out a lockout: sheriff or constable. ## At a glance Filing fee $100 to file, due at least one business day before the hearing. "The filing fee of $100." Source 1 Hearing after filing The hearing must be at least 7 days after the tenant gets the complaint (the earliest date here assumes service on the filing day). "must be at least 7 days after the date the tenant gets the complaint." Source 1 Judgment to writ The writ of possession can issue 7 days after judgment. "the law allows the writ to issue 7 days after judgment enters." Source 1 Writ to lockout Once a sheriff serves the writ, the tenant has 48 hours to move out. "After the writ is served, the tenant will have 48 hours to move out." Source 1 Who carries out the lockout Sheriff or constable. A sheriff or a constable serves the writ; the tenant then has 48 hours. "The writ may be served by a sheriff or a constable." Source 2 Paying to stop the case In a nonpayment case, no writ issues if the tenant has paid the amount needed to reinstate the tenancy. "paid the amount necessary to reinstate the tenancy" 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) ## 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:** no date (Not confirmed on an official page) - **Hearing or trial:** Monday, December 14, 2026 - **Judgment:** Monday, December 14, 2026 - **Writ or warrant of possession:** Monday, December 21, 2026 - **Earliest lockout:** Wednesday, December 23, 2026 Another date: [open the estimator](/tools/eviction-timeline-estimator?state=me). ## 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 - In a nonpayment case, no writ issues if the tenant has paid the amount needed to reinstate the tenancy. - Free mediation at the court on the hearing day (source 1) **Not stated on the pages we read:** court, time to answer or appear, diversion or mediation (statewide). ## Sources - [State of Maine Judicial Branch: Evicting a Tenant from a Residence for not Paying Rent](https://www.courts.maine.gov/help/guides/fed-brochure.pdf) (checked November 2026) - [Maine Revised Statutes, Title 14, section 6005: Writ of possession; service](https://legislature.maine.gov/statutes/14/title14sec6005.html) (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) 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 **How soon after filing is the Maine hearing?** The hearing must be at least 7 days after the tenant gets the complaint (the earliest date here assumes service on the filing day). That's the statute's window; the court's own calendar decides the actual date. **When can a Maine landlord get the writ after winning?** The writ of possession can issue 7 days after judgment. **How long between the writ and a lockout in Maine?** Once a sheriff serves the writ, the tenant has 48 hours to move out. **Who carries out an eviction in Maine?** Sheriff or constable. A sheriff or a constable serves the writ; the tenant then has 48 hours. The officer acts on the court's order. **Can paying the rent stop a Maine eviction case?** In a nonpayment case, no writ issues if the tenant has paid the amount needed to reinstate the tenancy. **What does it cost to file in Maine?** $100 to file, due at least one business day before the hearing. 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) · [Louisiana](/tools/eviction-process-louisiana) · [Maryland](/tools/eviction-process-maryland) ## Keep rental records in order [Bookkeeping for landlords](/bookkeeping/for/small-landlords)[Call (908) 444-6373](tel:+19084446373)