Short answer. Cases go to the Housing Court or District Court. Who carries out a lockout: sheriff or constable.
At a glance
- Court
- Housing Court or District Court. A District Court or Housing Court; a tenant can ask to move a case to Housing Court.
"a District Court or Housing Court"
Source 1 - Judgment to writ
- After judgment the tenant has 10 days to appeal; then the judge gives the execution to the landlord.
"You will have 10 days to appeal the decision"
Source 1 - Writ to lockout
- The sheriff or constable gives written notice 2 days (not counting weekends or holidays) before removal; moves happen weekdays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
"2 days (not including weekends or holidays)"
Source 1 - Who carries out the lockout
- Sheriff or constable. The landlord hires a sheriff or constable to serve the execution and carry out the move.
"Hire a sheriff or constable to deliver it to the tenant"
Source 1 - Diversion or mediation (statewide)
- Yes. Statewide RAFT rental assistance (a pending application blocks eviction) and free pre-court community mediation.
"you can't be evicted if you have a pending RAFT application"
Source 1
Sample timeline: filed Monday, December 7, 2026
Earliest under the statute; courts' calendars often take longer.
- Answer or appear: no date (Not confirmed on an official page)
- 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 (10 days after the judgment, which isn't dated here)
- Earliest lockout: no date (2 court days after the writ, which isn't dated here)
Another date: open the estimator.
Help the official pages point to
- Statewide RAFT rental assistance (a pending application blocks eviction) and free pre-court community mediation.
- The Legal Resource Finder, which connects to legal aid programs (source 1)
- Massachusetts Community Mediation Centers, free pre-court mediation (source 1)
Worth knowing
Uniform Summary Process Rule 2 puts cases on the second Thursday after the Monday entry date, but parts of it have been suspended by standing orders since 2021, so no hearing range is used here.
Not stated on the pages we read: filing fee, hearing after filing, time to answer or appear, paying to stop the case, right to counsel (statewide).
Official sources
- Mass.gov: Tenants' guide to eviction (checked November 2026)
- Mass.gov: Uniform Summary Process Rule 2 (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 Massachusetts?
Housing Court or District Court. A District Court or Housing Court; a tenant can ask to move a case to Housing Court.
When can a Massachusetts landlord get the writ after winning?
After judgment the tenant has 10 days to appeal; then the judge gives the execution to the landlord.
How long between the writ and a lockout in Massachusetts?
The sheriff or constable gives written notice 2 days (not counting weekends or holidays) before removal; moves happen weekdays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Who carries out an eviction in Massachusetts?
Sheriff or constable. The landlord hires a sheriff or constable to serve the execution and carry out the move. The officer acts on the court's order.
Is there a statewide diversion or mediation program in Massachusetts?
Yes. Statewide RAFT rental assistance (a pending application blocks eviction) and free pre-court community mediation.
Anything else to know about Massachusetts evictions?
Uniform Summary Process Rule 2 puts cases on the second Thursday after the Monday entry date, but parts of it have been suspended by standing orders since 2021, so no hearing range is used here.
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