--- title: "Minnesota Eviction Process and Court Timeline | MCC" description: "Minnesota eviction court steps: District Court (Housing Court), answer At the hearing, writ Up to 7 days, lockout 24 hours, sheriff. From official pages, with t" url: "https://mcc-solutionsnj.com/tools/eviction-process-minnesota" --- Eviction process · Minnesota # Minnesota 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, 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.** Cases go to the District Court (Housing Court). A tenant who disagrees must appear in court at the hearing. Who carries out a lockout: sheriff. ## At a glance Court District Court (Housing Court). Eviction cases are heard in Housing Court under the rules for district courts. "eviction cases are heard in “Housing Court” governed by General Rules of Practice for District Courts" Source 1 Filing fee About $325, per the Attorney General's handbook; the court's fee schedule has the current amount. "the filing fee (now about $325)" Source 3 Hearing after filing The hearing is set 7 to 14 days out (5 to 7 on an expedited request), and service must be complete at least 7 days before. "Service of the Summons and Complaint must be completed at least 7 days before the hearing date." Source 1 Time to answer or appear A tenant who disagrees must appear in court at the hearing. "they must appear in court at the time of the hearing" Source 1 Judgment to writ The court issues the writ immediately on judgment, but stays it for a reasonable period of up to seven days in most cases. "immediately issue a writ of recovery of premises and order to vacate" Source 2 Writ to lockout The writ must be given to the tenant at least 24 hours before the eviction, which only a law enforcement officer can carry out. "must be provided to the tenant at least 24 hours before the actual eviction." Source 3 Who carries out the lockout Sheriff. The landlord takes the writ to the sheriff, who acts if the tenant doesn't move. "authorizing the sheriff to take certain actions if the tenant does not move voluntarily." Source 1 Paying to stop the case When nonpayment is the only ground, the tenant can 'pay and stay' by bringing the past-due rent, interest, court costs and a capped attorney fee to the hearing. "redeem or “pay and stay”" Source 1 Right to counsel (statewide) Limited: a tenant of federally subsidized public housing who faces eviction for an alleged breach of lease and can't afford a lawyer has the right to a court-appointed attorney. The judge asks at the first hearing. Other tenants have no statewide right. Local laws on the National Coalition for a Civil Right to Counsel's list: Minneapolis (2021). "a defendant in federally subsidized public housing facing an eviction for breach of lease has the right to a court-appointed attorney" Source 4 ## 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, December 14, 2026 - **Hearing or trial:** Monday, December 14, 2026 - **Judgment:** Monday, December 14, 2026 - **Writ or warrant of possession:** Monday, December 14, 2026 - **Earliest lockout:** Tuesday, December 15, 2026 Another date: [open the estimator](/tools/eviction-timeline-estimator?state=mn). ## 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 - When nonpayment is the only ground, the tenant can 'pay and stay' by bringing the past-due rent, interest, court costs and a capped attorney fee to the hearing. - Limited: a tenant of federally subsidized public housing who faces eviction for an alleged breach of lease and can't afford a lawyer has the right to a court-appointed attorney. The judge asks at the first hearing. Other tenants have no statewide right. - Statewide Self-Help Center, 651-435-6535 (source 1) **Not stated on the pages we read:** diversion or mediation (statewide). ## Official sources - [Minnesota Judicial Branch: Instructions, Eviction Action Complaint (HOU101, rev. 1/24)](https://www.mncourts.gov/mncourtsgov/media/CourtForms/HOU101.pdf) (checked November 2026) - [Minnesota Statutes 504B.345](https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/504b.345) (checked November 2026) - [Minnesota Attorney General: Landlords and Tenants handbook, Other Important Laws](https://www.ag.state.mn.us/consumer/handbooks/lt/CH4.asp) (checked November 2026) - [Minnesota Statutes 504B.268 (right to counsel in public housing eviction cases)](https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/2025/2025-10-19%2014:07:52+00:00/cite/504B.268/pdf) (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 Minnesota?** District Court (Housing Court). Eviction cases are heard in Housing Court under the rules for district courts. **How long does a tenant in Minnesota have to respond?** A tenant who disagrees must appear in court at the hearing. **How soon after filing is the Minnesota hearing?** The hearing is set 7 to 14 days out (5 to 7 on an expedited request), and service must be complete at least 7 days before. That's the statute's window; the court's own calendar decides the actual date. **When can a Minnesota landlord get the writ after winning?** The court issues the writ immediately on judgment, but stays it for a reasonable period of up to seven days in most cases. **How long between the writ and a lockout in Minnesota?** The writ must be given to the tenant at least 24 hours before the eviction, which only a law enforcement officer can carry out. **Who carries out an eviction in Minnesota?** Sheriff. The landlord takes the writ to the sheriff, who acts if the tenant doesn't move. The officer acts on the court's order. **Can paying the rent stop a Minnesota eviction case?** When nonpayment is the only ground, the tenant can 'pay and stay' by bringing the past-due rent, interest, court costs and a capped attorney fee to 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) · [Michigan](/tools/eviction-process-michigan) · [Montana](/tools/eviction-process-montana) ## Keep rental records in order [Bookkeeping for landlords](/bookkeeping/for/small-landlords)[Call (908) 444-6373](tel:+19084446373)