Short answer. Five business days to file an Answer; the hearing must then be held within 10 business days of the Answer. Who carries out a lockout: sheriff.
At a glance
- Time to answer or appear
- Five business days to file an Answer; the hearing must then be held within 10 business days of the Answer.
"You have 5 business days to file your Answer with the Clerk of Court."
Source 1 - Judgment to writ
- If possession is granted, the court issues the writ of possession and writ of assistance immediately.
"the court shall issue a writ of possession and a writ of assistance immediately"
Source 2 - Writ to lockout
- The sheriff executes the writ of assistance within 5 business days of receiving it, unless the landlord and sheriff agree otherwise.
"within 5 business days of the sheriff receiving the writ"
Source 2 - Who carries out the lockout
- Sheriff. The sheriff executes the writ of assistance.
"within 5 business days of the sheriff receiving the writ"
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. Local: Bozeman (2025) have their own right-to-counsel laws.
"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.
- 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 (0 days after the judgment, which isn't dated here)
- Earliest lockout: no date (0 court days after the writ, which isn't dated here)
Another date: open the estimator.
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.
Help the official pages point to
- Montana Legal Services Association, free legal help for low-income people (source 1)
Not stated on the pages we read: court, filing fee, hearing after filing, paying to stop the case, diversion or mediation (statewide).
Sources
- Montana Judicial Branch: Answering Your Landlord's Complaint to Evict You (05/23/23) (checked November 2026)
- Montana Code Annotated 70-24-427: Landlord's remedies after termination, action for possession (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) (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 long does a tenant in Montana have to respond?
Five business days to file an Answer; the hearing must then be held within 10 business days of the Answer.
When can a Montana landlord get the writ after winning?
If possession is granted, the court issues the writ of possession and writ of assistance immediately.
How long between the writ and a lockout in Montana?
The sheriff executes the writ of assistance within 5 business days of receiving it, unless the landlord and sheriff agree otherwise.
Who carries out an eviction in Montana?
Sheriff. The sheriff executes the writ of assistance. The officer acts on the court's order.
Notice step: notice periods · Deposit step: deposit rules · All states: eviction process by state · Minnesota · New Hampshire