--- title: "Ohio Eviction Process and Court Timeline | MCC Solutions" description: "Ohio eviction court steps: Municipal or county court, answer At the hearing, writ No wait stated, lockout Up to 10 days, sheriff, police officer, constable or b" url: "https://mcc-solutionsnj.com/tools/eviction-process-ohio" --- Eviction process · Ohio # Ohio 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, right to counsel (statewide) and diversion or mediation (statewide), from the state's own pages. **Short answer.** Cases go to the Municipal or county court. For the possession claim, any defense can be raised at the trial; no written answer is required before it. Money claims filed with it have their own answer date. Who carries out a lockout: sheriff, police officer, constable or bailiff. ## At a glance Court Municipal or county court. A county or municipal court, or the court of common pleas, in its area. "any judge of a county or municipal court or a court of common pleas, within the judge's proper area of jurisdiction" Source 1 Filing fee No statewide amount: each municipal court sets its own schedule of fees and costs by local rule, so the filing fee depends on the court. Check the court's fee schedule. "by rule, shall establish a schedule of fees and costs to be taxed in any civil or criminal action or proceeding." Source 4 Hearing after filing Trial can be no sooner than the seventh day after service is complete (the earliest date here assumes service on the filing day). "in no event sooner than the seventh day from the date service is complete" Source 2 Time to answer or appear For the possession claim, any defense can be raised at the trial; no written answer is required before it. Money claims filed with it have their own answer date. "Any defense in an action under this chapter may be asserted at trial." Source 1 Judgment to writ After a judgment for possession, the court issues a writ of execution when the landlord asks; 1923.13 sets no waiting period (a local court rule or a stay on appeal can add time). "shall issue a writ of execution on the judgment" Source 5 Writ to lockout The officer executes the writ within ten days of receiving it; no minimum wait is stated. "within ten days after receiving a writ of execution described in division (A) or (B) of section 1923.13" Source 1 Who carries out the lockout Sheriff, police officer, constable or bailiff. The sheriff, a police officer, a constable or a bailiff executes the writ. "the sheriff, police officer, constable, or bailiff shall execute it by restoring the plaintiff" Source 1 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: Cleveland (2019), Toledo (2021) and Columbus (2024) have their own right-to-counsel laws, and Cincinnati (2023) has an eviction defense program. "An eviction right to counsel is created by an enacted law that, at a minimum:" Source 6, National Coalition for a Civil Right to Counsel (secondary source) Diversion or mediation (statewide) No. Diversion programs are run locally, each tailored to its court; the Supreme Court's guide describes no single statewide program. "diversion programs are uniquely tailored to the jurisdiction's needs and resources." Source 3 ## 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:** Monday, December 14, 2026 Another date: [open the estimator](/tools/eviction-timeline-estimator?state=oh). ## 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) ## Worth knowing Other claims filed with the possession claim have an answer day 28 days after service (1923.06(H)(2)). **Not stated on the pages we read:** paying to stop the case. ## Sources - [Ohio Revised Code Chapter 1923, Forcible Entry and Detainer](https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/chapter-1923) (checked November 2026) - [Ohio Revised Code 1923.06](https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/section-1923.06) (checked November 2026) - [Supreme Court of Ohio: Judicial Guide to Eviction Diversion](https://www.supremecourt.ohio.gov/JCS/courtSvcs/resources/evictionDiversionToolkit.pdf) (checked November 2026) - [Ohio Revised Code 1901.26, municipal court costs (effective November 25, 2025)](https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/section-1901.26) (checked November 2026) - [Ohio Revised Code 1923.13 (effective September 29, 2017)](https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/section-1923.13) (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 **Which court hears eviction cases in Ohio?** Municipal or county court. A county or municipal court, or the court of common pleas, in its area. **How long does a tenant in Ohio have to respond?** For the possession claim, any defense can be raised at the trial; no written answer is required before it. Money claims filed with it have their own answer date. **How soon after filing is the Ohio hearing?** Trial can be no sooner than the seventh day after service is complete (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 Ohio landlord get the writ after winning?** After a judgment for possession, the court issues a writ of execution when the landlord asks; 1923.13 sets no waiting period (a local court rule or a stay on appeal can add time). **How long between the writ and a lockout in Ohio?** The officer executes the writ within ten days of receiving it; no minimum wait is stated. **Who carries out an eviction in Ohio?** Sheriff, police officer, constable or bailiff. The sheriff, a police officer, a constable or a bailiff executes the writ. The officer acts on the court's order. **What does it cost to file in Ohio?** No statewide amount: each municipal court sets its own schedule of fees and costs by local rule, so the filing fee depends on the court. Check the court's fee schedule. 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) · [North Carolina](/tools/eviction-process-north-carolina) · [Pennsylvania](/tools/eviction-process-pennsylvania) ## Keep rental records in order [Bookkeeping for landlords](/bookkeeping/for/small-landlords)[Call (908) 444-6373](tel:+19084446373)