--- title: "Pennsylvania Eviction Process and Court Timeline | MCC" description: "Pennsylvania eviction court steps: Magisterial District Court, answer At the hearing, writ 10 to 120 days, lockout 11 days, sheriff or certified constable. From" url: "https://mcc-solutionsnj.com/tools/eviction-process-pennsylvania" --- Eviction process · Pennsylvania # Pennsylvania 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 Magisterial District Court. The tenant answers by appearing at the hearing; a cross-complaint can be filed before it. Who carries out a lockout: sheriff or certified constable. ## At a glance Court Magisterial District Court. A magisterial district judge (MDJ) hears the case and issues the order for possession; Philadelphia has its own court. "the sheriff of, or any certified constable in, the county in which the office of the MDJ is situated." Source 1 Filing fee The court's filing cost is scaled to the amount claimed, and service and mileage costs are added. Adams County's 2026 cost list shows $102.50 to file for $2,000 or less ($125.50 over $2,000 to $4,000; $171 over $4,000 to $12,000), $189.75 in all at the lowest tier with service. The statewide magisterial district judge cost table on pacourts.us effective January 1, 2024 listed $97 for the lowest tier. "Filing Fees (C13C) $102.50" Source 2 Hearing after filing The hearing is set 7 to 15 days after the complaint is filed. "not less than seven (7) or more than fifteen (15) days from the date the complaint is filed." Source 1 Time to answer or appear The tenant answers by appearing at the hearing; a cross-complaint can be filed before it. "IF YOU DO NOT APPEAR AT THE HEARING, a judgment for possession and costs" Source 1 Judgment to writ The landlord can request the order for possession after the 10th day (and within 120 days) after judgment. "after the 10th day but within 120 days following the date of the entry of the judgment." Source 1 Writ to lockout The officer can remove the tenant on or after the 11th day after serving the order for possession. "If, on or after the eleventh (11th) day following the service of the order for possession, the defendant/tenant" Source 1 Who carries out the lockout Sheriff or certified constable. The order for possession goes to the sheriff or a certified constable for service and execution. "the sheriff of, or any certified constable in, the county in which the office of the MDJ is situated." Source 1 Paying to stop the case The tenant can satisfy the order for possession by paying the officer the rent actually in arrears plus costs before the landlord gets possession. "the defendant/tenant may satisfy the order for possession by paying to the executing officer the rent actually in arrears" 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: Philadelphia (2019) have their own right-to-counsel laws. "An eviction right to counsel is created by an enacted law that, at a minimum:" Source 4, 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:** Monday, December 14, 2026 - **Hearing or trial:** Monday, December 14, 2026 - **Judgment:** Monday, December 14, 2026 - **Writ or warrant of possession:** Thursday, December 24, 2026 - **Earliest lockout:** Monday, January 4, 2027 Another date: [open the estimator](/tools/eviction-timeline-estimator?state=pa). ## 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 - The tenant can satisfy the order for possession by paying the officer the rent actually in arrears plus costs before the landlord gets possession. ## Worth knowing Source is the state's constable training guide quoting the Rules of Civil Procedure for Magisterial District Judges; a pending rule change would extend the 120-day request window to 180 days. **Not stated on the pages we read:** diversion or mediation (statewide). ## Sources - [Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency: Constable Field Reference Guide, Civil Law (Rules 501-519)](https://www.pa.gov/content/dam/copapwp-pagov/en/pccd/documents/training/constable-education-and-training/civil%20law%20guide.pdf) (checked November 2026) - [Magisterial District Court 2026 Cost schedule (Adams County, Pennsylvania)](https://adamscountypa.gov/test-area/feeschedule) (checked November 2026) - [Magisterial District Judge Cost Table, effective January 1, 2024 (Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania)](https://www.pacourts.us/Storage/media/pdfs/20231027/144408-2024costtable.pdf) (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 Pennsylvania?** Magisterial District Court. A magisterial district judge (MDJ) hears the case and issues the order for possession; Philadelphia has its own court. **How long does a tenant in Pennsylvania have to respond?** The tenant answers by appearing at the hearing; a cross-complaint can be filed before it. **How soon after filing is the Pennsylvania hearing?** The hearing is set 7 to 15 days after the complaint is filed. That's the statute's window; the court's own calendar decides the actual date. **When can a Pennsylvania landlord get the writ after winning?** The landlord can request the order for possession after the 10th day (and within 120 days) after judgment. **How long between the writ and a lockout in Pennsylvania?** The officer can remove the tenant on or after the 11th day after serving the order for possession. **Who carries out an eviction in Pennsylvania?** Sheriff or certified constable. The order for possession goes to the sheriff or a certified constable for service and execution. The officer acts on the court's order. **Can paying the rent stop a Pennsylvania eviction case?** The tenant can satisfy the order for possession by paying the officer the rent actually in arrears plus costs before the landlord gets possession. 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) · [Ohio](/tools/eviction-process-ohio) · [Rhode Island](/tools/eviction-process-rhode-island) ## Keep rental records in order [Bookkeeping for landlords](/bookkeeping/for/small-landlords)[Call (908) 444-6373](tel:+19084446373)