How long does an eviction take in Washington, DC?
For unpaid rent in Washington, DC, expect about 16.5 weeks from notice to lockout under District of Columbia's deadlines, or 12.5 to 26.5 weeks if the case is contested. Local rules add costs and steps, listed below. Court: DC Superior Court, Landlord and Tenant Branch (U.S. Marshals enforce). Estimate your cost ↓
Washington, DC eviction timeline
These deadlines come from District of Columbia law, as on the District of Columbia page. We found no separate city notice period for nonpayment.
- Notice to pay or leave 30 daysofficial source
30-day written notice of intent to file; can't file unless at least $600 is owed (D.C. Code § 42-3505.01) source - File the case and get a judgment about 35-90 daysofficial source
Initial hearing is scheduled at least 35 days after filing source - Judgment to lockout 23-45 daysofficial source
Wait 48 hours after judgment to file the writ; tenant must get at least 21 days' notice of the eviction date source - If the tenant appeals 30-day windowofficial source
30 days to appeal to the D.C. Court of Appeals; a stay requires a motion and may require a bond source
Local rules that change the answer
- Initial hearings are scheduled at least 35 calendar days after filing; proof of service is due 14 days before the hearing. official source source
Can the tenant pay and stay?
Can pay in full during the notice period. official source source
Eviction costs in Washington, DC
| Cost | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Court filing fee | $15 | DC Superior Court: Landlord and Tenant complaint filing fee $15 official source source |
| Serving the tenant | $30-$77* | Any adult non-party can serve (L&T Rule 4); private process server prices aren't regulated. The court lets the winning landlord recover at most $10 per defendant for special process server costs (L&T Rule 15) source No official fee amount verified; *the calculator uses the national default range. unverified |
| Sheriff/marshal lockout | $213 | DC Superior Court: Writ of restitution $213 ($10 court fee + $195 U.S. Marshal fee + $8 U.S. Marshal administrative fee); an alias writ is $18 official source source |
| Lawyer, uncontested | $500-$1,500 | National rough estimate; big-city rates often run higher estimate |
| Median gross rent | $1,931/mo | Census ACS 2024 1-year (B25064): city $1,931 (±$43); Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro $2,037 (±$21) data |
Tenant protections in Washington, DC
| Just-cause eviction rules | Yes (city law) | Evictions only for the reasons listed in D.C. Code 42-3505.01 official source source |
| Rent control / stabilization | Yes (city law) | Rental Housing Act of 1985 ("rent control"): applies unless exempt. Exemptions include buildings built after 1975, units owned by a natural person with no more than 4 rental units, and subsidized units official source source |
| Right to counsel for tenants | No (city law) | Not a universal legal right: the Housing Right to Counsel Project (led by Legal Aid DC) provides free lawyers to eligible low-income tenants secondary source source |
| Seasonal / weather limits | Yes (city law) | No evictions when rain, below 32°F or above 95°F is forecast (D.C. Code 42-3505.01) official source source |
| Required mediation / pre-filing program | No (state law) | None statewide found in the sources we checked unverified |
| Relocation payments (no-fault evictions) | No (city law) | None found in the city and state sources we checked unverified |
Eviction cost calculator for Washington, DC
| What | Typical | Low to high |
|---|
Full timeline and sources · Total = rent × (months behind + months to evict + months to re-rent) + court fees + lawyer + turnover. How we calculate.
City score: 23/100
Timeline 0/50 · right to cure 14/20 · protections 9/30 (city and state rules together). The statewide District of Columbia score is 23. How the score works.
Washington, DC eviction FAQ
How long does an eviction take in Washington, DC?
For unpaid rent, about 16.5 weeks from notice to lockout, with a range of roughly 12.5 to 26.5 weeks, based on District of Columbia's notice and court deadlines. We found no official statistic on actual court wait times here, so this is a rule-based estimate.
How much does it cost to file an eviction in Washington, DC?
The court filing fee is $15 (DC Superior Court). The sheriff or marshal lockout fee is $213 (DC Superior Court). We found no official fee for serving the tenant (private servers set their own prices). Lawyer fees are extra (national rough estimate $500-$1,500 uncontested).
What tenant protections apply in Washington, DC?
City and state rules include just-cause eviction rules; rent control / stabilization; seasonal / weather limits.
Can a tenant in Washington, DC stop the eviction by paying?
Can pay in full during the notice period.
What local rule do landlords in Washington, DC often miss?
Initial hearings are scheduled at least 35 calendar days after filing; proof of service is due 14 days before the hearing.
Sources and last-checked dates
| Field | Source type | Link | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notice period (state law) | official source | code.dccouncil.gov | 2026-10-17 |
| Court deadlines (state law) | official source | www.dccourts.gov | 2026-10-17 |
| Judgment to lockout (state law) | official source | code.dccouncil.gov | 2026-10-17 |
| Appeal (state law) | official source | www.dccourts.gov | 2026-10-17 |
| Filing fee | official source | www.dccourts.gov | 2026-10-17 |
| Service fee | unverified | none found | 2026-10-17 |
| Lockout fee | official source | www.dccourts.gov | 2026-10-17 |
| Right to cure | official source | code.dccouncil.gov | 2026-10-17 |
| Court wait | unverified | none found | 2026-10-17 |
| Just-cause eviction rules | official source | code.dccouncil.gov | 2026-10-17 |
| Rent control / stabilization | official source | dhcd.dc.gov | 2026-10-17 |
| Right to counsel for tenants | secondary source | www.legalaiddc.org | 2026-10-17 |
| Seasonal / weather limits | official source | code.dccouncil.gov | 2026-10-17 |
| Local rule | official source | www.dccourts.gov | 2026-10-17 |
| Median rent | official source | census.gov (ACS B25064) | 2026-10-17 |
Not yet verified for Washington, DC: service fee, court wait. Fields we couldn't source are left blank, never guessed.
Other big cities
New York City (11.5 wk) · Los Angeles (8.5 wk) · San Francisco (8.5 wk) · Chicago (6 wk)