How long does an eviction take in Washington, DC?
For unpaid rent, expect about 16.5 weeks from notice to lockout under District of Columbia's deadlines, or 12.5 to 26.5 weeks if it's contested. Cases go to DC Superior Court, Landlord and Tenant Branch (U.S. Marshals enforce).
Not legal advice. Estimates from public sources, checked Oct 17, 2026. Laws vary by county and city; talk to a local attorney before you act.
What would a rental in Washington, DC actually earn?
We'll prefill Washington, DC's numbers and include the eviction cost from this page.
- Median rent $1,931/mo
- Property tax 0.63%
- Insurance $365/yr (unverified)
- Vacancy 4.7%–6.7%
The 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. City rules and court backlogs are below.
- 1
Notice to pay or leave
30 days30-day written notice of intent to file; can't file unless at least $600 is owed (D.C. Code § 42-3505.01)
- 2
File and get a judgment
35–90 days · typical 50Initial hearing is scheduled at least 35 days after filing
- 3
Judgment to lockout
23–45 daysWait 48 hours after judgment to file the writ; tenant must get at least 21 days' notice of the eviction date
- 4
If the tenant appeals
30-day window30 days to appeal to the D.C. Court of Appeals; a stay requires a motion and may require a bond
Real-world court wait: we found no official or reputable statistic for this court, so the timeline is a rule-based estimate. unverified
Can the tenant pay and stay? Can pay in full during the notice period. official source Source ↗
What an eviction costs in Washington, DC
Local court and marshal fees, plus national lawyer estimates. The calculator above adds them to your lost rent.
Court filing fee
DC Superior Court$15Landlord and Tenant complaint filing fee $15
Serving the tenant
Unverified · national default$30–$77Any 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). No official amount verified for Washington, DC yet, so the calculator uses the national default range.
Sheriff or marshal lockout
DC Superior Court$213Writ of restitution $213 ($10 court fee + $195 U.S. Marshal fee + $8 U.S. Marshal administrative fee); an alias writ is $18
Lawyer, uncontested case
National estimate$500–$1,500Flat fees commonly charged when the tenant doesn't fight it. Not specific to this city; big-city rates run higher.
Lawyer, contested case
National estimate$2,000–$5,000+When the tenant contests the case. Not specific to this city.
Median gross rent
Census ACS 2024, 1-year$1,931/moWashington, DC median gross rent, ±$43; Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro: $2,037 (±$21). The calculator starts here; change it to your rent.
City and state rules that change the answer
Each rule is tagged with whether it comes from city or state law.
Just-cause eviction rules: Yes city law
Evictions only for the reasons listed in D.C. Code 42-3505.01
Rent control or 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
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
Seasonal or weather limits: Yes city law
No evictions when rain, below 32°F or above 95°F is forecast (D.C. Code 42-3505.01)
Required mediation or pre-filing program: No state law
None statewide found in the sources we checked
Relocation payments (no-fault evictions): No city law
None found in the city and state sources we checked
Local rules landlords often miss
Initial hearings are scheduled at least 35 calendar days after filing
Initial hearings are scheduled at least 35 calendar days after filing; proof of service is due 14 days before the hearing.
Washington, DC scores 23 out of 100
Same formula as the state score, with city and state protections counted together. The statewide District of Columbia score is 23.
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).
How much does it cost to evict a tenant in Washington, DC?
A typical uncontested nonpayment eviction in Washington, DC costs a landlord roughly $8,100 to $9,200: about 16.5 weeks of lost rent at the median rent of $1,931/month (about $7,400), court and service fees of about $258-$305 (some are national defaults because we could not verify them), and lawyer fees of about $500-$1,500 (a national estimate). A contested case running about 26.5 weeks can pass $14,100. These are LandlordCost estimates (Census ACS 2024 rent); they leave out rent owed before the notice, turnover and re-rent time.
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
Not yet verified for Washington, DC: service fee, court wait. Fields we couldn't source are labeled unverified, never guessed. Download the data: cities.json · cities.csv.
- Notice periodofficial sourcecode.dccouncil.gov ↗
- Court deadlinesofficial sourcedccourts.gov ↗
- Judgment to lockoutofficial sourcecode.dccouncil.gov ↗
- Appealofficial sourcedccourts.gov ↗
- Filing feeofficial sourcedccourts.gov ↗
- Service feeunverifiednone found
- Lockout feeofficial sourcedccourts.gov ↗
- Right to cureofficial sourcecode.dccouncil.gov ↗
- Just causeofficial sourcecode.dccouncil.gov ↗
- Rent controlofficial sourcedhcd.dc.gov ↗
- Right to counselsecondary sourcelegalaiddc.org ↗
- Seasonalofficial sourcecode.dccouncil.gov ↗
- Median rentofficial sourcewww2.census.gov ↗
- Local ruleofficial sourcedccourts.gov ↗
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