What Does an Eviction Actually Cost in California in 2026?

Published July 15, 2026

An uncontested eviction runs about $1,500 to $3,000 in fees and 6 to 10 weeks, but lost rent is usually the bigger number.

A straightforward, uncontested California eviction for nonpayment of rent typically runs $1,500 to $3,000 in court and attorney costs and takes about 6 to 10 weeks from the notice to a sheriff lockout. If the tenant contests it, add weeks and often several thousand dollars more in attorney time.

The notice: where every eviction starts

Under California Code of Civil Procedure section 1161, a landlord cannot go to court until a proper notice period runs. For unpaid rent, that is a three-day notice to pay or quit, excluding weekends and judicial holidays, that spells out the exact amount owed and how the tenant can pay it. For a curable lease violation, it is a three-day notice to cure or quit. For waste, nuisance, or an illegal use of the unit, it is a three-day notice to quit with no cure option. Getting this notice wrong, wrong amount, wrong dates, missing required language, is the single most common reason a case gets thrown out and the landlord has to start over, which is its own hidden cost in time and re-filing fees.

Filing fees

Once the notice period expires and the tenant has not paid or moved, the unlawful detainer complaint gets filed with the Superior Court. California's statewide civil fee schedule, which applies in Los Angeles County, sets the first-paper filing fee for an unlawful detainer complaint at $240 when the amount demanded is $10,000 or less, $385 when it is more than $10,000 but not more than $25,000, and $435 when it exceeds $25,000. On top of the filing fee, expect a process server fee to serve the tenant, typically well under $200, and if the case goes to judgment and the tenant still will not leave, a sheriff or marshal fee to physically enforce the lockout.

The 2025 timeline change that matters

Assembly Bill 2347, effective January 1, 2025, amended Code of Civil Procedure sections 1167 and 1170 to double the time a tenant has to respond to an unlawful detainer summons, from five court days to ten court days, excluding weekends and judicial holidays. That single change adds roughly a week to every residential eviction filed in the state, contested or not, and it also requires proof of service to be on file at least three days before a landlord can request a default judgment.

What a full timeline actually looks like

For an uncontested nonpayment case: three-day notice period, then filing, then personal service, then the tenant's ten-court-day response window, then, if the tenant does not respond, a default judgment typically entered within five to seven days, then a sheriff lockout notice giving the tenant five days to vacate. Stacked together, that is roughly six to ten weeks even when nothing goes wrong. A contested case, where the tenant files an answer and the matter goes to trial, commonly runs two to three months or longer, and a no-fault termination on a 60-day notice pushes the whole process out further before the clock on the unlawful detainer itself even starts.

The cost most owners forget

The court fees and attorney bill are the smallest piece. The real cost is the rent you do not collect while the unit is occupied by a non-paying tenant for two to three months, plus the unit sitting vacant afterward for repairs and re-leasing. On a $2,500-a-month unit, two months of uncollected rent alone is $5,000, well before you add legal fees or a make-ready.

What this means for you

Eviction in California is a notice-driven, deadline-driven process, and a single defective notice or missed filing detail can cost you weeks. Budget for $1,500 to $3,000 in direct costs on an uncontested case, but plan around the real number: two to three months of lost rent plus turn costs if it goes smoothly, and more if it does not.

If you would rather have someone who does this by the book handle it, that is what we do.

This is general information, not legal or tax advice. Confirm with a licensed professional before you act.

Sources

1. California Code of Civil Procedure section 1161, California Legislative Information
2. Superior Court of California Statewide Civil Fee Schedule, effective January 1, 2026
3. AB 2347 (Kalra), Senate Judiciary Committee analysis
4. AB 2347 Will Give Defendants More Time to Respond to Eviction Lawsuits, Hanson Bridgett
5. Eviction, Los Angeles County Department of Consumer and Business Affairs

Last verified: July 2026.

Topics: market, eviction, unlawful detainer, compliance, landlord costs

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