What's in an eviction timeline answer
Each state page lists the steps from the notice to the writ of possession and the minimum wait the law sets at each one: the notice period, the time between serving the tenant and the court date, the time after judgment before a writ can issue, and the window to appeal. It adds them for your dates and shows only legal minimums. Every legal figure is tied to a cited source; see our methodology for how we verify each one.
The steps are the same; the waits are not
Alabama shows how much a single state can pack into a few statutes. The notice for unpaid rent runs at least seven business days after receipt (Ala. Code 35-9A-421); the notice of the complaint must be served at least six days before the return day (6-6-332); and after a judgment for the landlord the writ of possession is subject to an automatic seven-day stay (35-9A-461). Other states set their own notice periods, court deadlines and appeal rules, so a timeline copied from another state can be wrong by weeks.
One rule is federal: for a covered dwelling, the lessor may not require the tenant to vacate before 30 days after a notice to vacate (15 U.S.C. 9058(c)). Which dwellings are covered is defined in the Act itself.
The notice comes first: see the Eviction Notice Calculator.