Pennsylvania Eviction Process 2026: Timeline From Notice to Quit to Removal

In Pennsylvania, a landlord has to go through court to evict a residential tenant. Outside Philadelphia, cases are heard by a magisterial district judge; in Philadelphia, by Municipal Court. Here’s the order things happen and the deadlines at each step.

The notice to quit

Before filing, the landlord usually has to give the tenant a written notice to quit [1]:

• 10 days if the tenant hasn’t paid rent that’s due.
• 15 days for a lease breach or the end of the lease, if the lease is for one year or less or has no fixed end (month to month).
• 30 days for a lease breach or end of lease, if the lease is longer than a year.

The lease itself can shorten the notice or waive it entirely, so read yours [1]. Mobile home park tenants have longer notice periods [1].

At the hearing

The tenant must be served with the complaint at least 5 days before the hearing [2]. The landlord has to prove the case even if the tenant doesn’t come: a district judge can’t enter a default judgment in an eviction case [3]. A tenant who has a claim against the landlord about the home (for example, repairs or a deposit) can file it before the hearing [2].

The judge decides who gets possession and, separately, any rent, damages and costs owed, either at the hearing or within 3 days [3].

Appeals and staying in the home

Either side can appeal to the county Court of Common Pleas within 10 days of the judgment. A tenant who is a victim of domestic violence has 30 days [7]. To stay in the home while the appeal goes on, a tenant generally has to deposit the lesser of three months’ rent or the rent in the judgment, and then pay each month’s rent into court. Low-income tenants who can’t make that deposit can file a tenant’s affidavit with the court, which has its own payment rules [7].

How Philadelphia is different

• Eviction Diversion first. Residential landlords must send the tenant a Notice of Diversion Rights and take part in the city’s free Eviction Diversion Program. If the issues aren’t resolved, they wait 30 days before filing [8][9].
• Paperwork. Landlords need a current rental license and must have given the tenant a Certificate of Rental Suitability, among other documents [8].
• Trial timing. Hearings are usually set 21 to 30 days after filing [9].
• Missing court matters more. In Municipal Court, a party who is late or doesn’t appear can lose by default. A tenant with a good reason can petition promptly to open the judgment [8].
• Help on trial day. Courtroom navigators and mediators are available, and income-eligible tenants may get a free lawyer the same day through the Lawyer of the Day program [8].
• Two writs. After the 10-day appeal window, the landlord files a Writ of Possession; 11 days after it’s issued, the landlord can get an Alias Writ, the final step before the lockout is scheduled. The eviction must be completed within 180 days of judgment unless the court extends it [9].