Michigan Eviction Process: Timeline From Notice to Lockout

Eviction in Michigan runs through a court process called summary proceedings, handled in the local district court. This article maps the Michigan eviction process in the order it happens: the notice a landlord serves first, the complaint and summons that open a court case, the hearing and judgment, and the writ of restitution that lets a court officer remove a tenant. For the broader set of rules on deposits, leases, and repairs, see Michigan landlord-tenant law.

How long the Michigan eviction process takes

No single deadline controls a Michigan eviction. The timeline is the sum of several statutory steps, and the total depends on the ground for eviction and whether the tenant contests the case.

The process moves through four stages, each governed by its own statute. A landlord first serves a written notice and waits out the notice period. After the notice expires, the landlord files a complaint and the court issues a summons that, in most residential cases, commands the tenant to appear for trial within 10 days of the summons date, served at least 3 days before trial, under MCL 600.5735. The case is then heard within 7 days after the appearance date. If the landlord prevails, a writ of restitution generally cannot issue until 10 days after the judgment, under MCL 600.5744.

1. Serve a written notice

   The landlord gives the tenant a written notice to quit or a demand for possession. The waiting period is 7 days for nonpayment of rent and 1 month to end a month-to-month tenancy, set by MCL 554.134. The case cannot be filed until the notice period runs out.

2. File the complaint and issue the summons

   Once the notice expires, the landlord files a complaint in the district court for the area where the property sits. The clerk issues a summons setting the trial date, which the tenant must be served with at least 3 days before trial in most residential cases.

3. Hold the hearing and enter judgment

   The court hears the case within 7 days after the appearance date. If the tenant does not appear and was properly served, the court can enter a default judgment for possession; otherwise the judge hears both sides.

4. Issue the writ of restitution

   If the landlord wins, the court enters a judgment for possession and, after the waiting period, issues a writ of restitution ordering a court officer to remove the tenant and their belongings.

As of 2026, an uncontested nonpayment case commonly takes about three to five weeks from the first notice to the day a court officer carries out the eviction. Adjournments, jury requests, and contested defenses add time.

The notice a landlord must serve first

A Michigan eviction cannot start in court until the landlord has served the correct written notice and the notice period has passed. The required notice depends on the reason for the eviction.

For nonpayment of rent, MCL 554.134(2) lets a landlord terminate the tenancy with a written 7-day notice to quit. To end a month-to-month or other periodic tenancy without alleging fault, the same statute requires 1 month’s notice (or a period equal to the rent interval if rent is paid more often than every three months). Different grounds carry their own periods under MCL 600.5714: 7 days for a serious and continuing health hazard or extensive damage to the premises, and 24 hours where a lease is terminated for specified illegal drug activity supported by a police report.

The court case: complaint, summons, and hearing

After the notice period ends, the landlord opens a summary proceeding by filing a complaint in the district court and asking the clerk to issue a summons. The summons is served on the tenant with a copy of the complaint using SCAO form DC 104.

Timing at this stage is set by MCL 600.5735. In most residential cases the summons commands the tenant to appear for trial within 10 days of the date the summons is issued, and it must be served at least 3 days before the trial date. The same statute requires the summary proceeding to be heard within 7 days after the tenant’s appearance or trial date, and it cannot be adjourned beyond that time except by agreement of the parties. Because these windows are short, a tenant who receives a summons has only a few days to prepare a response, gather rent receipts, or raise a defense.

At the hearing, the tenant can appear and contest the case. A tenant who does not appear after being properly served risks a default judgment for possession. Michigan’s Attorney General notes that a tenant facing eviction has the right to hire an attorney and, if unable to pay, must be given information about legal assistance; those rights are summarized on the state’s renters’ rights resource page.

Judgment for possession and the writ of restitution

Winning the hearing does not let a landlord change the locks. If the judge rules for the landlord, the court enters a judgment for possession, and a separate order, the writ of restitution, is what actually authorizes removal.

Under MCL 600.5744(5), a writ of restitution generally cannot be issued until 10 days after the judgment for possession is entered. When the writ issues, it commands a court officer, bailiff, sheriff, or deputy to restore the landlord to possession by removing the occupants and their personal property. A few grounds move faster: the court may issue a writ immediately in the illegal-drug cases described in MCL 600.5744(3). Land contract forfeitures move slower, with a 90-day or 6-month wait depending on how much of the purchase price the buyer has paid.

The landlord requests the writ using this form once the waiting period ends. Only the court officer named in the writ may carry out the removal; a landlord who tries to force a tenant out without a writ, by changing locks, removing doors, or shutting off utilities, is acting outside the summary proceedings process.

How a tenant can stop or delay an eviction

Michigan law builds in several ways for a tenant to halt or postpone an eviction before the writ is executed.

In a nonpayment case, MCL 600.5744(7) provides a right of redemption: the writ will not issue if the tenant pays the amount stated in the judgment plus taxed costs within the time the judgment allows, which is no less than the 10-day window before the writ can issue. Paying the full judgment amount within that period stops the eviction. A tenant can also raise defenses at the hearing, such as improper notice, a landlord’s failure to keep the premises fit and in reasonable repair, or errors in the complaint.

Filing an appeal or a motion for a new trial before the writ issues, together with a bond to stay proceedings, tolls the waiting period until that appeal or motion is decided under MCL 600.5744(6). Rental assistance and legal aid can also change the timeline; the Michigan Attorney General’s renters’ rights page points tenants to housing assistance and free legal help, and district courts often connect nonpayment defendants with those resources before entering a judgment.