Landlord Tenant Court Near Me: Find Your Eviction Court by State

Short answer: If you are searching for a landlord tenant court near me, the answer depends on your state, not your city. Evictions are almost always filed in a local trial court for the county or precinct where the rental sits: a superior or district court in some states, a justice of the peace, magistrate or general sessions court in others, and a dedicated housing court in a few cities. Your summons names the exact court; this page helps you understand it and find that court’s official help pages before your deadline runs out.

Two facts matter more than anything else on this page. First, the court that hears your case is set by the location of the property, so moving away does not move the case. Second, eviction deadlines are short and they vary widely. California gives tenants 10 court days to respond to an unlawful detainer, Georgia gives 7 days to answer a dispossessory, and in Maricopa County, Arizona, the hearing itself is set 3 to 6 days after filing. Read the papers the day they arrive.

How to find your landlord tenant court near me in four steps

Read the summons or notice. A court summons names the court, the case number and the hearing date or response deadline. A landlord’s notice to pay or quit is not a court case yet, but it tells you a case may follow.
Match the court to the property address. Courts divide counties into precincts, districts or divisions. Texas, for example, now requires every eviction suit to be filed in the justice precinct where the property is located under Senate Bill 38, effective for cases filed on or after January 1, 2026.
Find the court’s self-help page. Most courts publish eviction forms, answer instructions, fee waivers and virtual hearing links. Use the state table below for the official starting point.
Call legal aid the same day. Several cities now guarantee free lawyers for eligible tenants, including Los Angeles, Denver and Detroit. Even where there is no right to counsel, legal aid offices and courthouse clinics help tenants file answers on time.

Our eviction notice timeline tool can help you count notice days, and the guide to how the eviction process works explains each stage from notice to writ.

Which trial court hears evictions: the main patterns

States organize their courts differently, but most fall into one of a handful of models.

General trial courts

In California, every eviction is an unlawful detainer case in the county’s superior court. The Superior Court of Los Angeles County, for example, routes limited civil eviction cases to hub courthouses such as Stanley Mosk, and San Diego requires all unlawful detainers to be filed at the Hall of Justice downtown. Washington’s King County hears unlawful detainers in superior court as well.

Limited-jurisdiction courts

Many states send evictions to a lower court built for fast, high-volume cases. Texas and Arizona use justice of the peace or justice courts. North Carolina’s cases go to small claims court before a magistrate, with appeal to district court. Georgia uses magistrate court, Virginia’s general district courts hear landlord and tenant disputes, and Maryland’s District Court hears all landlord-tenant cases. At the local level, Nashville’s cases go to Davidson County General Sessions Court, Detroit’s to the 36th District Court, Columbus’s to Franklin County Municipal Court and Denver’s to Denver County Court.

Specialized housing courts

A few places have courts devoted to housing. New York City’s Civil Court has a housing part, Massachusetts has a statewide Housing Court with divisions such as the Eastern Housing Court in Boston, and Minnesota’s Ramsey and Hennepin counties use housing court referees. The District of Columbia runs a Landlord and Tenant Branch of its Superior Court.

Security deposit disputes are different from evictions. They are usually money claims you bring yourself, often in small claims. See how to sue your landlord in small claims and our security deposit law by state table for limits and deadlines.

Eviction courts by state

The table lists, for each state and DC, the court level that hears residential evictions where we have confirmed it from an official source, and the official court website to start from. When a cell says “confirm on summons,” we have not yet verified the court level from an official page, so rely on your court papers.

State	Where evictions are heard	Official starting point
Alabama	Confirm on summons	Alabama Judicial System
Alaska	Confirm on summons	Alaska Court Directory
Arizona	Justice courts (Maricopa County has 26 precinct courts)	Arizona Courts: Landlord/Tenant and Eviction
Arkansas	Confirm on summons; district courts may hear referred unlawful detainer matters	Arkansas District Courts
California	Superior court of the county (unlawful detainer)	California Courts Self-Help: Eviction
Colorado	Denver: Denver County Court (forcible entry and detainer); elsewhere confirm on summons	Colorado Judicial Branch
Connecticut	Confirm on summons	CT Judicial Branch Directory
Delaware	Justice of the Peace Court	Delaware JP Court
District of Columbia	Superior Court, Landlord and Tenant Branch	DC Courts: Landlord and Tenant
Florida	County court (Miami-Dade and Duval examples)	Florida Courts: Trial Courts
Georgia	Magistrate court (dispossessory)	Georgia Courts: Landlord/Tenant
Hawaii	Confirm on summons; the Judiciary runs a pre-filing eviction mediation program	Hawaii State Judiciary
Idaho	Confirm on summons	Idaho Court Assistance Office
Illinois	Circuit court (Cook County: eviction section, First Municipal District)	Illinois Courts
Indiana	Confirm on summons	Indiana Judicial Branch Help
Iowa	Confirm on summons	Iowa District Court
Kansas	Confirm on summons	Kansas Judicial Branch, kscourts.gov
Kentucky	Confirm on summons	Kentucky Court of Justice: County Information
Louisiana	Confirm on summons	Louisiana Supreme Court, lasc.org
Maine	Confirm on summons; the Judicial Branch has an eviction help section	Maine Judicial Branch
Maryland	District Court (all landlord-tenant cases)	Maryland District Court Locations
Massachusetts	Housing Court (Boston: Eastern Housing Court)	Boston.gov: Housing Court
Michigan	District court (Detroit: 36th District Court)	Michigan Courts
Minnesota	District court; housing court referees in Ramsey and Hennepin counties	MN Attorney General: Landlords and Tenants
Mississippi	Confirm on summons	Mississippi Trial Courts
Missouri	Confirm on summons	Missouri Courts, courts.mo.gov
Montana	Courts of limited jurisdiction handle landlord/tenant and forcible entry cases	Montana Courts of Limited Jurisdiction
Nebraska	County court (renter and landlord resources)	Nebraska County Court
Nevada	Justice court (Las Vegas Justice Court in Clark County)	Las Vegas Justice Court: Eviction FAQ
New Hampshire	Confirm on summons	New Hampshire Judicial Branch, courts.nh.gov
New Jersey	Confirm on summons; NJ Courts has a landlord/tenant section	NJ Courts: Landlord/Tenant
New Mexico	Confirm on summons	New Mexico Courts: Find Your Court
New York	NYC: Civil Court, Housing Part	NYC HPD: Housing Court
North Carolina	Small claims court (magistrate), appeal to District Court	NC Judicial Branch: Landlord/Tenant
North Dakota	Confirm on summons	North Dakota District Court
Ohio	Columbus: Franklin County Municipal Court; elsewhere confirm on summons	Supreme Court of Ohio
Oklahoma	Confirm on summons	Oklahoma State Courts Network
Oregon	Circuit court FED docket (Multnomah County example)	Oregon Judicial Department: Find a Court
Pennsylvania	Philadelphia: Municipal Court, Civil Division	Unified Judicial System: Minor Courts
Rhode Island	Confirm on summons	Rhode Island District Court
South Carolina	Confirm on summons	South Carolina Judicial Branch
South Dakota	Confirm on summons; UJS has an eviction help area	South Dakota Unified Judicial System
Tennessee	Davidson County: General Sessions Court (detainer warrants); elsewhere confirm on summons	Tennessee State Courts
Texas	Justice of the peace court in the property’s precinct	Texas Judicial Branch: Trial Courts
Utah	Confirm on summons; Utah Courts has a housing self-help category	Utah Courts: Housing
Vermont	Confirm on summons; the Judiciary has an eviction and foreclosure section	Vermont Judiciary
Virginia	General district court (landlord and tenant disputes)	Virginia General District Court
Washington	Superior court unlawful detainer (King County example)	Washington Courts Directory
West Virginia	Confirm on summons	West Virginia Magistrate Courts
Wisconsin	Confirm on summons	Wisconsin Circuit Courts
Wyoming	Circuit courts (forcible entry and detainer)	Wyoming Circuit Courts

Major-city eviction courts and self-help pages

These are the courts that hear residential evictions in the rental cities we cover, with each court’s or agency’s official help page. Each city also has its own guide on our tenant rights by city hub.

City	Eviction court	Official help
New York City	NYC Civil Court, Housing Part	HPD Housing Court
Los Angeles	Los Angeles County Superior Court (Stanley Mosk hub)	LA Court: Eviction
Chicago	Circuit Court of Cook County, First Municipal District eviction section	Cook County Eviction Section
Houston	Harris County Justice Courts	Harris County JP Eviction FAQ
Phoenix	Maricopa County Justice Courts	Maricopa Justice Courts: Evictions
Philadelphia	Philadelphia Municipal Court, Civil Division	Municipal Court Civil
San Antonio	Bexar County Justice of the Peace courts	Bexar County Civil Division
San Diego	San Diego Superior Court, Central Division, Hall of Justice	SD Court: Landlord/Tenant
Dallas	Dallas County Justice of the Peace courts	Dallas County JP Courts
San Jose	Santa Clara County Superior Court	Santa Clara Self-Help: Evictions
Austin	Travis County Justice of the Peace courts	Travis County JP Evictions
Jacksonville	Duval County Court	Duval Clerk: County Civil
Columbus	Franklin County Municipal Court	Franklin County Municipal Court
Charlotte	Mecklenburg County small claims court (magistrate)	NC Courts: Landlord/Tenant
San Francisco	SF Superior Court, Real Property Court	SF Court Self-Help: Evictions
Seattle	King County Superior Court	King County: Unlawful Detainers
Denver	Denver County Court	Denver County Court Civil
Washington, DC	DC Superior Court, Landlord and Tenant Branch	DC Courts: Landlord and Tenant
Boston	Eastern Housing Court	Boston.gov: Housing Court
Nashville	Davidson County General Sessions Court, Civil Division	General Sessions Civil
Portland	Multnomah County Circuit Court (FED)	Multnomah FED
Las Vegas	Las Vegas Justice Court	Eviction FAQ
Atlanta	Fulton County Magistrate Court (Fulton addresses)	Fulton Magistrate: Dispossessory
Miami	Miami-Dade County Court	Miami-Dade Clerk: Landlord/Tenant
Minneapolis	Hennepin County Housing Court	MN AG Handbook
St. Paul	Ramsey County Housing Court	MN AG Handbook
Oakland	Alameda County Superior Court, Hayward Hall of Justice	Alameda Court: Civil
Baltimore	District Court of Maryland	MD District Court Locations
Detroit	36th District Court, Landlord-Tenant Division	36th District: Landlord-Tenant FAQ
Newark and Jersey City	Confirm on summons	NJ Courts: Landlord/Tenant
Sacramento	Sacramento County Superior Court	LSNC: Served With Eviction Papers
Berkeley	Alameda County Superior Court, Department 511, Hayward Hall of Justice	Alameda Court: Civil
Takoma Park	District Court of Maryland for Montgomery County (Silver Spring and Rockville)	MD District Court: Silver Spring
Toledo	Toledo Municipal Court, Housing Court (Toledo, Ottawa Hills, Washington Township)	Toledo Municipal Court Clerk: Evictions
Evanston	Circuit Court of Cook County, Second Municipal District, Skokie Courthouse	Cook County: Second Municipal District
Louisville	Jefferson District Court, Eviction Court, Louis D. Brandeis Hall of Justice	Kentucky Courts: Jefferson County
Tucson	Pima County Consolidated Justice Court, 240 N. Stone Ave.	Pima Justice Court: What to Expect
Omaha	Douglas County Court, Hall of Justice, 1701 Farnam St.	Nebraska Judicial Branch: Douglas County Court

What to do once you know your court

Respond before the deadline

The single most common way tenants lose is by default. If you do not answer or appear, the court can rule for the landlord without hearing your side. The 36th District Court in Detroit, for instance, issues a default judgment for the landlord when a tenant does not show up, and Georgia’s Fulton County court warns that a tenant who does not answer within 7 days can lose the right to challenge the removal.

Use the courthouse help that exists

Many courts run free clinics. Denver’s city-funded legal providers staff Room 163 of the Denver County Courthouse every weekday morning to help tenants file answers due that day. San Diego’s Legal Aid Society runs a walk-in unlawful detainer clinic at the Hall of Justice. Los Angeles has the Shriver Self-Help Center at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse, and Fulton County’s magistrate court offers free mediation on the day of the hearing.

Appear remotely if allowed

Remote hearings are now common. Maricopa County’s justice courts let parties appear by phone or video in every eviction case, Colorado courts must let either side choose to appear remotely, and San Diego posts virtual links for its unlawful detainer departments.

Know the appeal window

Appeal deadlines are short. North Carolina allows 10 days to appeal a magistrate’s decision to district court, Arizona’s justice courts require a notice of appeal within five calendar days, and Texas allows five days to appeal a justice court eviction. An appeal does not always stop the eviction, so ask about a stay or bond the same day.

Repair cases, deposits and other tenant claims

Eviction courts often handle tenant-initiated cases too. Minnesota’s housing courts hear rent escrow actions that tenants can file without a lawyer, and Texas justice courts can order landlords to make repairs costing up to $10,000.

For repairs, start with a written request; our repair request letter generator creates one. For deposits, the security deposit demand letter is usually the step before small claims. If you think the case is payback for a complaint, read about landlord retaliation defenses before your hearing.

City guides with local court details

Each of our city guides names the court that hears evictions there and the local help available: Albuquerque, Ann Arbor, Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore, Berkeley, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Cleveland, Columbus, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Evanston, Houston, Jacksonville, Jersey City, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Lexington, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Louisville, Miami, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Nashville, New York City, Newark, Oakland, Omaha, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Portland, Raleigh, Sacramento, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, Santa Monica, Seattle, St. Louis, St. Paul, Takoma Park, Tampa, Toledo, Tucson, Washington DC.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I know which court my eviction is in?

Look at the summons or complaint; it names the court, the case number and the date. If you only have a notice from your landlord, no case has been filed yet, but it will be filed in the local court for the area where the rental sits.

Is landlord tenant court the same as small claims court?

Sometimes. North Carolina hears evictions in small claims court before a magistrate. In most states, though, evictions go to a separate docket or court, while deposit refund suits are typically filed in small claims.

Can I move my eviction case to a court closer to where I live now?

Generally not. Venue follows the property. Texas made that explicit in Senate Bill 38, which requires eviction suits to be filed in the justice precinct where the property is located.

Do I have to go to court in person?

Not always. Many courts now allow remote appearances, including Maricopa County, Colorado courts and San Diego’s unlawful detainer departments. Check your summons and the court’s website for phone or video instructions.

Where can I get free help at the courthouse?

Ask the clerk about self-help centers and legal aid clinics, and check the city guides linked above. This page is general information, not legal advice; if you have a hearing date, contact your local legal aid office today so someone can review your papers before you go.