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How much does it cost to file an eviction in California?

California prices an eviction — an unlawful detainer case — by the amount in controversy. The landlord's complaint costs $240 (up to $10,000), $385 (over $10,000 up to $35,000), or $435 (over $35,000), and the tenant's answer costs $225 to $435 on the same tiers. All six figures are on the Statewide Civil Fee Schedule.

California unlawful detainer fees at a glance

The tiers follow Gov. Code §§70611, 70613, and 70614, with the unlawful detainer lines carrying a small premium over ordinary civil filings at the two lower tiers — a $240 detainer complaint against a $225 general complaint at the bottom tier, and $385 against $370 in the middle. Most residential evictions are limited civil cases in the bottom two tiers: the amount in controversy is the rent and damages claimed, not the value of the property. An unlawful detainer that claims only possession and a few thousand dollars of back rent files at $240.

Why detainer cases move faster — and what that does to costs

Unlawful detainer is a summary proceeding. Since January 1, 2025 (AB 2347), a tenant has 10 court days to respond to the summons and complaint, counted under Code Civ. Proc. §1167 — double the old five-day period, and still far shorter than the 21 days an ordinary civil defendant gets in a limited case. Filings that cost money in other cases compress here: a motion in a detainer or other civil case costs $60 on the statewide schedule, and a case that goes to trial can add jury fees. Service of the summons is by the sheriff, a registered process server, or another adult — the sheriff's and servers' charges are set outside the court schedule, so no figure is published here; get the quote before you file, because in a fast case service is on the critical path.

The road from notice to writ

1. Serve the statutory notice — a 3-day notice to pay rent or quit for nonpayment, or a 30- or 60-day notice to end a tenancy — before any court filing. No court fee applies to the notice itself.
2. File the unlawful detainer complaint in superior court $240 / $385 / $435 by amount claimed
3. Have the summons and complaint served; the tenant's 10-court-day response clock starts.
4. If the tenant answers $225 / $370 / $435, the court sets a trial, by statute within about 20 days of a request. If no answer is filed, take a default judgment.
5. On a judgment for the landlord, the clerk issues a writ of possession for the sheriff to execute; the sheriff charges a separate county-set levy fee. Order copies of the judgment through the schedule's copy lines — see copy and certification fees.

Can't afford the fee?

Both sides can apply for a fee waiver (form FW-001): a tenant who qualifies answers without paying the first-paper fee, and a small landlord who qualifies files without the complaint fee. A waiver does not cover a private process server. The fee waiver guide explains the standards, and the national eviction filing cost guide compares California's tiered structure with the flat-fee states.

Compare the other eviction deep-dives

California's $240 floor is the highest entry price among this series' eviction states — Texas files at $54 and Florida at $185 — but California also publishes every tier statewide, so there are no county surprises beyond sheriff and server charges. The companion pages are Texas eviction costs and Florida eviction costs; all other California fees are in the California court costs guide.

Sources: California Statewide Civil Fee Schedule (Judicial Council, eff. Jan 1, 2026) — unlawful detainer complaint $240 (Gov. Code §70613(b)) / $385 (§70613(a)) / $435 (§70611); answers $225 / $370 / $435 (§§70614, 70612); motion $60 · Code Civ. Proc. §1167 as amended by AB 2347 (10 court days to respond). Last verified: October 2026 — confirm current figures with the superior court clerk.