Memphis Eviction Courthouse Decoder: where you actually file, what it costs, and how long a writ takes

If a Memphis tenant stops paying, the timeline is only half the question. The other half is logistics: which court, what it costs, and how long each step actually takes. This is the courthouse companion to our step-by-step Memphis eviction process guide. Read that one for the full timeline. Read this one for the where and the how much.

Nothing here is legal advice. Fees and procedures change, so confirm the current numbers with the clerk before you file.

The law that applies

Shelby County has more than 75,000 residents, so residential tenancies here fall under Tennessee's Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (URLTA), Tennessee Code Annotated Title 66, Chapter 28. That matters because URLTA sets the notice rule below.

Step 1: The 14-day notice

For nonpayment of rent, URLTA requires a 14-day written notice to the tenant before you can file (Tenn. Code Ann. section 66-28-505). The notice has to give the tenant the chance to pay and stay. Skipping it or shortening it is the most common reason a Memphis eviction gets tossed at the first appearance.

Step 2: File the detainer warrant

The eviction case itself is a detainer warrant filed in the Civil Division of the Shelby County Court of General Sessions in downtown Memphis. As of 2026 the filing runs about $99.50, plus roughly $28.00 for the Shelby County Sheriff to serve the tenant. Confirm both figures with the clerk, since court fees are adjusted periodically.

Step 3: The hearing

The court sets the hearing at least six days after the tenant is served with the detainer warrant. In practice a straightforward nonpayment case is usually heard within a week or two of filing. Bring the lease, the rent ledger, and proof you served the 14-day notice.

Step 4: The 10-day appeal window

If you win, the judgment is not the finish line. The tenant has 10 days to appeal, and you cannot remove anyone during that window.

Step 5: The writ of possession, which you have to ask for

This is the step that quietly costs owners weeks. The writ does not issue on its own. Once the appeal window closes, the property owner has to file for the Writ of Possession at the Clerk's Office and pay a filing fee, and the Clerk then issues it. In the court's own words, "the property owner must file a Writ of Possession obtained from the Clerk's Office, along with a filing fee." Until somebody files that request, a won case simply sits with a judgment on it and nobody is dispatched.

If you are represented, confirm your attorney or agent has actually filed for the writ. Assuming it happens automatically is the single most common reason a won eviction stalls after the hearing.

Once issued, the Sheriff, not the landlord, executes it and oversees the physical removal. Changing the locks or hauling belongings out yourself, a self-help eviction, is illegal in Tennessee and exposes you to damages.

How to check whether the tenant appealed

You do not have to wait on your attorney to find out. Call the General Sessions Civil Court Clerk at 901-222-3400 with your docket or case number and ask two things: whether an appeal was filed, and whether a Writ of Possession has been requested. The second question is usually the one that explains the delay.

In person or by mail, the Civil Division is at 140 Adams Avenue, Room 106, Memphis, TN 38103. The court also publishes downloadable case information with a category for FED cases, which is how evictions are filed, though it routes you to a separate portal and asks you to create an account first. For a single case, the phone call is faster.

One thing to know if an appeal was filed: it moves the case to Circuit Court for a fresh hearing, so it will not show up as new activity on the General Sessions case. Either party may appeal within ten days, and it takes a $213.50 filing fee plus a bond under T.C.A. 27-5-103, which is why tenant appeals are relatively uncommon.

How long, start to finish

An uncontested Memphis nonpayment eviction typically runs four to eight weeks, from the day the 14-day notice is served to the day the writ is executed, assuming no appeal and a clean filing. Contested cases and appeals run longer.

The single biggest time-saver is getting the notice and the paperwork right the first time, which is where most self-managing owners lose weeks. For how this fits the larger job of running rentals here, see our Memphis long-term rental management guide for owners and the 2026 Memphis real estate investing guide.

Quick answers