After a Justice Court judge signs an eviction judgment against you in Texas, the shortest legal path to physical removal is about eight days, but the typical timeline runs two to three weeks once court processing and constable scheduling are factored in. How long you have after eviction court to move in Texas depends on three things: whether you appeal within five days, when the landlord requests a writ of possession, and when the constable gets around to posting the 24-hour notice on your door.
The Five-Day Clock Starts Immediately
The moment the judgment is signed, you have five days to either move out or file an appeal to County Court. If the fifth day falls on a day the courthouse is closed, the deadline rolls to the next business day.
Doing nothing during those five days is a choice with consequences. On day six, the landlord can ask the court for the instrument that actually gets you removed.
Day Six: The Writ of Possession
The Justice Court cannot issue a writ of possession before the sixth day after judgment. Your landlord does not carry it out. The writ goes to a constable or sheriff, who is the only person authorized to execute it. Once issued, the writ must be served within five business days, though if the constable doesn’t act in time, the landlord can arrange service through another qualified officer.1State of Texas. Texas Property Code 24.0061 – Writ of Possession
The 24-Hour Notice on Your Door
When the officer arrives to serve the writ, they do not remove you on the spot. They post a written notice on your front door, at least 8½ by 11 inches, stating that the writ has been issued and giving the date and time it will be executed. That execution time must be at least 24 hours after the notice goes up.1State of Texas. Texas Property Code 24.0061 – Writ of Possession
That 24-hour window is your last chance to leave voluntarily with your belongings. When the officer returns, removal becomes physical.
Realistic Timeline: Two to Three Weeks
Add it up and the fastest possible removal looks like this: five days for the appeal window to close, the landlord requests the writ on day six, the court issues it the same day, and the constable serves the 24-hour notice. In the best case for the landlord, physical removal can happen around day eight.
In practice, courts don’t always process writs the day they’re requested, and constables have full schedules. Most Texas tenants who don’t appeal see two to three weeks between the judgment and the day the officer knocks on the door.
Filing an Appeal Buys Months, With Strings
Filing an appeal to County Court within the five-day window pauses the eviction and triggers a brand-new trial. To perfect the appeal, you have to file a bond, make a cash deposit, or submit a Statement of Inability to Afford Payment of Court Costs. You also have to swear under penalty of perjury that you have a good-faith belief in a meritorious defense and that the appeal isn’t just for delay.
Here’s the part that surprises most tenants. If the eviction was for nonpayment of rent and you appeal, you must deposit one rental period’s worth of rent into the Justice Court registry within five days of filing your bond or Statement of Inability.2State of Texas. Texas Code PROP 24.0053 – Nonpayment of Rent During Appeal You then have to keep paying rent into the registry as it comes due throughout the appeal, at fair market rent or $250 per month, whichever is higher. Even tenants who normally pay nothing must deposit at least $250 monthly, unless they’re in subsidized housing paying less.
Missing a deposit doesn’t automatically end the appeal, but it lets the landlord ask for a writ of possession without a hearing. Miss one, and removal usually follows quickly. Keep the deposits current, and the appeal can stretch the process for months.
Removal Day and Your Belongings
Once the 24-hour notice expires, the officer returns and orders everyone inside to leave. Anyone who refuses can be removed by reasonable force.1State of Texas. Texas Property Code 24.0061 – Writ of Possession
Whatever you leave inside gets placed outside at a nearby location. The officer and landlord can’t block a public sidewalk or street with your things, and they can’t put items outside in rain, sleet, or snow. Beyond those limits, your landlord has no duty to store or protect anything you leave behind.1State of Texas. Texas Property Code 24.0061 – Writ of Possession
In some cases the constable brings in a bonded warehouseman to haul your belongings to storage. If you are present while they’re loading, you can demand they stop before they leave the property, and if you do, you owe nothing. Once they leave with your things, a lien attaches for moving and storage costs.3State of Texas. Texas Property Code 24.0062 – Warehouseman’s Lien
What a Landlord Cannot Do
A Texas landlord cannot short-circuit this timeline by changing locks, removing doors or windows, or shutting off utilities to force you out. Those tactics are illegal outside the judicial process. There is one narrow lease-based exception allowing a lock change for a delinquent tenant, but only with three days’ written notice and only if the tenant can get a new key at any hour, day or night, regardless of whether they’ve paid. A landlord who violates the lockout rules can be ordered to pay one month’s rent plus $1,000, plus actual damages, court costs, and attorney’s fees.4State of Texas. Texas Code PROP 92.0081 – Landlord Lockout
Situations That Can Delay the Timeline Further
Active-Duty Military
The federal Servicemembers Civil Relief Act requires a court order before an active-duty servicemember or their dependents can be evicted from a primary residence. A servicemember unable to appear in court because of military duties can request a stay of at least 90 days, and the court can also stay enforcement of an eviction judgment for the duration of service plus 90 days when service materially affects the ability to comply.5United States Courts. Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA)
Bankruptcy
Filing bankruptcy triggers an automatic stay on most creditor actions, but evictions are largely carved out. If the landlord already obtained a judgment for possession before you filed, the eviction can proceed anyway. There is a narrow path for nonpayment cases: if state law lets you cure the default after judgment, you can file a certification and deposit any rent due within 30 days into the court registry, then pay the full arrearage and certify that within 30 days. If the landlord objects successfully, the stay lifts immediately.6Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 11 USC 362 – Automatic Stay