How to Fill Out and File the California Unlawful Detainer Form (UD-100)

To start a formal eviction in California, a landlord files Judicial Council form UD-100, the Complaint—Unlawful Detainer, in the superior court for the county where the property is located.¹ The California unlawful detainer form UD-100 is mandatory: you cannot substitute a custom-drafted complaint.² It is also the only lawful way to regain possession from a tenant who will not leave. Changing locks, removing doors, or shutting off utilities exposes the landlord to actual damages plus a penalty of at least $250 per violation.³

Serve the Right Notice First

The UD-100 cannot be filed until you have served the correct written notice and its full period has expired. Filing even one day early is grounds for dismissal. Which notice to use depends on the reason for the eviction:

A 3-day notice to pay rent or quit, for nonpayment. It must state the exact amount owed, the name and address of the person who can accept payment, and how payment can be made. Saturdays, Sundays, and court holidays do not count toward the three days.⁴
A 3-day notice to perform or quit, when the tenant has violated a lease term other than paying rent (unauthorized pet, unpermitted sublet). The notice must describe the specific breach.⁴
A 3-day notice to quit with no right to cure, for nuisance, waste, or illegal use of the property.⁴
A 30-day notice to end a periodic tenancy if the tenant has lived in the unit less than a year, or a 60-day notice if the tenancy has been a year or longer.⁵

Keep documentation of how and when the notice was delivered. Proof of service will need to be filed with the UD-100 as an exhibit.

Documents and Information to Gather

The UD-100 (revised January 1, 2026) requires three labeled exhibits at filing:⁶

Exhibit 1: a copy of the written rental agreement for residential property, including any addenda that form the basis of the complaint. This can be skipped only if the agreement is not in your possession or the action is solely for nonpayment of rent.
Exhibit 2: a copy of the notice served on the tenant. If two notices were required under Civil Code Section 1946.2(c), attach both.
Exhibit 3: proof of service showing how, when, and where the notice was delivered.

You will also need the tenant’s full legal name and the names of every adult occupant on the lease, the complete street address including any unit number, and the dollar amounts you plan to claim for back rent and daily holdover damages. Nonpayment cases require you to complete the rental-assistance statements at items 11a through 11d of the form.

Filling Out the UD-100

The form opens with the standard case caption. Enter yourself (or the LLC or corporation that owns the property) as plaintiff and every adult tenant as a defendant. If you believe there are unnamed occupants in the unit, plan to serve a prejudgment claim of right to possession alongside the summons (covered below).

Item 4 asks you to identify your interest in the property, whether as owner or as someone else with a legal right to possession, such as an authorized property manager. Item 6 covers the rental agreement itself: check whether it is written, oral, or something else, state the rent amount, and state how often rent is due. If the agreement is written, it comes in as Exhibit 1.

Item 9 is where most mistakes happen. Identify the exact type of notice served (3-day, 30-day, 60-day, or other), state the date of service, describe the method of service, and confirm that the notice period expired before filing. Attach the notice as Exhibit 2 and the proof of service as Exhibit 3. Any inconsistency between what you write here and what the notice actually says will surface later.

The Prayer

Near the end of the form, the “Prayer” tells the judge exactly what you want. At a minimum, check the boxes for possession of the property and forfeiture of the rental agreement. Add back rent and holdover damages if the tenant owes them. Holdover damages are typically calculated at the lease’s daily rate: divide monthly rent by 30, then multiply by the days the tenant stayed past the notice’s expiration.

You can also request court costs and, if the rental agreement contains an attorney-fee clause, attorney fees. Classify the case by the total amount claimed: limited civil up to $25,000, unlimited civil above that.⁷

Verification

The last section is a verification signed under penalty of perjury, confirming that the facts in the complaint are true to the best of your knowledge. An unsigned or unverified complaint will be rejected by the clerk, and a knowingly false verification carries legal consequences.

Filing With the Court

File the completed UD-100, its exhibits, and a summons at the clerk’s office for the superior court in the county where the property sits. Many California superior courts now accept or require electronic filing for unlawful detainer actions; check your county court’s website for its specific e-filing system before making the trip.

The filing fee is tied to the amount claimed and includes a $15 unlawful detainer surcharge:⁷

$240 if the amount is $10,000 or less
$385 if the amount is over $10,000 but no more than $25,000
$435 for unlimited civil cases (over $25,000)

If you cannot afford the fee, you can apply for a waiver on a Judicial Council form. You qualify automatically if you receive public benefits such as SSI, CalWORKs, Medi-Cal, or food stamps. You also qualify if your household income is at or below 125 percent of the federal poverty guidelines, or if paying the fee would keep you from covering basic living expenses.⁸

The clerk reviews the papers for basic completeness, stamps them filed, assigns a case number, and issues the summons. The original complaint stays with the court; you leave with stamped copies for service.

Serving the Tenant

The summons and complaint must be served by someone at least 18 years old who is not a party to the case.⁹ That can be a friend, a professional process server, or the county sheriff. Professional servers typically charge between $40 and $200 for a standard delivery, depending on how many attempts are needed.

Three service methods are available:

Personal service under CCP § 415.10, where the server hands the papers directly to the tenant. This gives the tenant the shortest response window, 10 court days.⁹
Substituted service under CCP § 415.20, used when the server cannot personally locate the tenant after reasonable attempts. The server leaves the papers with a competent adult at the home or workplace, then mails a copy by first-class mail. Service is complete 10 days after mailing, and the tenant then has 10 court days to respond.⁹
Posting and mailing under CCP § 415.46, available when personal and substituted service both fail. The server posts the papers visibly on the premises and mails copies by first-class mail. This method is also how you serve unnamed occupants with a prejudgment claim of right to possession.

After service, the server completes a Proof of Service documenting the date, time, location, and method. That proof must be filed with the court, or the case cannot move forward.

After Service: Response, Default, and Next Steps

Once served, the tenant has a deadline to file an answer. Personal service gives 10 court days, meaning Saturdays, Sundays, and court holidays do not count. Substituted service and posting-and-mailing effectively give about 20 days total: 10 calendar days from mailing (when the tenant is treated as served) plus 10 court days after that.¹⁰ A tenant can still file an answer after the deadline, up until you actually request a default, so acting promptly matters.

If the tenant does not answer in time, you can request a default judgment.¹¹ The core forms are:

Request for Entry of Default (CIV-100), with the boxes for “Entry of Default” and “Clerk’s Judgment” checked. Mail a copy to each tenant before filing it.
Judgment—Unlawful Detainer (UD-110), with “By Clerk,” “By Default,” and “Possession Only” checked when you are seeking the property back without money damages beyond what the clerk can calculate.
Writ of Possession of Real Property (EJ-130), the document the sheriff uses to carry out the physical eviction.

Before the court will enter a default, federal law requires you to file an affidavit stating whether the tenant is on active military duty, a requirement of the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act.¹² You can check status for free through the Department of Defense Manpower Data Center’s SCRA website at scra.dmdc.osd.mil.¹³ If status cannot be determined, the affidavit must say so.

If the tenant does answer, the case is set for trial. Unlawful detainer cases get priority on the court calendar. Either party can request a trial date, and the court is directed to set it within 20 days of that request.¹⁴ Some busy courts run longer in practice. At trial you must prove every element of the complaint: your right to possession, proper notice, expiration of the notice, and the tenant’s continued occupancy.

A judgment on its own does not remove the tenant. The Writ of Possession authorizes the county sheriff to post a Notice to Vacate (typically giving about five days to leave) and then, if the tenant is still there, to change the locks. Sheriff lockout fees generally run $40 to $200 depending on the county.

Don’t Forget Unnamed Occupants

Adults living in the unit who are not on the lease can file a claim of right to possession after judgment and stall the sheriff’s lockout.¹⁵ To head this off, serve a Prejudgment Claim of Right to Possession together with the summons and complaint. Under CCP § 415.46, the server posts a copy on the premises and mails a copy addressed to “all occupants in care of the named tenant.” Any unnamed occupant who does not respond in time will be bound by the judgment. Skipping this is a common oversight that can add weeks when someone surfaces at the last minute.

1
California Courts. Complaint—Unlawful Detainer (UD-100)
2
California Legislative Information. California Code CCP 425.12 – Forms for Complaints and Cross-Complaints
3
California Legislative Information. California Code, Civil Code CIV 789.3
4
California Legislative Information. California Code CCP 1161 – Summary Proceedings for Obtaining Possession of Real Property in Certain Cases
5
California Legislative Information. California Code Civil Code 1946.1
6
Judicial Council of California. Complaint—Unlawful Detainer
7
Superior Court of California. Statewide Civil Fee Schedule
8
Justia Law. California Government Code 68630-68641 – Waiver of Court Fees and Costs
9
California Legislative Information. California Code of Civil Procedure 415.10 – 415.20
10
California Courts. Fill Out an Answer Form in an Eviction Case
11
California Courts. Ask for a Default Judgment
12
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 50 USC 3931 – Default Judgments
13
Department of Defense Manpower Data Center. Status Finder
14
California Legislative Information. California Code of Civil Procedure 1170.5
15
California Legislative Information. California Code of Civil Procedure 1174.3