The Multnomah County eviction process runs through the Circuit Court from start to finish: a written termination notice, a filed complaint if the tenant stays, a first court appearance, possible mediation or trial, and (only after a judgment and a four-day notice) a sheriff lockout. From the first notice to the sheriff returning possession, expect several weeks to over a month, longer if the tenant contests. A landlord cannot change the locks, remove doors, or shut off utilities to speed any of it up.
Start With the Right Termination Notice
Nothing can be filed in court until a proper written notice has been delivered and expired. Getting the notice wrong is the single most common reason eviction cases are dismissed at the courthouse, so this step carries more weight than any other.
Nonpayment of Rent
Oregon gives landlords two options under ORS 90.394. If you wait until at least the eighth day of the rental period (counting the day rent was due as day one), you can issue a 10-day notice to pay or vacate. If you want to act sooner, as early as the fifth day, the notice must give 13 days instead.1Oregon State Legislature. Oregon Code 90.394 – Termination of Tenancy for Failure to Pay Rent Week-to-week tenancies use a 72-hour notice, no earlier than the fifth day. In every version, the notice has to state the exact rent owed and the deadline to pay.
Lease Violations
For a violation other than nonpayment, the landlord issues a 30-day notice under ORS 90.392. If the problem is curable, the notice must describe at least one way to fix it and give the tenant at least 14 days to do so.2Oregon State Legislature. Oregon Code 90.392 – Termination of Tenancy for Cause A timely cure ends the matter and makes the notice unenforceable.
24-Hour Notice for Extreme Conduct
ORS 90.396 allows a 24-hour notice for conduct the statute calls “outrageous in the extreme,” such as physical violence on the premises, serious criminal activity, or behavior posing an immediate threat to the safety of other tenants.3Oregon State Legislature. Oregon Code 90.396 – Acts or Omissions Justifying Termination 24 Hours After Notice The threshold is higher than what would support a standard 30-day notice.
Delivering the Notice
Three methods are allowed: hand delivery to the tenant, first-class mail, or (only if the lease specifically permits it) mail plus attachment to the main entrance. Mailing adds three days to whatever notice period applies, so a 10-day nonpayment notice served by mail runs 13 days, and a 13-day notice runs 16.4Oregon State Legislature. Oregon Code 90.155 – Service or Delivery of Written Notice Miscalculating those extra days is a quick way to lose the case before it starts.
No-Cause Terminations Are Limited (and Expensive in Portland)
During the first year of occupancy, a landlord may end a month-to-month tenancy with 30 days’ written notice and no stated reason. After the first year, no-cause termination is essentially off the table. The tenancy can only be ended for cause or for a short list of qualifying landlord reasons, such as planned demolition, major renovations that make the unit uninhabitable, moving in a family member, or sale to a buyer who intends to live in the unit. Each qualifying reason requires 90 days’ notice.5Oregon State Legislature. Oregon Code 90.427 – Termination of Tenancy Without Tenant Cause
Inside Portland city limits, a landlord who issues a no-cause termination, declines to renew a fixed-term lease, uses a qualifying landlord reason, raises rent by 10 percent or more within 12 months, or makes a substantial change to lease terms owes relocation assistance to the tenant:
- Studio or SRO: $2,900
- One bedroom: $3,300
- Two bedrooms: $4,200
- Three or more bedrooms: $4,500
A landlord who fails to pay can be liable for up to three times the monthly rent plus actual damages, the relocation amount owed, and the tenant’s attorney fees.6City of Portland. Mandatory Renter Relocation Assistance Properties in Multnomah County outside Portland are not subject to this payment, but the statewide limits on no-cause termination still apply.
Filing the Eviction Complaint
If the tenant does not cure or leave by the notice deadline, the next step is filing a Residential Eviction Complaint in Multnomah County Circuit Court. You will need the Complaint, a Summons, and a Residential Eviction Information sheet for the tenant. Statewide forms are posted on the Oregon Judicial Department site, and Multnomah County has local versions of several of them; where both exist, use the Multnomah version.7Oregon Judicial Department. Forms
The Complaint names the owner as plaintiff and all adult occupants as defendants, states the legal grounds for eviction, and asks for a judgment of possession. Every figure and fact must match the termination notice. If the notice said rent was $1,500 and the Complaint says $1,550, that mismatch alone can get the case tossed.
The filing fee is $88 for most residential evictions in Oregon as of 2026.8Oregon Judicial Department. 2026 Circuit Court Fee Schedule A party who cannot afford the fee can ask the court to waive or defer court fees and costs.9Oregon State Legislature. Oregon Code 21.682 – Authority to Waive or Defer Fees and Court Costs
Serving the Tenant
Once the clerk assigns a case number, two things must happen by the end of the next judicial day. The clerk mails the Summons and Complaint to the tenant at the property address by first-class mail. Separately, a process server must deliver the documents to the tenant in person at the premises, or (if the tenant is not available) attach them securely to the main entrance.10Oregon State Legislature. Oregon Code 105.135 – Service and Return of Summons Both the mailing and the physical service are required. One without the other is not valid service.
The server can be a private company or the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office, which charges $50 for serving one or two parties at the same address, with higher fees for additional defendants.11Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office. Civil Enforcement After service, the server files a Proof of Service with the court. The court cannot schedule a hearing without it.
The First Court Appearance
The clerk sets the first appearance date on the Summons when you file. For nonpayment cases, it falls 15 days after the judicial day following payment of filing fees. For every other type of eviction, it falls seven days after that same starting point.12Oregon State Legislature. Oregon Revised Statutes Chapter 105 – Property Rights The clerk can push the date back up to seven additional days if no judge is available.
At the appearance, the judge confirms both parties are present and explains what happens next. If the tenant does not appear, the landlord can ask for a default judgment. If the tenant appears and contests the case, the court typically offers mediation and may require both sides to participate.13Oregon Judicial Department. Residential Eviction If mediation does not produce an agreement, the tenant must file a written Answer by 4:00 p.m. that same day to preserve the right to trial.
Mediation and Stipulated Agreements
In mediation, a neutral third party helps the landlord and tenant work out a resolution. Common outcomes include a payment plan for back rent, an agreed move-out date, or both. Portland’s Housing Bureau also runs a separate mediation program through Resolutions Northwest that offers free rental dispute mediation within city limits, which can be worth trying even before filing.14City of Portland. Landlord-Tenant Mediation Pilot Program
If the parties reach a deal, they sign a Stipulated Agreement that the court files as a binding order. The eviction pauses while the tenant complies. If the tenant breaks the terms, the landlord can go straight back for judgment without a full trial. For many landlords, a clear stipulated agreement is faster and more predictable than taking chances at trial.
Trial
Cases that do not settle go to a bench trial before a judge. The landlord presents evidence first and carries the burden of proof: the lease, the termination notice, proof of nonpayment or the specific violation, and the timeline. Precision matters. A landlord who cannot produce the original notice or whose testimony contradicts the complaint is giving the tenant a defense.
The tenant then presents evidence and can cross-examine. Common tenant defenses include defective notice, retaliation, habitability problems, or procedural errors by the landlord. If the landlord wins, the court enters a judgment of restitution, which starts the clock on recovering the property.
After the Judgment: Notice of Restitution, Writ, Lockout
Winning the judgment does not let you change the locks. First, the landlord requests a Notice of Restitution from the clerk. That notice orders the tenant to move out and remove all belongings within at least four days.15Oregon State Legislature. Oregon Code 105.151 – Enforcement of Judgment of Restitution The four-day clock starts at 12:01 a.m. the day after the notice is mailed and served. If day four lands on a weekend or holiday, the deadline rolls to 11:59 p.m. the day before the next judicial day.16Oregon State Legislature. Oregon Code 105.159 – Computation of Time Before Plaintiff May Request Writ of Execution
If the tenant is still there after four days, the landlord returns to the clerk and requests a Writ of Execution directing the sheriff to enforce the judgment.15Oregon State Legislature. Oregon Code 105.151 – Enforcement of Judgment of Restitution Only the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office is authorized to physically remove a tenant. The sheriff schedules the lockout, arrives at the property, and turns possession over to the landlord. That is the moment you can change the locks.
Property the Tenant Leaves Behind
Belongings left after an eviction cannot simply be dumped. The landlord must send a written notice to the tenant at the premises, any known P.O. box, and the most recent forwarding address, telling the tenant to contact the landlord to arrange pickup.17Oregon State Legislature. Oregon Code 90.425 – Disposition of Personal Property Abandoned by Tenant
For ordinary personal property, the tenant has at least five days after personal delivery of the notice (eight days after mailing) to make contact. If the tenant responds in time, the landlord must make the items available for 15 days after that response.17Oregon State Legislature. Oregon Code 90.425 – Disposition of Personal Property Abandoned by Tenant After that window closes, the property is treated as abandoned. Items worth $1,000 or less can be disposed of; more valuable property has to go through a public sale.
Do Not Try a Self-Help Eviction
Changing the locks, removing doors, or cutting water or electricity to pressure a tenant out is a serious legal mistake in Oregon. Under ORS 90.375, a tenant who is unlawfully locked out or has essential services deliberately shut off can recover up to two months’ rent or twice their actual damages, whichever is greater, plus the return of all security deposits and prepaid rent.18Oregon State Legislature. Oregon Code 90.375 – Effect of Unlawful Ouster or Exclusion The tenant can also get a court order restoring access, and does not have to terminate the lease or move out to collect.
The math gets ugly fast. A two-bedroom unit at $1,800 per month, locked out without a court order, exposes the landlord to $3,600 in statutory damages alone, on top of the tenant’s attorney fees and any actual out-of-pocket costs.
Retaliation Will Sink the Case
Oregon forbids evicting, raising rent, or cutting services in response to a tenant exercising legal rights. Protected activities include complaining to the landlord or a government agency about housing code violations, joining a tenants’ organization, testifying against the landlord, or calling law enforcement or emergency services to the property.19Oregon State Legislature. Oregon Revised Statutes Chapter 90 – Residential Landlord and Tenant A tenant can raise retaliation as a defense to the eviction and recover the same damages available for an unlawful lockout: up to two months’ rent or twice actual damages, whichever is greater. If an eviction is going to be filed soon after any protected activity, the paper trail of a legitimate, pre-existing reason needs to be clean.