The Contra Costa County eviction process runs on California’s unlawful detainer procedure: serve a legally valid written notice, wait out the notice period, file a lawsuit if the tenant stays, win a judgment, and have the sheriff perform the lockout. Done cleanly, it takes four to eight weeks from first notice to recovered possession. Done sloppily, it restarts from zero, because judges enforce the procedural rules strictly even when the tenant plainly owes rent.
Do You Need Just Cause to Evict?
If the tenant has lived in the unit for 12 months or longer, yes. California’s Tenant Protection Act requires a legally recognized reason, and that reason must appear in the termination notice itself.1California Legislative Information. AB-1482 Tenant Protection Act of 2019 The law splits reasons into two groups.
At-fault reasons include nonpayment of rent, breach of a material lease term after written notice, nuisance, waste, illegal use of the property, unauthorized subletting, and refusing lawful entry. Refusing to sign a renewal with substantially similar terms also qualifies when the written lease expired on or after January 1, 2020.2California Legislative Information. California Civil Code CIV 1946.2
No-fault reasons are narrower: the owner or an immediate family member moving in for at least 12 months, permanently withdrawing the property from the rental market, or complying with a government habitability order. For a no-fault eviction, the landlord must either pay the tenant relocation assistance equal to one month’s rent within 15 calendar days of serving the notice, or waive the final month of rent in writing. The notice must inform the tenant of this right. Skip the payment or the waiver and the notice is defective.2California Legislative Information. California Civil Code CIV 1946.2
Some properties are exempt. Single-family homes and condos are exempt if they are not owned by a corporation, REIT, or LLC with at least one corporate member, and the owner has given written notice of the exemption. Buildings constructed within the last 15 years and certain owner-occupied duplexes are also exempt. If none of those fit and the tenant has been there a year, you need just cause.
Choosing the Right Notice
The notice depends on the reason for the eviction, and this is where the most cases fall apart. Every notice must list the full legal names of all adult occupants and the exact property address.
- 3-day notice to pay rent or quit. For unpaid rent. The notice must state the exact amount owed and cannot include late fees, utilities, or damage charges. It must give the name, phone number, and address of the person who can accept payment, with the days and hours available, or a bank account number for deposits. The three days are calendar days excluding weekends and court holidays.3California Courts. Choose the Right Type of Eviction Notice4California Legislative Information. California Code of Civil Procedure CCP 1161
- 3-day notice to perform or quit. For a non-rent lease violation that can be fixed, such as an unauthorized pet or running a business from a residential unit. The notice describes the violation and gives three days to cure.
- 30-day notice. Ends a month-to-month tenancy of less than one year. Only available where just cause does not apply.
- 60-day notice. Same purpose, but required once the tenant has lived in the unit for a year or more.3California Courts. Choose the Right Type of Eviction Notice
- 90-day notice for Section 8 tenants. Requires just cause and must include the detailed reason, information about the tenant’s right to request a meeting within 10 days, disability accommodation information, and instructions for retrieving belongings.3California Courts. Choose the Right Type of Eviction Notice
Serve the notice on the tenant personally when you can. If reasonable attempts fail, California allows substituted service: leaving the notice with a competent adult at the property and mailing a copy. Keep detailed records of every attempt. The tenant’s attorney will probe any gap, and a bad notice sinks the whole case.
One trap worth flagging. If you accept full rent after serving a notice to quit, you’ve likely waived the notice and the tenancy continues. Don’t cash the check.
Filing the Unlawful Detainer Lawsuit
Once the notice period expires and the tenant hasn’t paid, cured, or left, you prepare the court paperwork. The required Judicial Council forms are the Summons (SUM-100), the Complaint for Unlawful Detainer (UD-100), and a Civil Case Cover Sheet (CM-010). Every blank on the UD-100 must be filled, and the facts in the complaint must match the notice exactly. A $3,200 demand in the notice and a $3,500 figure in the complaint is the kind of mismatch that gets a case tossed.
Attorneys must e-file. Contra Costa Superior Court made electronic filing mandatory for unlawful detainer cases in July 2022 through approved service providers.5Superior Court of California, County of Contra Costa. Court E-Filing Services Self-represented landlords may still file in person or by mail at the courthouse serving the city where the property is located.6Superior Court of California, County of Contra Costa. Where to File
Filing fees for 2026 run $240 for claims up to $10,000, $385 for claims between $10,000 and $35,000, and $435 for claims over $35,000.7Judicial Council of California. Statewide Civil Fee Schedule Effective January 1, 2026 Once the clerk processes the filing, you get a case number and an issued summons.
Serving the Lawsuit on the Tenant
You can’t serve the summons and complaint yourself. The server must be at least 18 and not a party to the case. Most landlords hire a registered process server. Personal delivery comes first; if several attempts fail, substituted service works by leaving the papers with a responsible person at the tenant’s home or workplace and mailing a copy. The server then completes a Proof of Service of Summons (POS-010) and the landlord files it with the court.8California Courts. Proof of Service of Summons POS-010 Without proof of service on file, nothing moves.
How Long the Tenant Has to Respond
A tenant served personally has 10 court days to file an Answer (form UD-105). Court days exclude weekends and judicial holidays, so the real calendar window is closer to two weeks. A tenant served by substituted service or posting has 20 calendar days from the date the mailing went out.9California Courts. Fill Out an Answer Form in an Eviction Case The widely repeated “five days” figure is outdated.
If the deadline passes with no response, the landlord can request a default judgment and the court decides the case without a trial, typically in the landlord’s favor.10California Courts. What Happens If Your Tenant Files a Response Federal law requires an affidavit about the tenant’s military status under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act before any default is entered. If the tenant is on active duty, the court must appoint counsel and may stay the proceedings for at least 90 days.
Trial and Judgment
If the tenant files an answer, the landlord files a Request to Set Case for Trial (form UD-150). The court must schedule trial no later than 20 days after that request.11California Legislative Information. California Code of Civil Procedure 1170.5 Either side can demand a jury by checking the box on UD-150 and paying a $150 jury fee; tenants who can’t afford it can apply for a waiver.12California Courts. What to Expect at an Eviction Trial
Trials move fast. Bring the original lease, the notice you served, the proof of service, a rent ledger showing payments made and missed, and any photos or communications relevant to the dispute. If the tenant has raised habitability, bring receipts and inspection reports showing the condition of the property.
A win produces a Judgment for Possession, usually with a money award for unpaid rent and recoverable costs. The judgment alone does not let you change locks or move the tenant’s belongings. One more step remains.
Writ of Possession and the Sheriff Lockout
After judgment, the clerk issues a Writ of Possession (form CD-130) on payment of a $40 fee.13Judicial Council of California. Statewide Civil Fee Schedule You deliver the writ to the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office Civil Division, which charges a $180 processing fee.14Contra Costa Sheriff, CA. Civil Unit
Deputies post a notice on the property giving occupants a final window to leave voluntarily with their belongings. If anyone remains, the sheriff schedules a lockout. On that day the deputies meet the landlord at the property, make sure the occupants are out, and formally return possession. You can then change the locks.
What to Do About Belongings Left Behind
Tenants often leave things behind, and dumping them at the curb exposes you to liability. California law requires written notice to the former tenant (and any other person you reasonably believe owns the items) describing the property, saying where it is stored, and setting a deadline to claim it. The landlord must keep the belongings in a safe place until the deadline passes.15California Legislative Information. California Code of Civil Procedure 1174
If the former tenant claims the property before the deadline and pays reasonable storage costs, release it. If no one claims it, you can dispose of or sell the items under the statutory procedures. Items that appear genuinely lost rather than abandoned must go to the local police or sheriff.
Local Rules in Richmond and Other Cities
State law isn’t the end of it. Richmond runs its own Rent Ordinance, which applies rent control to multi-unit buildings constructed before February 1, 1995, and caps annual rent increases at 3% or 60% of the local CPI, whichever is lower.16City of Richmond. Tenants Richmond also requires just cause for all covered evictions and requires landlords to file a copy of any eviction notice with the city’s Rent Program within two business days of service. Missing the Richmond filing can itself become a defense in the unlawful detainer. Other Contra Costa cities may add protections, so check the local ordinance before you start.
Why You Cannot Lock Them Out Yourself
Changing the locks, cutting the utilities, or hauling the tenant’s belongings to the curb is illegal in California, regardless of how far behind the rent is. The prohibited utilities include water, electricity, gas, heat, and telephone service, whether or not the landlord controls the account. A landlord who does any of this is liable for the tenant’s actual damages plus a penalty of at least $250 per violation for each day it continues, and the court awards the tenant’s attorney’s fees on top. Repeated violations count as separate causes of action with separate damages.
Self-help also doesn’t work. The tenant can get a court order restoring access and utilities, and you still have to run the full unlawful detainer afterward. The courthouse and the sheriff’s office are the only legal route.