New Hampshire eviction process and court timeline

At a glance

Court

Circuit Court, District Division. The Circuit Court District Division serving the town.

"The Writ must be filed in the Circuit Court - District Division with jurisdiction over the town"

Source 1

Time to answer or appear

The tenant files an appearance by the return day, 7 days after the sheriff serves the writ; from October 8, 2026 an answer is also due within 5 days after the return date.

"returnable 7 days from the date of service of the writ by the sheriff"

Source 2

Who carries out the lockout

Sheriff. The writ of possession authorizes the sheriff to remove the tenant.

"A writ of possession shall authorize the sheriff to remove the defendant from the premises."

Source 3

Paying to stop the case

In a nonpayment case the tenant can avoid eviction by paying all back rent plus $15 in damages before the deadline.

"by paying all back rent, plus $15 in damages, to the landlord."

Source 1

Right to counsel (statewide)

No statewide right to counsel for tenants in eviction cases (as of November 2026, per the National Coalition for a Civil Right to Counsel): its tracker of enacted laws lists no statewide law here.

"An eviction right to counsel is created by an enacted law that, at a minimum:"

Source 4, National Coalition for a Civil Right to Counsel (secondary source)

Diversion or mediation (statewide)

Yes. A free statewide mediation program run by the Office of Mediation and Arbitration and the Circuit Court, mainly before an eviction case is filed; after filing it is offered only at some Circuit Court locations, and asking for mediation doesn't pause the case (announced November 2021).

"will only mediate cases before an eviction case (also known as a Landlord and Tenant Writ) is filed with the court."

Source 5

Sample timeline: filed Monday, December 7, 2026

Earliest under the statute; courts' calendars often take longer.

Need the other side served? Process serving with an affidavit of service.

• Answer due (if served the day of filing): Monday, December 14, 2026
• Hearing or trial: no date (The official pages don't give a period for setting the hearing)
• Judgment: no date (Follows the hearing, which isn't dated here)
• Writ or warrant of possession: no date (Not confirmed on an official page)
• Earliest lockout: no date (Not confirmed on an official page)

Another date: open the estimator.

Help the official pages point to

• In a nonpayment case the tenant can avoid eviction by paying all back rent plus $15 in damages before the deadline.
• A free statewide mediation program run by the Office of Mediation and Arbitration and the Circuit Court, mainly before an eviction case is filed; after filing it is offered only at some Circuit Court locations, and asking for mediation doesn't pause the case (announced November 2021).

Worth knowing

If the tenant files an appearance, RSA 540:13, V sets the hearing within 10 days after that filing (not counted from the landlord's filing, so no hearing range is used here). The court can stay the move-out up to 3 months if the tenant pays weekly rent in advance (RSA 540:13-c).

Not stated on the pages we read: filing fee, hearing after filing, judgment to writ, writ to lockout.

Sources

1. New Hampshire Circuit Court Service Center: Landlord and Tenant Information Sheet (01/01/2021) (checked November 2026)
2. New Hampshire RSA 540:13: Writ; service; discovery; record; default (checked November 2026)
3. New Hampshire General Court: RSA Chapter 540 (Actions against tenants) (checked November 2026)
4. National Coalition for a Civil Right to Counsel (secondary source): National Coalition for a Civil Right to Counsel: Enacted Eviction Right to Counsel and Eviction Defense Programs (last modified November 2026) (checked November 2026)
5. New Hampshire Judicial Branch: Judicial Branch Offers Free Eviction Mediation Programs Statewide (November 3, 2021) (checked November 2026)

Sourced from official pages; a few facts from vetted secondary sources, marked "(secondary source)".

General information, not legal advice; we are not lawyers. Not a court form. Earliest under the statute; courts' calendars often take longer.

Common questions

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