The St. Louis City Eviction Timeline: What Landlords Should Expect

Missouri does not require a specific number of days on the demand for rent for a rent-and-possession claim, but a clean written demand — dated, signed, delivered by a method you can prove — protects the case from day one.

For City of St. Louis properties we recommend both a hand-delivered copy and a mailed copy. Judges here have seen every excuse, and documentation cuts the argument off before it starts.

Rent-and-possession petitions in the city are filed at the Civil Courts Building at 10 N Tucker Blvd. From filing, the court typically sets a return date roughly two to three weeks out.

The petition must include the lease (if written), the ledger showing unpaid rent, and the demand. Missing any of those routinely pushes a case to the next docket.

If the tenant fails to appear, the court will usually enter judgment for possession and unpaid rent the same day. If they do appear and can't pay, judgment still typically enters — the rent-and-possession statute is narrow on what defenses apply.

A contested case with a real defense (habitability, retaliation, improper notice) can push a decision out several weeks. Most City of St. Louis cases are not contested.

After judgment, the writ of possession usually issues within a week. The sheriff schedules the execution — in the city this is generally a five- to ten-business-day window.

On execution day, the sheriff supervises entry, our crew changes the locks, and the unit is legally back in your control. From that moment the turnover clock, not the eviction clock, is what matters.

Most post-possession units in the city need trash-out first: abandoned furniture, mattresses, appliances, and food. Then a deep clean — floors, appliances, bathrooms, walls, HVAC filters.

A tight, honest turnover in a city rental typically runs three to seven days. Every day beyond that in a Tower Grove or Central West End market is rent walking out the door.