Evictions

The Scott County Sheriff's Office has a role to play in evictions processes. View the collapsible tabs below to see how the eviction process proceeds and what our role is at specific steps. 

What is an Unlawful Detainer Action?

An Unlawful Detainer Action is required in order to evict a tenant from rental property. Regulating these actions is Minnesota Statute chapter 504B.

There are 4 common reasons for evicting a tenant:

  1. Delinquent rent payments
  2. Violation of lease provisions
  3. Failure to move after 30 day written notice
  4. Landlord is notified by law enforcement authorities of narcotics sales or activities on the tenant’s premises

To Commence an Unlawful Detainer Action

To start an eviction, the property owner (plaintiff) must file a “Complaint in Unlawful Detainer” with the court administrator. In the Complaint portion of the Summons, the plaintiff should state why the defendant should be removed from the premises and the property restored to the plaintiff.

When a complaint has been filed, the Court Administrator will establish a court date, issue a Summons, and provide the plaintiff with enough copies of the summons and Complaint to serve each defendant. If the tenant has unknown parties living on the premises, the plaintiff can list “John Doe”, “Mary Roe,” etc., as additional defendants.