How eviction works step by step, and what defenses you have at each stage
This page covers the eviction process in Texas for a residential tenancy — the notices a landlord must serve, the timeline, and what you can do at each stage.
It does not cover commercial leases, or mobile home parks where a separate statute applies. Where a city has its own rules, those may differ from the state statute below.
Tex. Prop. Code § 24.005：房东须在提起 forcible detainer 诉讼前至少提前 3 天书面通知租客腾房。
Texas 是 forcible entry and detainer 制度（§24.001）：租客拒绝应要求交出占有即构成该罪。§24.004 规定 justice court 管辖，§24.0041（2026-01-01 生效）要求驱逐诉讼必须在标的地产所在地的 justice precinct 提起。
Tex. Prop. Code § 24.005(a) ↗Applies when: 欠租或租期届满后逾期占有（at-will 或 sufferance 租客同样适用）
Counted from: 房东提起 forcible detainer 诉讼之前
Service: §24.005(f-3) 四种方式任选其一：邮寄（含 first class、registered、certified 或投递服务）；投递至房屋内部显眼处；亲手交给年满 16 周岁的租客；双方书面同意时可用电子通信。
· 格式区分：此前未拖欠 → 必须用 notice to pay rent or vacate；此前已拖欠 → 可用 pay-or-vacate 或 notice to vacate 二者之一。
· 若租客实际收到通知，(f-4) 使 (f-3) 不适用。
· 税收拍卖/止赎买受人选择不续租的，须给住宅租客至少 30 天书面通知（§24.005(b)）。
· 注意：现行 (f-3) 的四种方式中不再有「挂贴于标的」（posting），旧法才有 —— 不要把 posting 写进工具。
Tex. Prop. Code § 24.005(f-3), (f-4) ↗德州现行法不允许房东不经法院自行换锁逐出租客，包括欠租情形。
这是本次采集落差最大的一项：旧版 §24.0051 曾含「EVICTION WITHOUT JUDICIAL PROCESS」内容，已被 2025 SB 38 移除。现行 Chapter 92 与 Chapter 24 全文检索「lock」/「lockout」均无赋予房东自力救济的条文。所有驱逐都须经 writ of possession。租客面对非法锁门可依 §92.009 请求重新进入。
Tex. Prop. Code § 24.0051 (current scope: procedure only); § 92.009 ↗“「你欠租 3 天了，我按 §24.005(a) 给了通知，直接换锁就行。」”
德州不承认自力驱逐。所有驱逐都须先取得法院的占有判决，再由 sheriff 执行 writ of possession，且 writ 原则上须在判决后至少 6 日才签发。房东自行换锁会构成非法侵入，并可依 §92.009 请求重新进入。
Tex. Prop. Code §§ 24.0051, 24.0061, 92.009
“「我 3 天前就把通知挂在你家门上了。」”
现行 §24.005(f-3) 列的四种送达方式是邮寄、投递至房屋内部显眼处、亲手交给 16 周岁以上租客、或双方书面同意的电子通信 —— 不包含「挂贴于标的」。2026-01-01 生效的条文已删除 posting 方式。若房东采用的方式不在法定四种之内，送达可能无效。
Tex. Prop. Code § 24.005(f-3)
“「你没在 4 天内答辩，法院已经判我赢了。」”
确实，§24.0051(e) 规定收到宣誓 petition 后 4 日内不提交 response 即构成缺席。但房东同时负有「若房东确无 genuinely disputed facts」的 summary disposition 门槛 —— 反过来，若确有争议事实，房东走快速程序也需先证明不存在争议。你可以在期限内向法院申请延期或出庭应诉。
Tex. Prop. Code § 24.0051(e); § 24.005106
非法锁门后租客可依 § 92.009 请求重新进入并恢复占有；以暴力或威胁限制人身自由的可能触及 Penal Code § 20.02 非法拘禁。
驱逐诉讼本身不排除租客另行提起 trespass、damages、waste 之诉（§24.008）。另注意：Penal Code §28.05 是「行为人在财产中的利益」（财产犯罪），与非法拘禁无关；非法拘禁的正确条号是 §20.02，属 Class A misdemeanor，有加重情形。
Tex. Prop. Code §§ 92.009, 24.008; Tex. Penal Code § 20.02 ↗Every figure on this page comes from the official text or a state court opinion, not from a summary. The table below lists each provision used and the date it was last checked.
| Statute | Last verified | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Tex. Prop. Code § 24.005(a) | 2026-10-09 | official text ↗ |
| Tex. Prop. Code § 24.005(f-3), (f-4) | 2026-10-09 | official text ↗ |
| Tex. Prop. Code § 24.00505 | 2026-10-09 | official text ↗ |
| Tex. Prop. Code § 24.0051(d), (f) | 2026-10-09 | official text ↗ |
| Tex. Prop. Code § 24.0051(c), (e) | 2026-10-09 | official text ↗ |
| Tex. Prop. Code § 24.0051(g); § 24.005106 | 2026-10-09 | official text ↗ |
| Tex. Prop. Code § 24.0061(a), (b-1) | 2026-10-09 | official text ↗ |
| Tex. Prop. Code § 24.0051 (current scope: procedure only); § 92.009 | 2026-10-09 | official text ↗ |
| Tex. Prop. Code §§ 92.009, 24.008; Tex. Penal Code § 20.02 | 2026-10-09 | official text ↗ |
Where the official text and a secondary summary disagree, this page follows the official text and says so. Where a provision admits of more than one reading, that is flagged rather than smoothed over.
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3 days depending on the grounds, counted from service of the notice. Tex. Prop. Code § 24.005(a)
德州现行法不允许房东不经法院自行换锁逐出租客，包括欠租情形。
The timeline starts only on valid service. §24.005(f-3) 四种方式任选其一：邮寄（含 first class、registered、certified 或投递服务）；投递至房屋内部显眼处；亲手交给年满 16 周岁的租客；双方书面同意时可用电子通信。