Evictions

Sheriff

If a judge finds in favor of the plaintiff at the hearing, a Writ of Recovery will be authorized. This is an Order for the Sheriff to restore the premises to the plaintiff.

The Writ must be taken to the Pine County Sheriff’s Office – Civil Division for service. The Writ is valid for only thirty days so the plaintiff should not delay bringing it to the Sheriff. A deputy will serve the Writ on the defendants if they are home, or it will be posted on the door of the premises. In either case, the defendants will be provided with a 24-hour notice advising that the Sheriff can remove the defendant 24 hours after the Writ is served or posted.

If the defendant fails to vacate the premises, the plaintiff must contact the Pine County Sheriff’s Office – Civil Division 320-629-8383 to schedule an eviction. When the eviction is scheduled, two options are available for storage of the defendants’ personal property:

  1. On-site storage for 60 days. If the plaintiff chooses to use this option, Deputies will remove the defendants and stand by until the plaintiff has completed an inventory of the premises. If the defendants want to recover their property, they must contact the plaintiff within 60 days and make arrangements to pick it up. The plaintiff must release the property to the defendant. It is recommended, but not required, that recovery of property be handled on a single time/date basis. After 60 days, if the defendant has not picked up the property, it is considered abandoned.
  2. Contract with a licensed and bonded mover to inventory and remove the property. If the plaintiff selects the second option, the plaintiff must contract with a licensed and bonded mover and make arrangements to have the mover there at the time of the eviction. Deputies will remove the defendants and standby until the moving company has loaded the property and completed an inventory. The plaintiff has a lien for the moving and storage expenses only. The defendant again has 60 days to contact the plaintiff to make arrangements to pick up the property, and may be required to pay the moving costs before it’s released. Frequently the value of the personal property is less than the moving expenses, and since the plaintiff is responsible for paying the movers, this option is selected less often.