A writ of possession is a court order that grants the right of possession in any tangible or real property to a party that is not currently in possession of it. The writ is to be served to the party currently in possession of the property by a deputy sheriff who will enforce a transfer of possession to the rightful party
How to File for Service
In order to have a Writ of Possession enforced, simply make one copy of the original writ for each defendant, and bring all copies plus the original writ, with the seal, to the main desk of the Sheriff’s Office located at 100 South Broad Street, 5th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19110 between the hours of 8:30 am and 4:00 pm. You will also need to pay the appropriate fee (listed below).
Fees for Service
You easily calculate all fees to serve any court order using the Sheriff’s Office Fee Calculator.
The fee to serve a writ of possession ordered by the Municipal Court is $343. The fee is calculated as follows:
- $300 Sheriff’s fee (regardless of the number of defendants)
- A $25 mileage charge for each address the writ must be served to
- A State fee of $18 for each address the writ must be served to
The fees to serve a writ of possession ordered by the Court of Common Pleas is $325 The fee is calculated as follows:
- $300 Sheriff’s fee (regardless of the number of defendants)
- A $25 mileage charge for each address the writ must be served to
Only attorney’s checks, cashier checks, certified checks, or money orders will be accepted and must be made out to the Philadelphia Sheriff’s Office.
Other Useful Information
A writ of possession is served following a default judgement or eviction lawsuit. The Sheriff is the person who serves the writ on the occupants and it usually has to be served to the tenant or occupants in person. The writ of possession often gives ample time before the eviction is enforced. If unable to serve occupants in five days, deputies will post property with writ of possession on premises.
