Franklin County Municipal Court Eviction Service (375 S. High St.)

1. The Two-Stage Eviction Clock in Franklin County

Residential and commercial landlords filing at the Franklin Municipal Court (Room 11B (11th Fl.) inside 375 S. High St. in downtown Columbus) must clear two separate statutory deadlines before a magistrate will hear a eviction and restitution-of-premises (FED) claim:

• Stage One — Pre-Suit Three-Day Vacation Demand (ORC Section 1923.04): Prior to opening an eviction docket, the owner or property manager must deliver a written Three-Day Notice containing the statutory boldface warning paragraph. Under ORC Section 1.14, the calendar day of delivery, Saturdays, Sundays, and court holidays do not count toward the three-day waiting period.
• Stage Two — Seven-Day Pre-Hearing Summons Cutoff (ORC Section 1923.06(A)): Once the Clerk assigns a Courtroom 11B hearing date, the FED summons and complaint must be served at least seven full calendar days prior to the hearing.

2. First Cause Possession vs. Second Cause Rent Judgments

While posting the summons on the apartment door paired with clerk mail under ORC Section 1923.06(G) allows a landlord to proceed on the First Cause (restitution of the rental unit), a money judgment on the Second Cause (unpaid rent, late fees, and physical damages) requires completed personal, residence, or return-receipt service pursuant to Civ. Rule 4.1. Assigning a Standing Special Process Server under Municipal Court Local Rule 3.04 gives landlords morning and evening knocks aimed at securing personal or adult-resident handoff.

Franklin County Filing Stage	Governing Authority	Field Execution Requirement
Pre-Suit 3-Day Notice	ORC Section 1923.04(A) & ORC Section 1.14	Hand to tenant, leave at rental unit abode, or post conspicuously; wait 3 full business days before filing.
First Cause (Possession)	ORC Section 1923.06(A) & Loc.R. 3.04	Complete delivery at least 7 calendar days prior to the 11th Floor (Room 11B) hearing at 375 S. High St.
Second Cause (Back Rent)	Civil Rule 4.1(B) & Civ.R. 4.1(C)	Personal delivery or residence handoff to an occupant aged 16+ to support a money judgment.

3. Rescuing Unclaimed Clerk Mail at 345 & 375 S. High St.

When a Clerk return-receipt envelope comes back marked Unclaimed pursuant to Civ. Rule 4.6(D), requesting an ordinary-mail resend without checking whether the debtor still lives at the Columbus address creates a major Tenth District Court of Appeals risk: if the defendant later submits an affidavit showing they had moved out, any default judgment can be vacated. Using a Special Process Server under Common Pleas Local Rule 110 or Municipal Local Rule 3.04 verifies occupancy on the ground and provides a sworn Proof of Delivery.