Facing Eviction in Idaho: What Can I Do?
This page covers eviction notices and eviction court cases in Idaho. It follows the steps in the order you meet them. They are the notice, the court case, the judgment (the court's final decision in your case), and removal. It uses Idaho's eviction law, Title 6, chapter 3 of the Idaho Code.
-
Keep the eviction notice and any court papers. Write down the date and how you got each one.
-
If you fall behind on rent under your lease, your landlord must serve you a written notice before an eviction case. The notice gives you 3 days to pay the rent or leave the property. It must state the amount due.
✓ Sources checked October 2, 2026
-
The 3-day rent notice must also say what happens if a court enters judgment (the court's final decision) against you. A residential tenant then has 72 hours to remove belongings before the landlord may remove and get rid of them.
✓ Sources checked October 2, 2026
-
Say you break a lease term other than paying rent. Your landlord must then serve a written 3-day notice to do what the lease says or leave. Within 3 days after service, you can do what the lease says. You can also pay the rent in the lease. Either one saves the lease from forfeiture (the lease ending).
✓ Sources checked October 2, 2026
-
Sometimes a lease term you broke cannot be performed afterward. Then your landlord does not have to give you the 3-day notice to do what the lease says.
✓ Sources checked October 2, 2026
-
A case only to get possession of 5 acres or less can be for unpaid rent, for example. The court must set the trial within 12 days after the landlord files the complaint. You must get the court papers at least 5 days before the trial day.
✓ Sources checked October 2, 2026
-
Your landlord's case may be only to get possession (the home back) of land of 5 acres or less over unpaid rent. Then the court can delay the trial by no more than 2 days. The delay can be longer if you give an undertaking (a promise with security the court approves). The promise is to pay rent that may come due if judgment (the final decision) goes against you.
✓ Sources checked October 2, 2026
-
Suppose you do not appear and defend at the time the court sets. The court must enter your default (a ruling that you did not appear). It must then give the landlord the judgment (the court's final decision) the complaint asks for.
✓ Sources checked October 2, 2026
-
If the court finds for the landlord, it enters a judgment (the court's final decision) that the landlord gets the home back. In a case over unpaid rent or a broken lease term, the judgment also declares the lease forfeited (ended).
✓ Sources checked October 2, 2026
-
The court also decides what the landlord lost because you stayed without a legal right, if the landlord proves it at trial. In a rent case, it finds the rent due. The judgment (the court's final decision in your case) orders you to pay both amounts.
✓ Sources checked October 2, 2026
-
If the court rules for the landlord, a residential tenant has 72 hours to remove belongings from the home.
✓ Sources checked October 2, 2026
-
The time to remove belongings must pass first. Then, 3 days after the court's finding, the sheriff restores the home to the landlord by removing the tenant. The landlord may then get rid of remaining property, subject to any security interests (legal claims on property), with no further payment to the tenant.
✓ Sources checked October 2, 2026
-
In an Idaho eviction case, the winning side is entitled to attorney fees (a lawyer's costs). The court does not award these fees where it awards triple the loss. For example, a $1,000 loss triples to $3,000. If the case needs a 3 day notice, fees are awarded only if that notice said the winner would get attorney fees. You get this money only if you win your case and your landlord pays.
✓ Sources checked October 2, 2026
Is something on this page wrong or out of date? Tell us.