Baldwin County, Alabama Eviction Risk: Very Low

Baldwin County registers a county-wide average eviction-risk score of 2.1/10 (Low) across its 20 incorporated cities, placing it in the middle third of Alabama counties, ranked 37 of 67. That means 36 Alabama counties carry higher risk for landlords, and 30 are considered less risky, a position that reflects broadly stable operating conditions along the Gulf Coast without being among the state's easiest markets. For context, the average rent across the county sits at $1,332 per month, and renters bear an average rent burden of 30% of income.

Within the county, scores span from 1.6 to 2.5/10, a range of 1.3 points that matters in practice. A landlord operating in the lowest-risk corners of the county faces meaningfully different collection and vacancy dynamics than one holding units in the higher-risk towns to the north and west. That variation is the first thing investors should price into any acquisition analysis here.

The cities inside Baldwin County

The highest-risk municipalities in the county are Robertsdale, Loxley, and Summerdale, all scoring 1.9/10, and Bay Minette at 2.5/10. Robertsdale, with a population of roughly 7,194, and Bay Minette at 8,295 residents, are the larger of these higher-risk towns, which tends to translate to more rental units in play and a slightly wider pool of applicants at varying income levels. Gulf Shores (2.1/10, population 16,401) and Orange Beach (2/10, population 8,407) sit in the middle of the county range, carrying a seasonal-rental dynamic worth underwriting separately from long-term residential exposure.

On the lower-risk end, Fairhope scores 2.2/10 with a population of 24,190, making it one of the larger, more landlord-favorable cities in the county. Daphne, the county's largest city at 29,453 residents, comes in at 2.1/10, essentially matching the county average. The takeaway is that risk in Baldwin County is genuinely hyper-local: two neighboring towns can differ by a full point depending on income concentration, local employment, and renter demographics.

State-level laws that apply here

All Baldwin County landlords operate under the Alabama Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act, codified at Ala. Code § 35-9A. Alabama state law sets a 7-day pay-or-quit notice for nonpayment of rent, a 14-day cure notice for lease violations, and a 30-day termination notice for end-of-term or no-cause situations. Uncontested evictions typically resolve in 30 to 45 days, while contested proceedings can run 60 to 120 days. Filing fees range from $200 to $300, sheriff lockout fees from $30 to $150, and attorney fees from $500 to $2,500, so landlords should budget at minimum several hundred dollars in hard costs for even a straightforward case. For a complete walkthrough of the legal sequence, the Alabama eviction process guide covers each procedural step in detail.

Alabama does not require just cause for terminating a tenancy and has preempted local rent control, so no city within Baldwin County can impose its own caps. Source-of-income is not a protected class under state law. Landlords must give 48 hours advance notice before entering an occupied unit under Ala. Code § 35-9A-204. Alabama eviction costs, including the full fee ranges above, should be factored into any ROI model before closing on rental property in the county.

With a poverty rate averaging 10.3% and a renter share of 27.7% of households, Baldwin County's rental pool skews toward owner-occupancy, which tends to keep vacancy competition moderate; the city-by-city scores in the grid above let you pinpoint exactly where within the county those conditions are tightest or most relaxed.