Dale County, Alabama Eviction Risk: Low

Dale County, Alabama eviction laws posts a county-average eviction-risk score of 2.5/10 (Low), placing it 29th of 67 Alabama eviction laws counties, meaning 28 counties carry higher risk and 38 are more landlord-friendly. For investors evaluating the market across the county's 10 cities, that headline figure signals a relatively stable operating environment, though it masks real variation on the ground. Average rent sits at $858, and the average rent-burden rate of 28.8% suggests tenants are not severely stretched, which supports consistent collections for well-screened portfolios.

The intra-county score range, from 2.1/10 at the low end to 3.1/10 at the high end, is a full point spread, wide enough to materially change underwriting assumptions city by city. A landlord operating exclusively in the lowest-risk pocket faces a meaningfully different tenant-stability profile than one concentrated in the county's higher-risk markets. Understanding that gap, rather than anchoring to the county average, is the more useful framing for acquisition decisions in Dale County.

The cities inside Dale County

Ozark is the highest-risk city in the county at 2.7/10, with a population of 4,919. Its score sits a full half-point above the county average, and it warrants closer scrutiny on tenant screening and payment-history verification before committing capital there. Ozark, the county's largest city at 14,327 residents, scores 2.8/10, also above the county average, and concentrates the most rental volume in the market. Newton and Pinckard each score 2/10, matching the county average precisely.

At the other end of the spectrum, Level Plains records the county's lowest risk score at 2/10, population 4,705, reflecting a tenant base with characteristics that correlate with stronger lease compliance. Ariton scores 2.4/10 and Level Plains comes in at 2/10. The data make clear that risk in Dale County is hyper-local, and operating in Daleville versus Fort Rucker is not the same investment calculus, even though they share a county boundary.

State-level laws that apply here

Alabama eviction laws eviction process procedures are governed statewide by Ala. Code § 35-9A (Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act), and every landlord in Dale County operates under those same rules regardless of city. For nonpayment, the required notice period is 7 days. A lease-violation cure notice requires 14 days, and a no-cause end-of-term notice requires 30 days. An uncontested eviction typically resolves in 30 to 45 days; a contested matter can run 60 to 120 days. Court filing fees range from $200 to $300, sheriff lockout fees from $30 to $150, and attorney fees from $500 to $2,500, so even an uncontested eviction with counsel can cost $730 to $2,950 in hard fees before lost rent is counted.

Alabama eviction laws does not require just cause for non-renewal, and state law preempts any local rent-control ordinance, so no city in Dale County can impose rent caps. Alabama security deposit limits and Alabama tenant protections beyond the state baseline are not imposed locally. Landlords must provide 48 hours advance notice before entering a unit under Ala. Code § 35-9A-204. Source of income is not a protected class under Alabama eviction laws fair-housing law, giving landlords broad screening latitude.

With a poverty rate of 20.7% and a renter share of 47.7% across the county, Dale County carries a meaningful share of cost-burdened households; the city-by-city grid above shows exactly where that concentration is highest and where landlord conditions are most stable.