Franklin County, Alabama Eviction Risk: Very Low

Franklin County, Alabama scores 2/10 on the eviction-risk index, placing it in the Low risk tier and ranking 60th of 67 Alabama counties, meaning 59 counties carry more risk for landlords than this one. For investors evaluating rural northwest Alabama, that aggregate score reflects a market where legal exposure is comparatively modest, average rent runs $652 per month, and the rent-burden rate of 23.5% suggests most renters can realistically cover their obligations.

Beneath the county average, scores across all 7 incorporated places span a narrow band of 1.2 to 2, which tells a consistent story: the entire county sits in low-risk territory, with no outlier city pulling the number up. Operators considering Franklin County should still underwrite individual markets carefully, but the ceiling on risk here is already constrained by the county's favorable state-level position.

The cities inside Franklin County

At the higher end of the local range, Russellville (population 10,799) and Vina both score 2/10, tying at the county maximum. Russellville is by far the largest rental market in the county, and its score at the top of the local range is worth monitoring, though a 2/10 rating remains solidly low relative to Alabama as a whole. Red Bay (population 3,201) and Phil Campbell score 1.9/10, while Hodges comes in at 1.8/10.

The lower end of the spectrum belongs to Spruce Pine at 1.6/10 and Belgreen at 1.2/10. Even the county's highest-scoring cities are well within the low-risk band, but the 0.8-point spread across the grid is a reminder that risk is hyper-local: a landlord operating in Belgreen faces a meaningfully different profile than one in Russellville, even within the same county boundaries.

State-level laws that apply here

All Franklin County landlords operate under the Alabama Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act, Ala. Code § 35-9A. For nonpayment of rent, landlords must deliver a 7-day pay-or-quit notice; lease violations trigger a 14-day cure notice; and no-cause terminations at the end of a term require 30 days notice. Uncontested cases typically resolve in 30 to 45 days, while contested proceedings can run 60 to 120 days. The Alabama eviction process gives landlords a mandatory 48-hour notice before entering a unit for non-emergency inspections or repairs.

On costs, the Alabama eviction costs break down to a court filing fee of $200 to $300, a sheriff lockout fee of $30 to $150, and attorney fees that typically range from $500 to $2,500. Alabama does not impose rent control, does not require just cause for termination, and state law preempts any local attempt to enact rent caps, which creates a stable, landlord-friendly regulatory backdrop. Source of income is not a protected class under Alabama fair housing rules. Reviewing Alabama security deposit limits and Alabama tenant protections in full will help owners stay compliant before placing a tenant.

With a poverty rate of 17.1% and a renter share of 32.6% across the county, Franklin County is a small-scale market where tenant financial stress is a real underwriting factor; consult the city grid above to identify which specific communities carry the lightest risk profiles before committing capital.