Houston County, Alabama Eviction Risk: Low

Houston County carries an average eviction-risk score of 2.5/10 (Low), placing it 39th out of 67 Alabama counties, a middle-tier standing where 38 counties score higher and 28 score lower. For landlords and investors operating across the county's 12 cities, that average signals a market where tenant-side pressures are present but not dominant. Rents average $952 per month, renters make up 39.7% of the population, and the average rent burden sits at 29% of income, a level that points to strained but generally serviceable household budgets.

The intra-county spread runs from 2 to 2.7, a meaningful gap that rewards careful city selection within Alabama. Operators willing to compare neighborhoods rather than accept the county average at face value can meaningfully shift their risk exposure before they sign a purchase contract.

The cities inside Houston County

Dothan anchors the county with a score of 2.5/10 and a population of 71,514, making it by far the largest market and the most landlord-friendly city in the county. Its scale, relative economic depth, and lower risk score give it a distinct profile compared to the smaller communities that ring it.

At the other end of the range, Taylor (population 3,063), Ashford (population 2,447), Cowarts (population 2,204), and Kinsey (population 2,195) all score 2.1/10, as do Webb and Gordon, with Rehobeth at 2.1/10. These are smaller communities where a single concentrated stress, thin rental demand or a localized poverty spike, can move the needle quickly. Risk in Houston County is hyper-local: a landlord whose portfolio sits entirely in Dothan eviction risk faces a materially different operating environment than one concentrated in Taylor or Cowarts.

State-level laws that apply here

Under the Alabama Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (Ala. Code § 35-9A), landlords must serve a 7-day notice for non-payment of rent, a 14-day notice for a lease violation with opportunity to cure, and a 30-day notice for end-of-term or no-cause terminations. Alabama imposes no just-cause requirement for non-renewal, and state law preempts any local rent-control ordinance, so Houston County landlords operate under a consistent, predictable statewide framework. Familiarity with the Alabama eviction process is still essential, because an uncontested case runs 30 to 45 days and a contested one can reach 60 to 120 days.

On the cost side, court filing fees range from $200 to $300, sheriff lockout fees from $30 to $150, and attorney fees from $500 to $2,500, depending on complexity and whether the tenant contests. Landlords evaluating Alabama eviction costs should plan for the full contested range rather than the optimistic uncontested case. Alabama does not protect source of income as a fair-housing category, and the required landlord entry notice is 48 hours.

With a poverty rate of 18.8% across the county, financial stress among renters is a real operating variable; the city grid above breaks that exposure down to the city level so you can size it before you buy.