A free tool from NextGen Properties — $500M+ AUM

Best & Worst States for Landlords 2026

All 51 states ranked by population-weighted landlord eviction risk score — lower is more landlord-friendly. Includes eviction timeline, filing fees, attorney costs, and source-of-income protection status.

51States ranked
South DakotaMost landlord-friendly
District of ColumbiaMost tenant-protective

Top 10 Most Landlord-Friendly

1 South Dakota 2.9 2 Wyoming 3.1 3 North Dakota 3.1 4 Idaho 3.6 5 Oklahoma 3.6 6 Arkansas 3.8 7 Utah 3.8 8 Kansas 3.9 9 West Virginia 3.9 10 Nebraska 4.0

Bottom 10 Most Tenant-Protective

42 Colorado 6.1 43 Connecticut 6.1 44 Rhode Island 6.4 45 California 6.5 46 Oregon 6.6 47 Massachusetts 6.6 48 Maryland 7.0 49 New Jersey 7.1 50 New York 7.2 51 District of Columbia 8.6
Rank ▲ State ↕ Risk Score ↕ Uncontested ↕ Contested ↕ Filing Fee ↕ Atty Fee ↕ SOI Protected ↕ Guides
1 South Dakota SD · 486 cities 2.9 21–40 days 45–100 days $95–$180 $500–$2,500 No Costs · Process · Laws
2 Wyoming WY · 210 cities 3.1 21–45 days 45–100 days $85–$175 $500–$2,500 No Costs · Process · Laws
3 North Dakota ND · 409 cities 3.1 21–40 days 45–100 days $75–$150 $500–$2,500 No Costs · Process · Laws
4 Idaho ID · 242 cities 3.6 21–45 days 45–120 days $160–$260 $500–$2,500 No Costs · Process · Laws
5 Oklahoma OK · 852 cities 3.6 21–45 days 45–100 days $75–$175 $500–$2,500 No Costs · Process · Laws
6 Arkansas AR · 630 cities 3.8 30–60 days 90–150 days $165–$250 $500–$2,500 No Costs · Process · Laws
7 Utah UT · 340 cities 3.8 21–45 days 45–120 days $360–$460 $750–$3,500 No Costs · Process · Laws
8 Kansas KS · 749 cities 3.9 21–45 days 45–100 days $120–$200 $500–$2,500 No Costs · Process · Laws
9 West Virginia WV · 447 cities 3.9 21–45 days 45–100 days $75–$150 $500–$2,500 No Costs · Process · Laws
10 Nebraska NE · 600 cities 4.0 21–45 days 45–100 days $85–$200 $500–$2,500 No Costs · Process · Laws
11 Alaska AK · 357 cities 4.0 25–40 days 50–100 days $150–$250 $500–$2,500 No Costs · Process · Laws
12 Montana MT · 502 cities 4.1 21–45 days 45–120 days $90–$170 $500–$2,500 No Costs · Process · Laws
13 Tennessee TN · 511 cities 4.2 21–45 days 45–120 days $200–$300 $500–$2,500 No Costs · Process · Laws
14 Iowa IA · 1,030 cities 4.3 21–40 days 45–100 days $95–$200 $500–$2,500 No Costs · Process · Laws
15 Alabama AL · 604 cities 4.4 30–45 days 60–120 days $200–$300 $500–$2,500 No Costs · Process · Laws
16 Mississippi MS · 434 cities 4.6 30–60 days 60–120 days $75–$150 $500–$2,500 No Costs · Process · Laws
17 Arizona AZ · 476 cities 4.7 21–35 days 60–120 days $210–$350 $500–$3,000 No Costs · Process · Laws
18 Texas TX · 1,877 cities 4.7 21–30 days 45–90 days $54–$125 $500–$3,500 No Costs · Process · Laws
19 Indiana IN · 975 cities 4.7 21–45 days 45–100 days $150–$200 $500–$2,500 No Costs · Process · Laws
20 Missouri MO · 1,084 cities 4.7 21–45 days 45–120 days $70–$180 $500–$3,000 No Costs · Process · Laws
21 Florida FL · 973 cities 4.8 20–30 days 45–110 days $185–$400 $750–$3,500 No Costs · Process · Laws
22 Wisconsin WI · 808 cities 4.8 21–45 days 45–120 days $95–$175 $500–$3,000 No Costs · Process · Laws
23 Kentucky KY · 561 cities 4.8 21–45 days 45–120 days $150–$250 $500–$2,500 No Costs · Process · Laws
24 Louisiana LA · 498 cities 4.9 14–30 days 30–90 days $170–$300 $500–$3,000 No Costs · Process · Laws
25 New Hampshire NH · 103 cities 5.0 30–50 days 60–120 days $130–$195 $500–$2,500 ✓ Yes Costs · Process · Laws
26 Hawaii HI · 164 cities 5.1 30–60 days 75–150 days $155–$265 $750–$3,500 No Costs · Process · Laws
27 Ohio OH · 1,257 cities 5.2 21–45 days 45–120 days $160–$250 $500–$3,000 No Costs · Process · Laws
28 Maine ME · 158 cities 5.2 30–50 days 60–120 days $150–$200 $750–$3,000 ✓ Yes Costs · Process · Laws
29 South Carolina SC · 482 cities 5.4 21–45 days 45–100 days $110–$200 $500–$2,500 No Costs · Process · Laws
30 Minnesota MN · 914 cities 5.4 30–60 days 60–150 days $310–$410 $750–$3,000 ✓ Yes Costs · Process · Laws
31 North Carolina NC · 788 cities 5.4 21–45 days 45–100 days $150–$200 $500–$2,500 No Costs · Process · Laws
32 Nevada NV · 138 cities 5.5 21–45 days 45–120 days $270–$360 $750–$3,000 ✓ Yes Costs · Process · Laws
33 Vermont VT · 183 cities 5.6 30–60 days 60–150 days $295–$340 $750–$3,000 ✓ Yes Costs · Process · Laws
34 Washington WA · 643 cities 5.6 30–60 days 60–150 days $83–$83 $1,000–$3,500 ✓ Yes Costs · Process · Laws
35 Virginia VA · 697 cities 5.7 21–45 days 45–120 days $58–$90 $500–$3,000 No Costs · Process · Laws
36 Georgia GA · 684 cities 5.7 14–30 days 45–90 days $60–$250 $500–$3,000 No Costs · Process · Laws
37 New Mexico NM · 522 cities 5.7 21–45 days 45–120 days $132–$200 $500–$3,000 No Costs · Process · Laws
38 Illinois IL · 1,464 cities 5.7 30–60 days 60–150 days $200–$400 $750–$3,500 ✓ Yes Costs · Process · Laws
39 Delaware DE · 81 cities 5.9 30–45 days 60–120 days $45–$125 $500–$3,000 No Costs · Process · Laws
40 Michigan MI · 750 cities 6.0 21–45 days 45–120 days $45–$150 $500–$2,500 No Costs · Process · Laws
41 Pennsylvania PA · 1,956 cities 6.1 30–60 days 60–150 days $130–$250 $500–$3,000 No Costs · Process · Laws
42 Colorado CO · 487 cities 6.1 21–45 days 60–120 days $105–$200 $750–$3,500 ✓ Yes Costs · Process · Laws
43 Connecticut CT · 219 cities 6.1 30–60 days 60–150 days $175–$250 $750–$3,500 ✓ Yes Costs · Process · Laws
44 Rhode Island RI · 39 cities 6.4 30–60 days 60–120 days $155–$250 $750–$3,000 No Costs · Process · Laws
45 California CA · 1,606 cities 6.5 35–60 days 75–180 days $240–$435 $1,500–$4,500 ✓ Yes Costs · Process · Laws
46 Oregon OR · 430 cities 6.6 30–60 days 60–150 days $165–$275 $750–$3,500 ✓ Yes Costs · Process · Laws
47 Massachusetts MA · 255 cities 6.6 30–60 days 90–180 days $195–$295 $750–$3,500 ✓ Yes Costs · Process · Laws
48 Maryland MD · 536 cities 7.0 30–45 days 45–120 days $50–$60 $500–$3,000 ✓ Yes Costs · Process · Laws
49 New Jersey NJ · 703 cities 7.1 30–60 days 90–180 days $50–$100 $750–$3,500 ✓ Yes Costs · Process · Laws
50 New York NY · 1,296 cities 7.2 30–90 days 90–210 days $45–$210 $1,000–$4,000 ✓ Yes Costs · Process · Laws
51 District of Columbia DC · 2 cities 8.6 45–90 days 90–210 days $15–$120 $1,000–$4,000 ✓ Yes Costs · Process · Laws
Risk score = population-weighted average across all cities in the state (1 = most landlord-friendly, 10 = most tenant-protective). Eviction timeline data from published state court schedules. Last updated April 29, 2026. Not legal advice — consult a licensed attorney in your state.

Methodology

Each state's risk score is the population-weighted average of its city-level risk scores from the Eviction Risk Map database (2026 ACS data). Cities with larger populations influence the state score proportionally more than small towns. A state with one 2M-person tenant-protective city and twenty rural landlord-friendly towns will score higher than the rural towns alone suggest. Eviction timelines and fee ranges are sourced from published court fee schedules and state statute summaries in the guide_state_laws dataset.

Eviction Costs by State Eviction Process by State Tenant Protections by State Tenant Screening by State Eviction Timeline Comparison ← Back to Risk Map