Leon County, Florida Eviction Risk: Low

Leon County carries an average eviction-risk score of 2.8/10 (Low), which puts it in an interesting position for landlords operating across Florida: the county reads cautiously stable on paper, yet it ranks 4th of 67 Florida counties by risk, meaning only three counties in the entire state score higher. That top-quartile state ranking matters because it signals that the structural conditions here, a 54.2% renter share, a 21.4% poverty rate, and an average rent burden of 35.1% of income, collectively push Leon County into territory where landlords need to underwrite carefully, even if individual eviction outcomes remain manageable most of the time.

The county average of 2.8/10 spans seven cities, and the intra-county spread is meaningful: scores run from 1.9 to 2.9, a 1.6-point range that can easily shift a property from low-risk to moderate-risk depending on the specific location. Investors treating Leon County as a single undifferentiated market will miss important signals that individual city-level data surfaces. The average county rent of $1,335 per month provides a workable income baseline, but the high renter share and poverty rate suggest that rent-collection stress can materialize quickly when tenants hit financial disruption.

The cities inside Leon County

Tallahassee carries the highest risk score in the county at 2.9/10, a meaningful step above the county average despite its small population of 3,722. Tallahassee, by far the largest city in the county with 201,875 residents, scores 3.6/10, and its sheer size means it drives the bulk of eviction volume across the county. Chaires sits at 1.9/10, roughly in line with the county average. These three locations together illustrate that risk concentrates in and around the urban core and in certain outlying communities, not uniformly across the county.

At the lower end of the risk spectrum, Bradfordville scores 2.1/10, the lowest in the county, with Miccosukee at 2.8/10 and both Fort Braden and Capitola at 1.9/10. These communities offer noticeably lower eviction-risk profiles and may suit landlords seeking more stable tenant pools. Risk in Leon County is genuinely hyper-local: a two-mile difference in property location can shift the risk score by more than a full point.

State-level laws that apply here

Every landlord in Leon County operates under Florida state law, specifically Fla. Stat. § 83 Part II (Residential Tenancies). Florida requires a 3-day notice for non-payment of rent, a 7-day notice for material non-compliance (curable or non-curable), and a 15-day notice to end a month-to-month tenancy. For squatters or unauthorized occupants with no rental agreement, a 2024 statute (Fla. Stat. § 82.036, HB-621) allows removal with no notice period. Understanding the Florida eviction process in detail is essential before serving any notice, because errors in notice type or timing reset the clock entirely.

When an eviction does proceed to court, landlords should budget for a court filing fee of $185 to $400, a sheriff lockout fee of $90 to $175, and attorney fees typically ranging from $750 to $3,500. An uncontested eviction resolves in roughly 20 to 30 days; a contested case can run 45 to 110 days. Florida state law does not require just cause for eviction, and state preemption under FL Stat §125.0103 bars local governments from imposing rent control (except in a declared housing emergency), so there is no local rent cap to track in Leon County. A full breakdown of Florida eviction costs and Florida security deposit limits is available in the statewide guides linked from this page.

With 54.2% of Leon County households renting and a county-wide poverty rate of 21.4%, the risk distribution across the seven cities shown in the grid above deserves a close read before committing capital to any specific submarket.