Appling County, Georgia Eviction Risk: Low

Appling County sits in southeastern Georgia with a total population of 5,680 and carries a county-wide eviction risk score of 2.8/10 (Low) under the Eviction Risk Map model. That score places the county at rank 15 out of 159 Georgia eviction laws counties, meaning only 14 counties in the state carry a higher eviction risk rating - putting Appling in the higher-risk third of Georgia eviction laws counties despite its Low label. The spread across the county's three tracked cities is narrow: Graham scores 2.9/10, Baxley scores 2.8/10, and Surrency scores 2/10, so local landlords will find conditions fairly consistent regardless of which community they operate in.

The economic backdrop matters for anyone evaluating rental exposure here. Average rent in Appling County is $691/month, but the average rent burden sits at 34.7% of household income - above the widely cited 30% affordability threshold. With 32.5% of the population below the poverty line and renters making up 36.5% of households, a meaningful share of tenants is operating with little financial cushion. Baxley, the county seat and largest city at 4,888 residents, accounts for the bulk of the county's rental inventory and carries the same 2.8/10 score as the county average. Graham, a small community of 629, is the riskiest point in the county at 2.9/10. Surrency, the smallest tracked city at 163 residents, scores 2/10 - the lowest in the county and the most landlord-favorable position locally.

Georgia eviction laws's landlord-tenant law is governed by O.C.G.A. § 44-7 (Landlord and Tenant), and the state framework is notably landlord-friendly in several respects. There is no just-cause eviction requirement and no local rent control - O.C.G.A. § 44-7-19 explicitly preempts any municipality or county from enacting rent control ordinances. For nonpayment of rent or a material lease violation, the required notice period is just 3 days under O.C.G.A. § 44-7-50. A holdover tenancy or no-cause termination requires a longer 60-day notice under O.C.G.A. § 44-7-7. Uncontested eviction cases typically resolve in 14 to 30 days; contested cases can stretch to 45 to 90 days. Court filing fees run $60 to $250, sheriff lockout fees range from $25 to $100, and attorney fees for an eviction action typically fall between $500 and $3,000 depending on complexity. Landlords should also note that source-of-income is not a protected class under Georgia eviction laws fair housing law - complaints flow through the Georgia Commission on Equal Opportunity for the classes that are covered. The retaliation prohibition is codified at O.C.G.A. § 44-7-24 and the implied warranty of habitability at O.C.G.A. § 44-7-13.

Appling County's 2.8/10 Low score reflects a rural Georgia eviction laws market where legal protections lean toward landlords, rent levels are well below state urban averages, and the eviction process is among the more straightforward in the Southeast - though elevated poverty and rent burden rates mean tenant financial stress is a real operating factor.