Decatur County, Georgia Eviction Risk: Low

Decatur County, Georgia carries a 2.8/10 eviction risk score, placing it in the Moderate tier, but that county-wide average masks important variation across its 5 cities. With scores ranging from 1.9 to 2.9, where you own rental property inside the county matters considerably. The county ranks 23rd of 159 in Georgia, meaning only 22 counties in the state score higher, putting Decatur County firmly in the higher-risk third statewide. An average rent of $791 and a rent burden of 28.1% suggest tenants are allocating a meaningful share of income to housing, a condition that correlates with financial fragility and elevated eviction pressure.

Landlords and investors evaluating Decatur County should understand that a county average of 4.9 reflects a market where collection problems and tenant turnover occur at above-average frequency for Georgia. The 42.6% renter share means rental housing is a significant segment of the local economy, which gives landlords a real presence here, but the 27.8% poverty rate is a meaningful signal of underlying tenant financial stress that experienced operators need to price into underwriting.

The cities inside Decatur County

Bainbridge is the county seat and by far the largest community, with a population of 14,404 and a risk score of 5/10, the highest in the county. Because Bainbridge accounts for the vast majority of the county's 15,596 total residents, its score is the primary driver of the county average. Landlords concentrated in Bainbridge should expect the most active eviction filing environment in the county, and lease screening and income verification practices matter here more than anywhere else in Decatur County.

Climax comes in at 2.5/10 and Attapulgus at 2.4/10, both sitting in moderate-risk territory. Faceville scores 2.9/10 and Brinson scores the lowest at 1.9/10, reflecting meaningfully calmer conditions, though those communities are small enough that individual lease performance swings local metrics considerably. The spread from 3.5 in Brinson to 5 in Bainbridge underscores that eviction risk in this county is hyper-local, not uniform.

State-level laws that apply here

Georgia state law under O.C.G.A. § 44-7 (Landlord and Tenant) governs every landlord-tenant relationship in Decatur County. For nonpayment of rent or a material lease violation, landlords may serve a 3-day notice under O.C.G.A. § 44-7-50. Holdover tenants with no termination cause require a 60-day notice under O.C.G.A. § 44-7-7. Once you file, an uncontested case typically resolves in 14 to 30 days; contested matters run 45 to 90 days. Understanding the full Georgia eviction process is essential before your first filing, because procedural errors reset the clock entirely.

Georgia eviction costs add up quickly: court filing fees range from $60 to $250, sheriff lockout fees from $25 to $100, and attorney fees from $500 to $3,000 depending on case complexity and whether the tenant contests. Georgia does not require just cause for nonrenewal, and state law under O.C.G.A. § 44-7-19 preempts local rent control, so no Decatur County municipality can impose rent caps. For more on what landlords can charge and recover at move-out, Georgia security deposit limits are governed by the same chapter. Source-of-income protection is not required under Georgia state law.

With a 27.8% poverty rate and 42.6% of residents renting, Decatur County's fundamentals warrant careful tenant screening at every property, and the city-level scores in the grid above show where risk concentrates most sharply.