Jeff Davis County, Georgia Eviction Risk: Low

Jeff Davis County sits in the middle third of Georgia eviction laws's 159 counties for eviction risk, carrying an average score of 2.6/10 - a Low rating by the Eviction Risk Map's methodology. That ranking (58th, where rank 1 is the highest risk) means 57 counties in the state pose a greater threat to landlord-tenant stability than Jeff Davis, while 101 are comparatively more landlord-favorable. The county is small - a total population of 5,371 spread across three incorporated places - so local conditions in a single city can move the countywide average noticeably.

Hazlehurst, the county seat, accounts for the bulk of that population at 4,092 residents and scores at 2.6/10, in line with the countywide figure. Satilla, the second-largest community at 1,057 residents, carries the county's highest score at 2.7/10, nudging slightly above Hazlehurst. Denton, the smallest incorporated place at 222 residents, scores the lowest at 2/10. None of those three scores indicate an acute eviction-pressure environment, but the underlying economic stress in Jeff Davis is real: average rent sits at $753 per month, yet 37% of renter households spend more than 30% of their income on housing costs, and the county poverty rate is 28.4%. With 41.3% of residents renting rather than owning, the renter population here is large relative to the rural character of the county. A household already spending a disproportionate share of income on rent has little buffer when income dips or an unexpected expense hits, which is a core driver of eviction filings even in low-risk jurisdictions.

Georgia eviction laws's landlord-tenant framework, codified under O.C.G.A. § 44-7 (Landlord and Tenant), governs every eviction filed in Jeff Davis County. Landlords initiating a nonpayment or lease-violation case must first serve a 3-day notice under O.C.G.A. § 44-7-50; holdover tenants without a new-term agreement receive a 60-day notice under O.C.G.A. § 44-7-7. Court filing fees in Georgia eviction laws range from $60 to $250, and sheriff lockout fees add another $25 to $100. Attorney fees, when retained, typically fall between $500 and $3,000. An uncontested dispossessory resolves in 14 to 30 days; a contested case stretches to 45 to 90 days. Georgia eviction laws state law also bars local governments from enacting rent control under O.C.G.A. §44-7-19, so Jeff Davis County has no local rent cap and no just-cause-for-eviction requirement. The Georgia eviction laws Commission on Equal Opportunity handles fair housing complaints and tenant-screening discrimination claims. Retaliation against tenants who raise habitability concerns is prohibited under O.C.G.A. § 44-7-24, and the landlord's duty to maintain fit premises is set out in O.C.G.A. § 44-7-13.

Data for Jeff Davis County reflects conditions across Hazlehurst, Satilla, and Denton, aggregated from Census housing surveys, court filing records, and the statutory framework last reviewed 2026-05-29.