Montgomery County, Georgia Eviction Risk: Low

Montgomery County sits in southeast Georgia with a total population of 3,516 spread across six small communities. The county carries a Low eviction risk score of 2.7/10, placing it 25th out of 159 Georgia counties - meaning only 24 counties in the state show a higher risk level. That puts Montgomery in the upper quarter for risk, a position driven more by economic stress than by any tenant-protective legal framework: Georgia law contains no rent control and gives landlords a straightforward path to eviction under O.C.G.A. § 44-7.

The economic picture sharpens the risk context. Average rent in Montgomery County is $693 per month, yet renters carry an average rent burden of 36.5% of income - well above the standard 30% threshold considered affordable. With a 29.8% renter share of households and a 22.6% poverty rate, the margin between a tenant staying housed and falling behind on rent is thin. Mount Vernon, the county seat and largest community at 1,913 residents, carries the highest local risk score at 2.9/10. Uvalda (population 540) follows at 2.7/10, while Ailey (489 residents) and Higgston (292 residents) each score 2.6/10. Tarrytown and Alston, the county's two smallest towns, score 2.4/10 and 2/10 respectively - the lowest in the county.

On the legal side, Georgia's eviction framework under O.C.G.A. § 44-7-50 requires only a 3-day notice for nonpayment of rent or a material lease violation, and no notice at all for an expired lease term. A no-cause or holdover removal requires 60 days' notice under O.C.G.A. § 44-7-7. Uncontested evictions typically resolve in 14 to 30 days; contested cases run 45 to 90 days. Court filing fees range from $60 to $250, with sheriff lockout fees adding $25 to $100. Attorney costs for a full eviction range from $500 to $3,000 depending on complexity. Critically, O.C.G.A. § 44-7-19 bars any local government in Georgia from enacting rent control, so Montgomery County has no local ordinances that could raise the bar beyond state minimums. Retaliation against tenants for exercising legal rights is prohibited under O.C.G.A. § 44-7-24, and landlords must maintain habitable conditions under O.C.G.A. § 44-7-13. Source of income is not a protected class in Georgia.

Montgomery County's Low risk score reflects a landlord-friendly legal environment combined with a small, economically stressed renter base - a combination that keeps eviction risk scores elevated relative to Georgia eviction laws's most rural and low-burden counties despite the absolute score remaining below the statewide midpoint.