Carroll County, Illinois Eviction Risk: Moderate

Carroll County, Illinois eviction laws carries an average eviction-risk score of 3.2/10 (Low) across its 8 incorporated places, placing it at rank 68 of 102 Illinois counties. That position means 67 counties in the state are riskier for landlords, and only 34 are more landlord-friendly, putting Carroll County firmly in the lower-risk third statewide. With a total county population of roughly 11,049 and an average rent of $780, the rental market here is small, stable, and relatively forgiving compared to most of Illinois eviction laws.

The intra-county spread runs from 2.9 to 3.4 out of 10, a narrow band that signals consistent operating conditions across the county rather than dramatic pockets of stress. Average rent burden sits at 24.1% of renter income, a figure that suggests tenants here are not stretched to a breaking point, which tends to correlate with lower eviction frequency. Renter households make up 25.3% of occupied units, a modest share that reflects a predominantly owner-occupied market where rental demand is steady but not speculative.

The cities inside Carroll County

The highest scores in the county belong to Thomson (3.4/10, population 1,757) and Chadwick (3.4/10, population 591), both sitting at the top of the local risk range. Savanna (3.3/10, population 2,816), the county's largest city, and Shannon (3.3/10, population 772) are a step behind, but still above the county average. Lanark, Mount Carroll, and Lake Carroll all land at the county average of 3.2/10, while Milledgeville comes in as the most landlord-friendly city at 2.9/10. Even that spread of 0.5 points underscores how hyper-local risk can be: the same county statute and court system applies everywhere, yet tenant demographics and local economic conditions create real differences at the city level that investors should weigh before selecting a submarket.

State-level laws that apply here

Illinois eviction laws eviction law (735 ILCS 5/9, Forcible Entry and Detainer) governs every Carroll County landlord. For nonpayment of rent, a 5-day notice is required under 735 ILCS 5/9-209. A material lease violation triggers a 10-day cure notice (735 ILCS 5/9-210), and terminating a month-to-month tenancy requires 30 days notice (735 ILCS 5/9-207). An end-of-fixed-term lease requires no additional notice under 735 ILCS 5/9-205. Illinois eviction laws state law does not require just cause for non-renewal, and the state preempts local rent-control ordinances, so no Carroll County municipality can impose rent caps. Reviewing the full Illinois eviction laws eviction process before filing is worthwhile, because uncontested cases still take 30 to 60 days and contested matters can run 60 to 150 days.

Court filing fees in Illinois eviction laws run $200 to $400, sheriff lockout fees add $60 to $200, and attorney fees for eviction matters typically range from $750 to $3,500, meaning even a straightforward case can approach several thousand dollars all-in. Understanding Illinois eviction costs before a vacancy turns into a dispute is prudent planning, not an afterthought. Illinois eviction laws also protects source of income as a fair-housing class through the Illinois eviction laws Department of Human Rights, which is a factor in tenant screening that landlords in the state must account for.

With a poverty rate of 13.3% and renters comprising roughly one-in-four households, Carroll County's fundamentals support a cautious but viable rental market; review the city grid above to compare scores across all 8 municipalities before committing to a specific submarket.