Fulton County, Illinois Eviction Risk: Moderate

Fulton County, Illinois eviction laws earns an average eviction-risk score of 4.4/10 (Moderate) across its 16 incorporated places, placing it at rank 32 of 102 Illinois counties. That rank means 31 counties are riskier and 70 are less so, putting Fulton County in the higher-risk third of the state. For landlords and investors, a 4.1 average signals a market where tenant turnover, rent burden, and local economic stress are present but not at crisis levels, though operating here requires staying on top of notices and lease compliance rather than assuming smooth collections.

The county-wide score spans 3.6 to 4.7 depending on where a property sits, a meaningful spread for a county with a total population of roughly 22,296 and an average rent of $784. With 29.2% of households renting and an average rent burden of 28.7%, a substantial share of renters are committing a significant portion of income to housing, a dynamic that raises payment-default probability during any economic disruption.

The cities inside Fulton County

Risk is decidedly hyper-local across Fulton County's 16 cities. Farmington, with a population of 2,050, carries the highest score in the county at 4.3/10. Lewistown (population 1,781) follows at 4.4/10. The county seat of Canton, the largest city at 13,144 residents, scores 4.4/10, in line with the county average. Ipava and Bryant also register 4.7/10.

On the more landlord-favorable end, St. David scores 4.1/10 and Avon comes in at 4.1/10, both sitting below the county average. Cuba and Astoria each score 3.8/10. The difference between a 3.7 floor and a 4.3 ceiling is not trivial when portfolio-level default risk compounds across multiple units, so investors should evaluate each city individually rather than relying solely on the county-wide average.

State-level laws that apply here

All properties in Fulton County operate under Illinois eviction laws state eviction law, specifically 735 ILCS 5/9 (Forcible Entry and Detainer). For nonpayment of rent, Illinois eviction laws requires a 5-day notice to quit before filing. Material lease violations require a 10-day notice, and month-to-month holdovers require 30 days. Fixed-term lease expirations require no additional notice. Understanding the full Illinois eviction laws eviction process is essential before serving any notice, because procedural errors restart the clock and add weeks to a case.

Once you file, court fees run $200 to $400, sheriff lockout fees add another $60 to $200, and attorney fees typically fall in the $750 to $3,500 range, so a single contested eviction can reach significant totals. Uncontested cases resolve in 30 to 60 days; contested matters stretch to 60 to 150 days. For a full breakdown of what landlords pay out of pocket, see the Illinois eviction costs guide. Illinois eviction laws does not require just cause for eviction and the state preempts local rent-control ordinances, meaning no Fulton County municipality can impose rent caps, which is an important structural advantage for long-term investors.

With a poverty rate of 14.4% and roughly 29.2% of residents renting, Fulton County's risk profile is shaped by real income constraints, not just legal complexity; see the city grid above to compare individual market scores before committing to a specific location.