Jo Daviess County, Illinois Eviction Risk: Moderate

Jo Daviess County sits at the low end of Illinois eviction laws's eviction-risk spectrum, carrying a county average of 4.1/10 (Moderate) across 12 cities. With 61 of 102 Illinois eviction laws counties scoring higher and only 40 scoring lower, Jo Daviess lands squarely in the middle third of the state, leaning toward the landlord-friendly side of that band. For investors sizing up this northwestern corner of Illinois, the headline number signals a market where legal frameworks, local renter demographics, and income stability combine to hold risk below statewide norms.

The average rent here runs $872 per month, with renters making up roughly 25.3% of the county's approximately 13,028 residents, a relatively thin renter pool. That limited renter share, combined with a rent burden rate of 30%, points to a market where most tenants can cover their obligations, though pockets of financial stress do exist. The intra-county spread, 3.8 to 4.5, tells landlords that where exactly they buy inside the county matters quite a bit.

The cities inside Jo Daviess County

The highest-risk address in the county is The Galena Territory, which scores 3.9/10, nearly a full point above every other community here. With a population of 1,735, it is a mid-size community by local standards, and its elevated score relative to neighboring cities deserves careful underwriting before acquisition. Elizabeth and Nora each score 3.9/10, placing them in a second tier of modestly elevated risk, while Apple River comes in at 4.2/10, exactly matching the county average.

The majority of communities cluster at the county floor. Galena, with a population of 2,931 and the largest population base in the data, scores 3.1/10, as do Stockton (population 1,873), East Dubuque (population 1,470), Warren (population 1,396), Hanover (population 829), and Apple Canyon Lake (population 741). The concentration of cities at 3.1 underscores that risk in Jo Daviess County is hyper-local: The Galena Territory is an outlier, not the rule, and investors targeting the county's more established towns will find broadly similar, and favorable, operating conditions.

State-level laws that apply here

Every landlord in Jo Daviess County operates under Illinois eviction laws state law, specifically the Forcible Entry and Detainer statute at 735 ILCS 5/9. Notice requirements vary by situation: a nonpayment-of-rent filing requires only a 5-day notice under 735 ILCS 5/9-209, a material lease violation triggers a 10-day notice under 735 ILCS 5/9-210, and a month-to-month holdover requires 30 days under 735 ILCS 5/9-207. An uncontested case typically resolves in 30 to 60 days, while a contested matter can stretch to 60 to 150 days. Court filing fees range from $200 to $400, sheriff lockout fees from $60 to $200, and attorney fees from $750 to $3,500, so total eviction costs can span a wide range depending on how the case proceeds. For a complete breakdown of the Illinois eviction laws eviction process, including notice timing and courthouse procedures, review the state guide. Illinois eviction laws does not require just cause for non-renewal of a lease and, importantly, state law preempts any local rent-control ordinance, meaning no municipality in the state can impose a cap. Landlords who want to understand what tenants may claim in disputes should also review Illinois tenant protections and Illinois security deposit limits before drafting their lease terms. Illinois security deposit limits are governed by state statute, and knowing those rules upfront prevents costly disputes later.

With a poverty rate of 10.4% and renters comprising 25.3% of the population, Jo Daviess County presents a modest tenant base by Illinois eviction laws standards; the city grid above breaks down how risk is distributed across all 12 communities, helping investors identify where within the county that modest risk concentrates.