Menard County, Illinois Eviction Risk: Low

Menard County, Illinois eviction laws earns an average eviction-risk score of 3.1/10 (Low), placing it at rank 74 of 102 Illinois counties, where rank 1 is the highest-risk location. That position means 73 counties across Illinois eviction laws carry more landlord risk than Menard, and only 28 are less risky, putting this small central-Illinois eviction laws county firmly in the lower-risk third of the state. For a landlord or investor, the picture is straightforward: modest rent levels (an average of $809/month), a relatively contained renter share of 24.5% of households, and a poverty rate of 10.8% combine to produce operating conditions that are generally stable compared with most of Illinois.

The seven cities mapped across Menard County's 7,805 total residents show a tight intra-county risk band, running from a low of 3 to a high of 3.6. That compressed range signals county-wide structural stability, but it should not encourage complacency: even a half-point difference in score can translate into meaningfully different tenant-turnover patterns and collection challenges at the street level. Investors should still evaluate each city on its own numbers before committing capital.

The cities inside Menard County

Tallula is the highest-risk location in the county at 3.6/10, with a population of roughly 494. While that score still falls in the Low-risk tier, it stands noticeably above the county average and warrants closer scrutiny of local vacancy rates and tenant quality before adding units there. Greenview (3.2/10, population 912) and Pleasant Plains (3.2/10, population 886) are the next-riskiest markets, both sitting slightly above the county average.

The county seat, Petersburg, and Athens anchor the middle of the range at 3.1/10, with populations of 2,341 and 2,102 respectively. These two cities represent the largest renter pools in the county and match the county-wide average closely. Lake Petersburg scores the lowest in the county at 3/10, making it the most landlord-favorable location by this measure. The takeaway: risk is hyper-local even inside a generally calm county, and a landlord operating in Tallula faces materially different conditions than one operating in Lake Petersburg.

State-level laws that apply here

All landlords in Menard County operate under Illinois state law, specifically 735 ILCS 5/9 (Forcible Entry and Detainer). Notice requirements follow a clear structure: a 5-day notice is required for nonpayment of rent, a 10-day notice for a material lease violation, and a 30-day notice for a month-to-month holdover. A fixed-term lease that simply expires requires no advance notice. Understanding the full Illinois eviction process from notice to lockout is essential because even uncontested cases run 30 to 60 days in court, while contested matters can stretch to 60 to 150 days.

On the cost side, Illinois eviction costs include court filing fees ranging from $200 to $400, sheriff lockout fees of $60 to $200, and attorney fees that typically run $750 to $3,500, meaning a single contested removal can become a four-figure expense before the unit is back in service. Illinois does not require just cause for non-renewal and preempts local rent-control ordinances statewide, so landlords here are not subject to local caps. Illinois security deposit limits are governed at the state level as well, with no rent-control ceiling applying in Menard County. Retaliation protections for tenants are codified at 765 ILCS 720/1, and habitability standards fall under 765 ILCS 742, both of which landlords must observe regardless of local conditions.

With a poverty rate of 10.8% and only 24.5% of households renting, Menard County's tenant base is narrower and somewhat more financially stable than many Illinois eviction laws markets; the city-by-city score grid above shows where within the county that stability holds most firmly and where the modest elevation in risk appears.