DeKalb County, Indiana Eviction Risk: Low

DeKalb County carries an average eviction-risk score of 3.2/10, placing it in the Low-risk tier and landing at rank 23 of 92 counties in Indiana. That ranking puts it in the higher-risk third of the state: 22 Indiana eviction laws counties score worse, while 69 are more landlord-friendly. For investors weighing a market with an average asking rent of $854 and a rent-burden rate of 26.5%, the county reads as manageable but not frictionless.

Renters make up only 22.7% of households across the county's 10 cities, a low renter-share that keeps portfolio concentration risk limited compared with denser urban markets. Still, a poverty rate of 12.7% means a meaningful share of tenants operate close to financial margins, which shapes how quickly payment disruptions escalate. Operators who underwrite carefully and screen consistently generally find DeKalb County conditions workable.

The cities inside DeKalb County

Risk is far from uniform across the county's 10 cities, with scores spanning from 3.1 to 3.4. Auburn, the county seat and by far the largest city at a population of 13,565, posts the highest score at 3.2/10. Its size drives a larger tenant pool and proportionally more lease disputes than smaller communities. Waterloo follows at 3.2/10 (population 2,073) and Butler at 3.2/10 (population 2,660), both sitting right at or just above the county average.

On the lower-risk end, St. Joe scores 3.1/10 and Spencerville scores 3.2/10, representing the most landlord-favorable conditions in the county. Garrett, the second-largest city with a population of 6,642, sits in the middle at 3.2/10, making it a reasonable balance of market depth and manageable tenant risk. The spread of 1.4 points between the highest and lowest city in DeKalb County underscores that a county-level average alone should never drive a buy-or-pass decision; city-level data matters.

State-level laws that apply here

Indiana state law under Ind. Code § 32-31 governs every landlord-tenant relationship in DeKalb County. For nonpayment of rent, landlords must issue a 10-day notice to pay or vacate (IC 32-31-1-6). A material lease violation triggers a 30-day cure notice (IC 32-31-1-8), and ending a month-to-month tenancy also requires 30 days notice (IC 32-31-1-1). The full Indiana eviction process runs 21 to 45 days on an uncontested basis, stretching to 45 to 100 days if a tenant contests. Budgeting Indiana eviction costs realistically means accounting for a court filing fee of $150 to $200, a sheriff lockout fee of $50 to $200, and attorney fees ranging from $500 to $2,500 depending on complexity.

Indiana does not require just cause for non-renewal, and state law preempts any local rent-control ordinance, so no city in DeKalb County can impose rent caps independently. Indiana security deposit limits and Indiana tenant protections are set at the state level, providing a predictable, uniform legal environment for investors operating across multiple DeKalb County communities.

With a poverty rate of 12.7% and a renter share of 22.7%, DeKalb County's tenant base is relatively small but carries meaningful income-stress exposure; the city-by-city grid above breaks down where that pressure concentrates most.