Newton County, Indiana Eviction Risk: Low

Newton County scores 2.2/10 (Low risk) across its 9 cities, placing it 84th out of 92 Indiana eviction laws counties, meaning 83 counties carry more eviction risk and only 8 are more landlord-friendly. That low overall score reflects a rental market where the average rent sits at $875 per month, rent burden averages just 24.5% of income, and the renter share of households is a modest 21%. For landlords and investors, those conditions generally translate to fewer payment-stress events and a tenant pool that is not stretched thin by housing costs.

The county's intra-county score range runs from 2 to 2.8, a gap that is narrow by statewide standards but still meaningful when you are deciding which specific town to acquire in. Operating across Newton County as a whole, landlords can expect a genuinely low-friction environment relative to most of Indiana, though local conditions vary enough that city-level diligence still matters.

The cities inside Newton County

The highest-risk city in the county is Schneider, which scores 2.8/10. Despite its small population of 230, its score sits a full half-point above the county average, making it the outlier landlords should watch most closely. Shelby scores 2.4/10 with a population of 164, and Kentland, the county seat and largest city at 1,828 residents, comes in at 2.3/10. Those three cities account for the upper end of risk inside the county.

At the other end, Lake Village and Sumava Resorts both score 2/10, the county's floor, suggesting the steadiest conditions for landlords. Morocco (pop. 1,040) and Brook (pop. 900) each score 2.2/10, in line with the county average. Risk in Newton County is genuinely hyper-local: the difference between Schneider and Lake Village may look small in absolute terms, but it represents a real divergence in tenant-stress indicators that shows up in the city-level data.

State-level laws that apply here

All landlords in Newton County operate under Indiana state law, specifically Ind. Code ss 32-31 (Landlord-Tenant Relations). For nonpayment of rent, Indiana requires a 10-day notice to pay or vacate (IC 32-31-1-6). A material lease violation triggers a 30-day notice (IC 32-31-1-8), and ending a month-to-month tenancy also requires 30 days notice (IC 32-31-1-1). Uncontested evictions typically resolve in 21 to 45 days; contested cases can run 45 to 100 days. Understanding the full Indiana eviction process is essential before serving any notice, because missteps at the notice stage restart the clock entirely.

On the cost side, court filing fees run $150 to $200, sheriff lockout fees add $50 to $200, and attorney fees typically range from $500 to $2,500 depending on complexity. Indiana eviction costs can therefore reach well into the thousands on a contested case, reinforcing the financial case for thorough tenant screening upfront. Indiana does not require just cause for non-renewal and state law preempts any local rent control ordinance, so landlords in Newton County operate without those additional layers of regulation.

With a poverty rate of 15.6% and only 21% of households renting, Newton County's rental base is small but not unusually distressed; review the city grid above to identify which of the 9 cities best fits your target risk profile before committing capital.