Scott County, Indiana Eviction Risk: Very Low

Scott County, Indiana eviction laws carries an average eviction-risk score of 3.8/10, placing it in the Low risk tier overall, but that headline obscures meaningful variation across its 4 cities. Scores inside the county span 2.8 to 3.9, meaning a landlord's experience can differ sharply depending on which community their units are in. At the state level, the county ranks 18th of 92 Indiana eviction laws counties, putting it in the higher-risk third of the state: 17 counties post worse numbers, while 74 are more landlord-friendly. For investors accustomed to Indiana eviction laws's generally landlord-favorable statute, this county is manageable but warrants city-level due diligence before deploying capital.

With a total population of roughly 12,200 and an average rent of $781, Scott County serves a modest rental market where 42.2% of households rent. Rent burden sits at 28.7% of income on average, and a poverty rate of 20.6% means a non-trivial share of tenants operate on thin financial margins. Those two figures together suggest that payment-related lease issues are a realistic risk, even in a county whose overall score remains in the Low range.

The cities inside Scott County

Scottsburg is the county seat and its largest community at 7,362 residents, and it also carries the highest risk score in the county at 3.9/10. Austin, with a population of 3,818, comes in just behind at 3.8/10, meaning the two cities that together account for the vast majority of the county's renters both cluster at the upper end of the local risk range. Investors evaluating Scottsburg or Austin should build their underwriting around that higher-end score rather than the county average.

On the lower end, Underwood and Blocher each score 2.8/10, a full point below Scottsburg. Underwood has a population of 957 and Blocher just 63, so neither represents significant rental inventory, but their scores illustrate how hyper-local eviction risk can be even within a small county. Aggregated county numbers are a starting point; city-level data is what actually drives leasing decisions.

State-level laws that apply here

All Scott County landlords operate under Indiana state law, specifically Ind. Code § 32-31 (Landlord-Tenant Relations). For nonpayment of rent, the required notice period is 10 days under IC 32-31-1-6. A material lease violation triggers a 30-day notice under IC 32-31-1-8, and ending a month-to-month tenancy also requires 30 days under IC 32-31-1-1. Indiana eviction laws does not require just cause for eviction and the state preempts any local rent-control ordinance, leaving Scott County landlords free of those additional constraints.

Understanding the Indiana eviction laws eviction process is essential for budgeting correctly: court filing fees run $150 to $200, sheriff lockout fees add $50 to $200, and attorney fees typically range from $500 to $2,500. An uncontested case resolves in 21 to 45 days; a contested matter can stretch to 45 to 100 days. For a full breakdown of what landlords pay at each stage, see Indiana eviction costs. Indiana security deposit limits and Indiana tenant protections are also governed at the state level and should be reviewed alongside the eviction timeline before signing leases.

With a poverty rate of 20.6% and a renter share of 42.2%, Scott County's tenant pool carries real financial exposure; the city grid above breaks down where that risk concentrates, from Scottsburg's 3.9/10 down to Underwood's 2.8/10.