Butler County, Iowa Eviction Risk: Low

Butler County sits comfortably near the landlord-friendly end of the Iowa eviction laws risk spectrum, scoring 2.2/10 (Low) across its 9 cities. That puts it at rank 84 of 99 Iowa counties, meaning only 15 counties carry less risk, while 83 are riskier territory for landlords. With average rent at $717 per month and a rent-burden rate of just 25.4%, the county's rental households are not stretched particularly thin, which tends to support on-time payment and lower eviction pressure overall.

The county's intra-market spread is narrow, ranging from 2.1 at the low end to 2.3 at the top. That tight band signals a fairly uniform operating environment: no single city is dramatically harder to navigate than another, and risk factors are distributed evenly across a total population of roughly 8,371. For investors sourcing buy-and-hold opportunities in rural Iowa, that consistency is a meaningful plus.

The cities inside Butler County

Parkersburg is the county seat of risk, scoring 2.3/10, the highest in the county. With a population of 1,766, it is the largest community here and carries a slightly elevated profile relative to its neighbors, though still firmly in Low territory. Clarksville (2.2/10, population 1,237) and Dumont (2.2/10, population 783) sit in the middle of the range alongside New Hartford and Aredale, both also scoring 2.2/10.

The lowest-risk cities are Shell Rock (2.1/10, population 1,625), Aplington (2.1/10, population 1,111), Allison (2.1/10, population 929), and Bristow (2.1/10, population 197). Even within a county as uniformly calm as this one, landlords should treat each community as its own micromarket. A 0.2-point gap may look trivial on paper, but it can reflect meaningful differences in local vacancy pressure, tenant mix, or property type.

State-level laws that apply here

Iowa state law governs the full eviction lifecycle for every landlord in Butler County. Under Iowa Code § 562A, non-payment of rent triggers a 3-day notice, a lease violation requires a 7-day cure notice, and no-cause terminations at end of term require 30 days. The Iowa eviction process runs 21 to 40 days on an uncontested case and 45 to 100 days if a tenant contests. Iowa requires 24 hours notice before landlord entry under Iowa Code § 562A.15.

Landlords considering Iowa eviction costs should plan for court filing fees of $95 to $200, sheriff lockout fees of $50 to $150, and attorney fees that commonly range from $500 to $2,500 depending on case complexity. Iowa has no just-cause eviction requirement and no rent-control statute; state law preempts any local rent ordinance, so landlords in Butler County face a single, predictable regulatory framework. Iowa security deposit limits and Iowa tenant protections beyond basic habitability standards under Iowa Code § 562A.15 are straightforward compared to many other states, making compliance manageable for smaller operators.

With a poverty rate of 10.3% and a renter share of just 17% of occupied units, Butler County's rental pool is small and relatively stable; the city-by-city grid above breaks down individual scores so you can target the specific community that fits your risk threshold.