Franklin County, Iowa Eviction Risk: Low

Franklin County, Iowa scores 3.5/10 on the eviction risk index, placing it in the low risk tier and ranking 52nd of 99 Iowa eviction laws counties, meaning 51 counties are riskier and 47 are more landlord-friendly. That puts Franklin County squarely in the middle third of the state, a position that reflects genuinely stable operating conditions for buy-and-hold investors and small portfolio landlords alike. Average rent across the county runs $683, rent burden sits at 22.3%, and the renter share of households is 32.6%, all figures that describe a market where tenants are not severely cost-pressured relative to most Iowa metros.

Across all 11 cities in the county, risk scores range from 1.6 to 2.9, a spread that matters to operators choosing between submarkets. At the low end, the county is as landlord-friendly as anywhere in Iowa; at the high end, Franklin County still compares favorably to dozens of more contentious jurisdictions statewide. The total county population is 7,434, confirming this is a small-market environment where vacancies can linger and tenant pools are thin, so underwriting conservatively on occupancy is still warranted even where eviction risk itself is low.

The cities inside Franklin County

Hampton is the county seat and its most active rental market, with a population of 4,306 and the highest risk score in the county at 3.6/10. By statewide standards that is still a low number, but Hampton accounts for the bulk of the county's rental activity and its poverty rate context deserves attention when screening applicants. Sheffield, with 1,053 residents, comes in at 3.4/10, and Latimer (population 681) scores 3.9/10, both sitting in the low-risk band.

Smaller communities tell a different story at the bottom of the range. Alexander and Bradford each score 3.4/10, and Meservey and Geneva both sit at 3.1/10. These scores reflect very low tenant-side pressure, but population counts in the low hundreds mean landlord-side liquidity is equally constrained. Risk is hyper-local in Franklin County: a Hampton portfolio and a Bradford portfolio face meaningfully different demand dynamics even with scores that fall within the same broad tier.

State-level laws that apply here

Every landlord operating in Franklin County is governed by Iowa Code Section 562A, Iowa's Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Law. For non-payment, Iowa requires a 3-day notice to quit before filing. Lease violations that allow cure carry a 7-day notice requirement, and no-cause terminations at end of term require 30 days. Understanding the Iowa eviction process is essential here: an uncontested case resolves in roughly 21 to 40 days from filing, while a contested matter can extend to 45 to 100 days.

On Iowa eviction costs, court filing fees run $95 to $200, sheriff lockout fees add $50 to $150, and attorney fees typically range from $500 to $2,500 depending on case complexity. Iowa does not require just cause for eviction and preempts any local rent control ordinance, so Franklin County landlords face no additional municipal restrictions on pricing or non-renewal decisions. Iowa law requires 24 hours notice before entry for non-emergency purposes.

With an average poverty rate of 19.4% and a renter share of 32.6% across the county, Franklin County is a small but stable market; the city-by-city risk grid above is the fastest way to compare individual submarkets before committing capital.