Hamilton County, Iowa Eviction Risk: Low

Hamilton County scores 2.3/10 (Low risk) across its 9 tracked cities, placing it at rank 77 of 99 Iowa eviction laws counties, meaning 76 counties carry higher eviction risk and only 22 are more landlord-friendly. For investors and landlords, that positioning in the lower-risk third of Iowa eviction laws translates to a market where tenant stability is relatively strong, rent burdens are manageable, and the legal environment leans toward predictable outcomes. The county's average rent sits at $853, with an average rent burden of 22.8% of income, well below the thresholds that typically drive high eviction filing rates.

The intra-county range runs from 1.9 to 2.6, a spread that is modest in absolute terms but still meaningful when choosing between specific communities. With a total population of 11,374 spread across rural towns, Hamilton County is a small-market environment where individual property decisions carry outsize weight. Vacancy conditions and tenant quality vary noticeably from one community to the next, so underwriting at the city level rather than the county average is essential.

The cities inside Hamilton County

At the higher end of local risk, Stanhope leads the county at 2.6/10, followed by Jewell Junction and Ellsworth, each scoring 2.5/10. Jewell Junction has a population of 1,084, making it the second-largest community in the county and a real operating market for small residential landlords. Randall comes in at 2.4/10, and the county seat, Webster City, the largest city with 7,769 residents, sits at 2.3/10, exactly at the county average.

On the more favorable side, Stratford scores 2.1/10, the lowest in the county, while Williams and Kamrar both score 2.3/10. Risk is hyper-local here: even within a single county, the gap between Stratford and Stanhope is the difference between a very low-risk asset and one that warrants closer tenant screening and cash-flow stress-testing. Landlords who operate across multiple Hamilton County communities should track performance at the city level rather than relying on the county composite.

State-level laws that apply here

All residential tenancies in Hamilton County fall under Iowa eviction laws Code § 562A (Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Law). For non-payment of rent, Iowa eviction laws law requires just a 3-day notice before a landlord may proceed with an eviction filing, one of the shorter notice windows nationally. Lease violations triggering a cure-or-quit situation require a 7-day notice, and no-cause terminations at the end of a lease term require 30 days. Uncontested cases typically resolve in 21 to 40 days; contested proceedings can stretch to 45 to 100 days. Understanding the full Iowa eviction laws eviction process before your first filing is critical to keeping timelines tight.

On costs, court filing fees run $95 to $200, sheriff lockout fees add $50 to $150, and attorney fees, if you retain counsel, typically fall between $500 and $2,500. Reviewing Iowa eviction costs in full before budgeting a turnover is worthwhile, since a contested case with legal representation can reach the higher end of those attorney fee ranges. Iowa eviction laws does not impose rent control, and state law preempts local rent ordinances, so no municipality in Hamilton County can cap rents independently. Just cause for eviction is not required under Iowa eviction laws law, preserving landlord flexibility at lease-end. Landlord entry requires 24 hours advance notice under Iowa eviction laws Code § 562A.

Hamilton County's average poverty rate of 8.9% and renter share of 30.6% paint a picture of a modestly sized rental market with relatively stable economic conditions; the city grid above breaks down individual risk scores so you can compare specific communities before committing capital.