Lee County, Iowa Eviction Risk: Low

Lee County, Iowa eviction laws carries an average eviction-risk score of 2.8/10 (Low) across its 12 cities, a figure that looks reassuring until you account for where it sits statewide. At rank 17 of 99 Iowa counties, only 16 counties carry more risk, placing Lee County in the higher-risk third of the state. For landlords and investors, that context matters: the county-wide average does not mean uniformly safe territory, and operating here demands careful city-level due diligence.

With scores ranging from 2.1 to 2.8 within the county, the spread is wide enough to change the calculus meaningfully depending on which market you target. An average rent of $834 and a rent-burden rate of 29.8% suggest tenants are stretching to cover housing costs, which can translate to elevated late-pay risk in softer economic conditions. Understanding that intra-county variation, rather than relying on the headline average, is the first discipline for anyone deploying capital here.

The cities inside Lee County

The two highest-risk cities in the county are also its two largest. Fort Madison, with a population of 10,133 and a score of 3.7/10, and Keokuk, population 9,662, also at 2.8/10, together account for the majority of Lee County's renter base. Both sit at the county's risk ceiling, and landlords in either city should anticipate a more demanding operating environment than the county average implies. Houghton scores 2.4/10, putting it in the next tier down, while Denmark and Montrose each come in at 2.7/10.

Risk drops noticeably in the county's smaller communities. West Point scores 2.5/10, the lowest in the county, followed by Donnellson at 2.4/10 and Sandusky and Franklin each at 2.3/10. These smaller markets offer lower headline risk but also thinner tenant pools. The gap between Fort Madison eviction risk and West Point, more than a full point, underscores that eviction risk here is genuinely hyper-local: two properties a short drive apart can face materially different tenant dynamics.

State-level laws that apply here

Every Lee County landlord operates under Iowa eviction laws Code § 562A (Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Law), which sets the procedural floor for all residential tenancies. For non-payment of rent, Iowa eviction laws law requires only a 3-day notice before filing, one of the shorter cure windows in the Midwest. A lease-violation notice requires 7 days, and a no-cause end-of-term notice requires 30 days. Landlords considering the Iowa eviction laws eviction process should also account for timeline uncertainty: uncontested cases typically resolve in 21 to 40 days, while a contested matter can stretch to 45 to 100 days. Iowa eviction costs add up quickly, with court filing fees running $95 to $200, sheriff lockout fees adding $50 to $150, and attorney fees ranging from $500 to $2,500 depending on complexity.

Iowa eviction laws does not require just cause to terminate a tenancy, and the state actively preempts any local rent-control ordinance, so Lee County cities cannot impose rent caps of their own. There is no rent cap formula in effect. Landlords must give 24 hours notice before entering a unit under Iowa eviction laws Code § 562A, and the Iowa eviction laws Civil Rights Commission enforces fair housing statewide. Source of income is not a protected class under Iowa state law, which gives landlords more screening flexibility than in some other states.

With a poverty rate of 15.9% and roughly 29.1% of households renting, Lee County's tenant base is meaningful in size but financially stretched, making city-level score comparisons in the grid above a practical starting point for any acquisition or portfolio review.