Webster County, Iowa Eviction Risk: Low

Webster County carries an average eviction-risk score of 2.6/10 (Low) across its 13 cities, but that headline number tells only part of the story. The county ranks 18th of 99 Iowa eviction laws counties, meaning 17 counties statewide are riskier and 81 are more landlord-friendly, placing Webster County in the higher-risk third of Iowa eviction laws. For landlords with holdings spread across the county, that middle-tier position means operating conditions are workable but not friction-free, especially in the county seat where most of the tenant population is concentrated.

Average rent sits at $764 per month against an average rent burden of 27.2% of income, and roughly 33.4% of residents are renters. Those figures describe a market where demand is steady but a meaningful portion of tenants are financially stretched, which matters when modeling default risk on a unit-by-unit basis. The intra-county score range, 2.2 to 3.1, is wide enough that portfolio decisions should not rest on the county average alone.

The cities inside Webster County

Fort Dodge is the county's largest city by a wide margin, home to roughly 24,827 residents and carrying the county's highest risk score of 3.7/10. It is the only city in Webster County operating in elevated territory relative to its peers, reflecting a denser renter base and the friction that comes with an urban landlord-tenant environment. Investors drawn to Fort Dodge eviction risk's scale should price in somewhat more active lease management compared with the rest of the county.

The lowest-risk markets sit at the opposite end of the spectrum. Gowrie and Dayton each score 2.4/10, the county floor, while Coalville comes in at 3.1/10. These are small communities, with Gowrie at 932 residents and Dayton at 689, so deal volume is limited, but the operating environment is measurably calmer. Callender (2.2/10), Duncombe (2.7/10), and Otho (2.6/10) occupy the middle ground. The practical takeaway is that risk in Webster County is hyper-local: a landlord can hold units in two towns ten miles apart and face materially different tenant-market dynamics.

State-level laws that apply here

All Webster County landlords operate under Iowa eviction laws Code § 562A (Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Law). For nonpayment, the required notice period is 3 days. A lease-violation cure notice requires 7 days, and a no-cause end-of-term termination requires 30 days. Iowa eviction laws does not require just cause for non-renewal, and state law preempts any local rent-control ordinance, so no city within Webster County can impose rent caps independent of state law. Understanding the Iowa eviction laws eviction process from notice to lockout is essential: uncontested cases run 21 to 40 days and contested matters can extend to 45 to 100 days.

On the cost side, landlords should budget carefully before filing. Court filing fees range from $95 to $200, sheriff lockout fees from $50 to $150, and attorney fees from $500 to $2,500, depending on case complexity and whether the tenant contests. Iowa eviction costs can therefore total anywhere from roughly $645 to $2,850 in hard outlay before any lost rent is counted. Iowa security deposit limits and related tenant-protection rules under Iowa eviction laws Code § 562A.15 (habitability) and § 562A.36 (retaliation) round out the statutory framework landlords must follow on every tenancy.

With a county poverty rate of 13.5% and 33.4% of residents renting, Webster County's risk profile varies sharply by city; the grid above breaks down scores for all 13 communities so you can compare specific markets before committing capital.