Dodge County, Minnesota Eviction Risk: Moderate

Dodge County, Minnesota scores 4.6/10 (Moderate) on the EvictionRiskMap scale, landing squarely in the middle third of the state: 51 Minnesota eviction laws counties carry higher eviction risk, while 35 are more landlord-friendly. For investors underwriting rental property here, the county average signals a manageable operating environment, not a red flag, but that headline figure masks meaningful variation across the six municipalities that make up the county.

Risk scores inside Dodge County range from 3.4 at the low end to 4.9 at the high end, a 1.5-point spread that matters when comparing a stable small town against a higher-turnover market. The average asking rent across the county is $1,071, and the average rent burden sits at 29.3% of household income. A renter share of just 16.3% means the rental market is thin relative to most Minnesota eviction laws counties, so vacancy risk and tenant selection carry more weight than in denser metro-adjacent markets.

The cities inside Dodge County

The highest risk in the county belongs to West Concord at 4.8/10, followed closely by Hayfield at 4.7/10 (population 1,395). These two smaller communities show tenant-stress indicators that push measurably above the county average, and landlords acquiring there should underwrite accordingly, with tighter screening and reserve buffers sized for a slower leasing market.

Kasson, the county's largest city at 7,050 residents, comes in right at the county average of 4.6/10, making it the most liquid sub-market in terms of tenant pool depth. Dodge Center (2,880 residents, 4.5/10) and Mantorville (1,047 residents, 4.5/10) both sit in lower-moderate territory. Claremont posts the county's best score at 4.6/10 among its 502 residents. The spread confirms that risk inside Dodge County is hyper-local: a landlord investing in West Concord faces materially different conditions than one two towns over in Claremont.

State-level laws that apply here

Every lease in Dodge County operates under Minn. Stat. § 504B (Landlord and Tenant). For nonpayment of rent, Minnesota eviction laws law requires a 14-day notice before filing (Minn. Stat. § 504B.291). A material lease violation or a month-to-month termination each require a 30-day notice under Minn. Stat. § 504B.135. Once filed, an uncontested eviction typically resolves in 30 to 60 days; contested cases can run 60 to 150 days. Court filing fees range from $310 to $410, sheriff lockout fees from $55 to $150, and attorney fees from $750 to $3,000 when counsel is retained. The Minnesota eviction laws eviction process does not require just cause to terminate a tenancy, and there is no statewide rent cap. Understanding Minnesota eviction costs upfront is essential when stress-testing cash flow on thin-margin rural properties, because a contested case can absorb several months of rent from a single unit.

Minnesota tenant protections do include source-of-income as a protected class under the Minnesota eviction laws Department of Human Rights, and the state's retaliation statute (Minn. Stat. § 504B.441) prohibits adverse action against tenants who exercise legal rights. Landlords must also provide 24 hours notice before entry under Minn. Stat. § 504B.161. Minnesota security deposit limits are governed at the state level and should be confirmed before setting deposit amounts on new leases.

With a county poverty rate of just 5.8% and a renter share of 16.3%, Dodge County's fundamentals are comparatively stable, though the thin rental market means each city behaves differently, so review the individual city scores in the grid above before committing capital to a specific community.