Daviess County, Missouri Eviction Risk: Low

Daviess County, Missouri earns a Low eviction risk score of 3.4/10, placing it among the more landlord-friendly counties in the state. Out of 115 Missouri eviction laws counties tracked by Eviction Risk Map, Daviess ranks 84th - meaning 83 counties carry higher risk than Daviess does, and only 31 are rated less risky. For landlords operating here, that standing translates into a legal environment that is predictable, cost-controlled, and free of the rent-regulation complications that affect urban Missouri eviction laws markets.

The county's population of 3,566 is spread across 9 tracked communities, with the county seat of Gallatin (population 1,740, score 3.6/10) anchoring the local rental economy. Average rent across the county sits at $670 per month, and the average rent burden - rent as a share of household income - is 24.2%, comfortably below the 30% threshold that housing researchers use to flag cost stress. Renter households make up about 30.9% of all occupied units. The average poverty rate of 20.1% is worth noting: elevated poverty in small rural markets can stretch the time between a missed payment and an actual eviction filing, so landlords here benefit from maintaining clear lease terms and moving promptly under RSMo § 535.010, which allows an immediate rent-and-possession action with no mandatory pre-filing notice period for nonpayment of rent.

The highest eviction risk within the county sits at Jameson, which scores 3.2/10 - still Low by any measure but the highest reading in Daviess. Gallatin follows at 3.6/10 and Lake Viking at 3.1/10. At the lower end, Winston and Altamont both score 3.2/10, making them the least complicated operating environments in the county. Missouri's state-level framework under RSMo § 441 (Landlord and Tenant) applies uniformly across all of these communities: there is no rent cap, no just-cause eviction requirement, and a state preemption statute that blocks any city or county from imposing local rent control. Court filing fees for an eviction action run $70 to $180, and an uncontested case typically concludes in 21 to 45 days. Even a contested proceeding - where the tenant actively disputes the action - is expected to resolve in 45 to 120 days under normal docket conditions. Sheriff lockout fees add another $40 to $150, and attorney representation, if retained, runs roughly $500 to $3,000 depending on complexity.

Daviess County sits in northwest Missouri eviction laws's agricultural heartland, a low-density rural market where the rental stock skews toward single-family homes and small multifamily properties. The combination of modest rents, a straightforward state statute, and no local overlay regulations makes it a low-friction environment for landlords who follow standard notice and documentation practices.