Phelps County, Missouri Eviction Risk: Low

Phelps County, Missouri eviction laws carries an average eviction-risk score of 2.5/10 (Low) across its 5 cities, but that headline figure deserves some unpacking before landlords take it at face value. The county ranks 18th of 115 Missouri counties on risk, meaning 17 counties are riskier and 97 are less risky, placing Phelps County in the higher-risk third of the state despite its Low label. Investors who rely solely on the county average may be surprised to find operating conditions vary considerably depending on which community they choose.

The intra-county score range runs from 2.1 to 3, a spread that covers meaningfully different tenant profiles and market dynamics. Average rent stands at $770 per month against an average rent burden of 29.7%, and with 56.1% of households renting, the county is majority-renter territory. Those figures, combined with a 22.5% poverty rate, suggest a tenant base under real financial pressure, which informs both lease-up speed and collection risk across the county.

The cities inside Phelps County

Rolla dominates the county with a population of 20,287 and anchors the higher end of the risk range at 3.5/10. As the county seat and home to Missouri S&T, Rolla draws a mix of students, university staff, and working-class renters, a combination that historically produces both strong absorption and elevated turnover. Landlords active in Rolla should model collection risk carefully given its position at the top of the county risk scale.

Newburg scores 3/10 and Doolittle comes in at 2.1/10, both sitting in the middle of the county range with small populations of 331 and 561 respectively. These smaller communities offer less liquidity but also lower competitive pressure from institutional landlords. On the lower-risk end, St. James posts 2.2/10 across a population of 3,916, and Doolittle comes in at the county floor of 2.1/10 with just 224 residents. The gap between Rolla and Edgar Springs, nearly a full point on the same 10-point scale, underscores that risk in Phelps County is genuinely hyper-local, and city-level pages above will give the granularity county averages cannot.

State-level laws that apply here

All landlords in Phelps County operate under Missouri state law, primarily RSMo § 441 (Landlord and Tenant). For nonpayment of rent, Missouri requires no advance notice before filing a rent-and-possession action under RSMo § 535.010, which is one of the more creditor-friendly postures in the Midwest. Material lease violations require a 10-day notice under RSMo § 441.060, while terminating a month-to-month tenancy requires 30 days under the same statute. An uncontested eviction typically resolves in 21 to 45 days; a contested matter can stretch to 45 to 120 days. Understanding the full Missouri eviction process, from notice through writ of possession, is essential before your first filing.

On costs, court filing fees run $70 to $180, sheriff lockout fees add $40 to $150, and attorney fees, if retained, range from $500 to $3,000, so a contested case with counsel can push total out-of-pocket costs well past $3,300. Missouri imposes no rent control and requires no just cause for termination, and state law preempts any local government from enacting rent caps. Missouri security deposit limits and other tenant-protective rules are set at the state level with no local overrides permitted, giving county-level landlords a uniform and relatively predictable legal environment.

With a 22.5% poverty rate and more than half of all households renting, financial stress among tenants is an active underwriting variable in Phelps County; review the city grid above to identify which communities carry that stress most acutely before committing capital.