Pasquotank County, North Carolina Eviction Risk: Low

Pasquotank County scores 2.6/10 (Low) across its 1 tracked city, placing it at rank 50 of 100 North Carolina eviction laws counties by eviction risk. That middle-of-the-state position is worth reading carefully: 49 counties carry higher risk scores, and 50 are less risky. Landlords and investors considering Pasquotank County are looking at a market that sits squarely in the middle third of North Carolina eviction laws, not a low-risk haven and not a high-risk danger zone, but one where disciplined screening and lease management still matter.

The county's average rent runs $1,117 per month, with a renter share of 55.9% of occupied housing, meaning the majority of households here are tenants. A rent burden average of 31.4% of gross income signals that a meaningful portion of the renter base is spending close to or above the traditional affordability threshold, a condition that can translate into higher nonpayment risk during income disruptions. The county's single tracked city shows no intra-county spread: the range is 2.6 to 2.6, so there is no lower-risk pocket to target within the county.

The cities inside Pasquotank County

Elizabeth City is the county seat and the only tracked city, with a population of 18,871 and a risk score of 2.6/10. Because the entire county's rental market effectively concentrates in Elizabeth City eviction risk, the county average and the city score are identical. There is no lower-risk suburban municipality to shift operations toward; operators here are exposed to the same conditions countywide.

For comparison, neighboring peer counties cluster in a similar band: Columbus County scores 4.4, Beaufort County 4.7, Haywood County 4.4, Wilkes County 4.3, and Lincoln County 4.4. Pasquotank County's 4.5 sits at the higher end of that peer group, roughly in line with Beaufort County. Risk is hyper-local even within a single county, and Elizabeth City's market dynamics, driven by a large renter-majority population and moderate rent burden, are the decisive factor here.

State-level laws that apply here

Under North Carolina state law governed by N.C.G.S. § 42 (Landlord and Tenant), landlords in Pasquotank County must serve a 10-day notice to quit for nonpayment of rent before filing. A lease material-breach or holdover situation carries 0 days of required notice before filing. Month-to-month tenancy terminations require a 7-day notice under N.C. Gen. Stat. § 42-14. Court filing fees run $150 to $200, sheriff lockout fees add $30 to $125, and attorney fees typically range $500 to $2,500. An uncontested case resolves in roughly 21 to 45 days; a contested matter can stretch to 45 to 100 days. For a full breakdown of those procedural steps, see the North Carolina eviction laws eviction process guide. North Carolina eviction laws has no just-cause eviction requirement and no local rent control, and state law explicitly preempts any local rent ordinance, so landlords face no layered municipal restrictions here. For a full accounting of out-of-pocket exposure before an eviction concludes, see the North Carolina eviction costs guide. North Carolina security deposit limits and North Carolina tenant protections are defined at the state level and apply uniformly in Pasquotank County without local augmentation.

With a poverty rate of 10.3% and more than half of all occupied units renter-occupied, Pasquotank County's risk profile is driven by a large, cost-burdened tenant base concentrated in Elizabeth City eviction risk; review the city grid above for tract-level detail.