Belmont County, Ohio Eviction Risk: Low

Belmont County scores 2.5/10 (Low risk) across its 21 tracked cities, placing it at rank 77 of 88 Ohio eviction laws counties, meaning 76 counties carry higher eviction risk and only 11 score lower. For landlords and investors, that translates to a market where the structural conditions, rent burden, poverty rates, and local political environment, tend to favor stable tenancies more than most of the state. Intra-county scores range from 1.9 to 3, a meaningful spread that rewards picking the right community inside the county rather than treating it as a uniform block.

Average rent in Belmont County sits at $780 per month, and roughly 36.2% of households rent rather than own. Those numbers suggest a genuine but modest rental market, not a boom-town environment. Investors seeking low-drama, long-term holds in Ohio will find Belmont County's aggregate profile more forgiving than the state's urban cores, though the poverty rate of 18.9% is a real credit-risk signal that should inform tenant screening decisions.

The cities inside Belmont County

At the higher end of local risk, Martins Ferry (population 6,140, score 2.9/10), Bellaire (population 3,800, score 3/10), and Barnesville (population 3,945, score 2.5/10) all sit at the county ceiling. Smaller Bethesda and Wolfhurst share that same 3/10 mark. These communities are still in the Low-risk tier on a statewide basis, but landlords operating there should expect modestly tighter conditions compared to the county average, and should price screening and lease enforcement protocols accordingly.

The softest risk profile belongs to St. Clairsville, the county's second-largest city at 5,003 residents, scoring just 2.8/10, the lowest in the county. Shadyside, Bridgeport, and Powhatan Point come in at 2.5/10. This spread from 2.4 to 3.4 underscores how hyper-local risk is: two properties five miles apart in Belmont County can sit in meaningfully different operating environments, so underwriting at the city level, not just the county level, matters.

State-level laws that apply here

All Belmont County landlords operate under Ohio state law, specifically ORC § 5321 (Landlords and Tenants). For nonpayment of rent or a material lease violation, Ohio requires only a 3-day notice to vacate before filing; month-to-month holdover tenants receive a 30-day notice, and fixed-term leases require no additional notice beyond the lease end date. Understanding the full Ohio eviction process, including those notice triggers, is essential before you serve any notice. Uncontested cases typically resolve in 21 to 45 days; contested matters can stretch to 120 days.

Ohio eviction costs break down to a court filing fee of $160 to $250, a sheriff lockout fee of $50 to $175, and attorney fees typically running $500 to $3,000 depending on complexity. Ohio imposes no statewide rent control and preempts local jurisdictions from enacting their own, so Belmont County landlords face no rent caps. Just-cause eviction requirements do not apply under Ohio state law. Landlords should also familiarize themselves with Ohio security deposit limits and Ohio tenant protections as codified in ORC § 5321.04 and § 5321.02, which govern habitability duties and retaliation prohibitions respectively.

With a poverty rate of 18.9% and 36.2% of residents renting, Belmont County's tenant base carries real financial pressure despite its low aggregate risk score; the city-level grid above breaks that exposure down to the neighborhood level so you can compare risk before committing capital.