Crawford County, Ohio Eviction Risk: Low

Crawford County, Ohio eviction laws earns an average eviction-risk score of 2.6/10 (Low) across its 10 cities, placing it at rank 57 of 88 Ohio counties, meaning 56 counties carry more risk and only 31 are more landlord-friendly. For investors, that middle-of-the-pack standing translates into a market where tenancy disputes are manageable but not trivial: average rent sits at $784 per month, rent burden runs 28.6% of income on average, and roughly 34.5% of residents are renters, giving landlords a solid tenant pool without the elevated stress indicators that mark Ohio eviction laws's harder-pressed urban counties.

The intra-county spread, from a low of 2.2 to a high of 3.8, is the more important number for anyone underwriting a specific acquisition. That 1.6-point gap means the choice of city inside Crawford County matters considerably more than the county average suggests. Landlords operating here should size their risk assumptions to the specific municipality rather than leaning on the countywide figure.

The cities inside Crawford County

At the top of the risk range sits Crestline, scoring 3.8/10 with a population of 4,470. Galion, the county's second-largest city at 10,339 residents, follows at 3.7/10. Bucyrus, the largest city with 11,594 people, comes in at 2.6/10, essentially matching the county average. These three cities account for the bulk of Crawford County's rental stock, and their scores cluster tightly enough that a landlord weighing Bucyrus against Galion should look beyond the headline score to vacancy trends and local court backlog rather than treating either as clearly safer.

The low end of the range offers a meaningful contrast. Oceola and Sulphur Springs each score 2.2/10, and New Washington comes in at 2.8/10. These smaller communities carry lower eviction-risk indicators, though their thin populations, 258, 228, and 1,045 respectively, limit the rental market depth. The key takeaway is that risk in Crawford County is hyper-local: a two-mile drive can shift your operating environment by more than a full point on the scale.

State-level laws that apply here

Ohio eviction laws state law, primarily under ORC § 5321 (Landlords and Tenants), sets the framework every Crawford County landlord operates within. For nonpayment of rent or a material lease violation, the required notice period is just 3 days (ORC § 1923.04), one of the shorter timelines among comparable states. Month-to-month holdover tenancies require 30 days notice under ORC § 5321.17, while the end of a fixed-term lease requires no additional notice under ORC § 1923.02. Ohio eviction laws imposes no just-cause requirement for ending tenancies, and the state preempts any local rent-control ordinance, so Crawford County landlords face a consistent, predictable regulatory baseline. For a full walkthrough of timelines and procedures, see the Ohio eviction laws eviction process guide. On cost: court filing fees run $160 to $250, sheriff lockout fees add $50 to $175, and attorney fees range from $500 to $3,000 depending on complexity. An uncontested case typically resolves in 21 to 45 days; a contested matter can stretch to 45 to 120 days. Review the Ohio eviction costs guide before budgeting any enforcement action.

With an average poverty rate of 16.9% and 34.5% of residents renting, Crawford County carries real financial stress among its tenant base; the city-by-city grid above is the best starting point for pinpointing where that stress is most concentrated before committing to a specific market.