Henry County, Ohio Eviction Risk: Low

Henry County, Ohio eviction laws carries a county-wide average eviction-risk score of 3.4/10 (Low), placing it at rank 63 of 88 Ohio counties, where rank 1 is the highest-risk. That position means 62 counties in the state are riskier to operate in, and only 25 are less risky, putting Henry County comfortably in the lower-risk third of Ohio. For landlords and investors, that translates to a market where tenant distress, turnover pressure, and eviction frequency are relatively contained compared to most of the state.

The county spans 11 cities with scores ranging from 3.1 to 4, a gap that matters when you are choosing where within the county to place capital. Average rent runs $845 per month, and the average rent-burden sits at 21.6% of renter income, a modest figure that suggests most renters here are not stretched to a breaking point. With a renter share of 25.2% of households, the county is predominantly owner-occupied, so the rental pool is smaller and often more stable than in urbanized Ohio markets.

The cities inside Henry County

Napoleon is the county seat and by far its largest city, home to 8,802 residents and carrying the highest risk score in the county at 3.4/10. As the commercial hub, it concentrates the largest renter population and the most exposure to turnover risk. McClure follows at 3.2/10, and Holgate and Hamler both score 3.2/10. Risk is genuinely hyper-local here: a landlord in Napoleon faces conditions meaningfully different from one operating just a few miles away in a smaller village.

The lowest-risk communities in the data include Florida at 3.6/10 and both Deshler and Liberty Center at 3.4/10. These smaller villages, with populations under 1,728, show the stability pattern common to Ohio's quieter rural markets. Investors prioritizing predictability over scale will find these pockets worth examining alongside Napoleon.

State-level laws that apply here

All landlords in Henry County 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 before filing. Month-to-month holdover tenants require a 30-day notice. Fixed-term leases that simply expire require no notice at all. Understanding the full Ohio eviction process is essential before placing a tenant: an uncontested case resolves in roughly 21 to 45 days; a contested one can run 45 to 120 days.

Ohio eviction costs include a court filing fee of $160 to $250, a sheriff lockout fee of $50 to $175, and attorney fees typically ranging from $500 to $3,000. Ohio does not require just cause for non-renewal and, critically, state law preempts local rent control, so no municipality in Henry County can impose rent caps. Ohio security deposit limits and Ohio tenant protections are governed at the state level, giving landlords predictable, uniform rules regardless of which city in the county they operate in.

With a poverty rate of 10.4% and renters making up roughly one in four households, Henry County's fundamentals stay contained, but performance varies by city, so reviewing the individual city scores in the grid above is the most reliable way to calibrate risk before committing to a specific address.