Muskingum County, Ohio Eviction Risk: Low

Muskingum County, Ohio eviction laws carries an average eviction-risk score of 2.7/10, placing it in the Moderate tier, but that single figure masks real variation across the county's 12 tracked cities. Scores run from 3.1 to 4.9, meaning the gap between the county's safest and riskiest rental markets is nearly two full points. For landlords evaluating Ohio as a whole, Muskingum ranks 15th of 88 counties, putting it in the higher-risk third of the state: only 14 Ohio eviction laws counties carry more risk, while 73 are more landlord-friendly by this measure.

The county's rental fundamentals reinforce that moderate-risk read. With an average rent of $824, a rent-burden rate of 29.6%, and a renter share of 47.1% of households, Muskingum is meaningfully renter-heavy relative to most rural Ohio counties. A poverty rate of 21.4% adds further pressure: when a large share of renters operate close to financial margins, the probability of nonpayment events and contested evictions rises above what the raw score alone suggests.

The cities inside Muskingum County

Zanesville dominates the county both by population and by risk. With 24,740 residents it is by far the largest city here, and its score of 4.9/10 sits at the county ceiling. Landlords operating in Zanesville should plan for above-average tenant-stress conditions, contested-case exposure, and slower recoveries when problems arise. South Zanesville (2.7/10, population 2,211) and Frazeysburg (2.7/10, population 1,522) come in at the county average, while Philo scores 4.4/10 and Pleasant Grove reaches 4.3/10.

The lower end of the spectrum tells a different story. New Concord scores 3.1/10, the lowest in the county, with a population of 2,657. Duncan Falls is close behind at 3.2/10. Risk in Muskingum County is genuinely hyper-local: New Concord and Zanesville are roughly 20 minutes apart but separated by 1.8 points on the risk scale. Investors comparing specific markets should check city-level pages rather than relying on the county average alone.

State-level laws that apply here

Ohio state law governs the eviction framework for every city in Muskingum County. Under ORC § 1923.04, landlords may serve a 3-day notice for nonpayment of rent or a material lease violation. Month-to-month tenants who hold over require a 30-day notice under ORC § 5321.17, while a fixed-term lease that simply expires requires no notice at all under ORC § 1923.02. Uncontested cases typically resolve in 21 to 45 days; contested cases can run 45 to 120 days. Understanding the full Ohio eviction process matters here because contested timelines in a high-poverty market like Muskingum can erode months of rent yield.

On costs, the Ohio eviction costs picture is straightforward but not trivial. 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 case complexity. Ohio does not impose just-cause eviction requirements, and state law preempts local rent-control ordinances, so there are no additional local-law overlays to navigate in Muskingum County. Source-of-income is not a protected class under Ohio law, per the Ohio Civil Rights Commission. The landlord-entry notice requirement is 24 hours under ORC § 5321 (Landlords and Tenants).

With a poverty rate of 21.4% and nearly half of households renting, conditions in Muskingum County reward thorough tenant screening and lease discipline; the city grid above breaks down where that risk concentrates most within the county.