Carter County, Tennessee Eviction Risk: Low

Carter County scores 2.9/10 (Low) on average across its 10 cities, placing it at rank 24 of 95 Tennessee counties, meaning 23 counties carry higher eviction risk and only 71 are considered less risky or more landlord-friendly. That positioning puts Carter County in the higher-risk third of Tennessee, a signal worth tracking even if the Low label suggests calm waters. Average rent runs $749 per month against a rent-burden rate of 26.1%, conditions that can stress tenant cash flow during any economic disruption and lift default odds for landlords holding multiple units here.

The intra-county spread runs from 2.1 to 3/10, a range of nearly a full point across cities that share the same county courthouse. That gap matters: a landlord with units in the lowest-risk city faces meaningfully different operating conditions than one concentrating in the county seat. Operating in Carter County rewards knowing which micro-market you are actually in, not just the county headline.

The cities inside Carter County

Elizabethton, the largest city at 14,374 residents, and Pine Crest both score 3/10, sitting at the top of the county risk range. Biltmore follows at 2.9/10, essentially matching the county average, while Central and Hampton each come in at 2.8/10. Taken together, these five cities represent a cluster where landlords should build tighter screening and reserve practices into their operations.

On the lower end, Valley Forge (2.6/10, population 2,136) and Hunter (2.6/10, population 1,918) offer somewhat reduced risk exposure, and Roan Mountain bottoms out at 2.1/10, the most landlord-favorable market in the county. The spread confirms that risk in Carter County is hyper-local, and moving even a few miles can shift your underwriting assumptions by close to a full point on the scale.

State-level laws that apply here

Carter County's total population falls under 75,000, which means it operates under non-URLTA rules. Under TCA Title 29 Chapter 18, landlords must deliver a 30-day notice to quit before filing in general sessions court. If Carter County were ever covered by the Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (T.C.A. § 66-28), the notice ladder would shorten sharply: 7 days for nonpayment of rent under TCA § 66-28-505, 14 days for a material breach, and only 3 days for a non-curable breach under § 66-28-517. Landlords should confirm which framework applies to their specific property before serving any notice. A full breakdown of notice timelines and filing procedures is available in the Tennessee eviction process guide.

Once a case reaches court, budget for a filing fee of $200 to $300, a sheriff lockout fee of $40 to $150, and attorney fees ranging from $500 to $2,500 depending on complexity. An uncontested case resolves in 21 to 45 days; a contested matter can stretch to 45 to 120 days. Tennessee imposes no statewide rent control and does not require just cause for non-renewal, and state law preempts any local attempt to impose rent caps. Security deposit collection is addressed in the Tennessee security deposit limits guide, which covers the URLTA statutory framework that will govern any property if the county ever crosses the population threshold.

With a poverty rate of 17.4% and 30.1% of households renting, a meaningful share of Carter County tenants are operating on thin margins, underscoring why city-level scores in the grid above can be a more reliable underwriting anchor than the county average alone.