Claiborne County, Tennessee Eviction Risk: Very Low

Claiborne County sits in northeastern Tennessee along the Kentucky and Virginia borders, anchored by the historic Cumberland Gap corridor. With a rental population of roughly 10,378 residents - about 40.6% of whom rent - the county's landlord-tenant environment is shaped almost entirely by state law. Claiborne falls below Tennessee eviction laws's 75,000-population threshold that triggers the Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (T.C.A. § 66-28), which means most landlord-tenant relationships here are governed by TCA Title 29 Chapter 18 rather than URLTA. That distinction matters: non-URLTA counties require a 30-day notice to quit for most lease terminations rather than the 7-day or 14-day notices applicable in larger jurisdictions. The county earns an eviction risk score of 2.3/10 (Very Low), placing it 53rd out of 95 Tennessee eviction laws counties - a middle position that reflects genuinely modest tenant protections rather than any formal policy shift.

The four tracked cities spread across a modest range. Tazewell (county seat, pop. 2,902) is the highest-reading community at 2.5/10. Harrogate, home to Lincoln Memorial University and the county's largest population center at 4,368 residents, comes in at 2.3/10 - exactly at the county average. Cumberland Gap, the small historic town at the tri-state junction, reads 2.1/10, while New Tazewell anchors the low end at 2/10. The spread from 2 to 2.5 is narrow - unusual for a county with multiple distinct communities - reflecting how uniformly state-level rules apply when there is no local overlay. Rents average $934 per month, with a 25% rent-burden rate among renters. That burden figure is moderate by Tennessee eviction laws standards; the 20.1% poverty rate is higher, however, and points to a renter base with limited financial buffer if a landlord initiates proceedings.

For landlords operating in Claiborne County, the practical picture is straightforward. Court filing fees at the local general sessions court run $200 to $300. An uncontested case typically concludes in 21 to 45 days from filing; a contested matter extends to 45 to 120 days. Sheriff lockout fees range from $40 to $150, and attorney costs for a standard eviction run $500 to $2,500 depending on complexity. Tennessee eviction laws imposes no rent control at any level - in fact, state law expressly preempts any local rent-control ordinance - and landlords are not required to cite just cause for non-renewal of a lease. Source of income (e.g., housing vouchers) is not a protected class under Tennessee eviction laws fair housing law, though federal protections still apply. Retaliation against tenants is prohibited under T.C.A. § 66-28-514, and habitability standards are set by T.C.A. § 66-28-304 for URLTA jurisdictions; non-URLTA counties rely on common-law habitability principles.

Claiborne County's 2.3/10 score sits in the middle tier of Tennessee's 95 counties. With 52 counties statewide reading higher risk and 42 reading lower, it occupies an unremarkable middle ground - a county where state eviction law runs cleanly, costs are predictable, and no local ordinances add friction for landlords or extra protections for tenants.