Fentress County, Tennessee Eviction Risk: Low

Fentress County sits in the upper Cumberland Plateau of Tennessee eviction laws, a rural stretch where rental housing is modest and the landlord-tenant legal environment tilts clearly in favor of property owners. The county's eviction-risk score is 2.5/10 (Low), placing it 14th out of 95 Tennessee counties - meaning it lands in the higher-risk of the state by risk level. Only 13 counties statewide carry a higher score, while 81 are rated below it. Scores across the county's four tracked communities run from 2.4 to 2.7, a tight range that reflects a fairly uniform local legal climate rather than sharp neighborhood-by-neighborhood swings.

The county seat, Jamestown, is the most landlord-favorable spot in the county at 2.4/10 and anchors the majority of the rental market with a population of roughly 2,230. Grimsley, the second largest community, comes in at 2.5/10. The highest-scoring communities are Allardt (2.7/10) and Clarkrange (2.7/10) - both small but with slightly more tenant-protective conditions relative to the county average. None of those scores approach the Tennessee eviction laws statewide average of 2.4/10, which underscores how landlord-friendly Fentress County is in the broader state context. Renters make up about 31.9% of occupied housing units here, paying an average of $598 per month - among the lowest rents in the state - with a rent burden of 23%, well below the threshold that typically signals affordability stress. The poverty rate of 27.9% is notably elevated, however, which is a factor landlords should weigh when screening applicants and setting lease terms.

On the legal side, Fentress County's population falls under 75,000, which means it sits outside the Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (URLTA) framework that governs larger Tennessee eviction laws counties. Under TCA Title 29 Chapter 18, landlords in non-URLTA counties must give 30 days' notice before initiating most eviction proceedings - a longer runway than the 7-day nonpayment notice available in URLTA jurisdictions like Memphis eviction risk or Nashville eviction risk. There is no local rent control ordinance, and Tennessee eviction laws state law actively preempts any municipality from enacting one, so landlords face no cap on rent increases here. No just-cause requirement applies either: landlords can decline to renew a lease without stating a reason. Court filing fees run $200 to $300, sheriff lockout fees range from $40 to $150, and attorney costs for a contested case typically land between $500 and $2,500. An uncontested eviction resolves in 21 to 45 days; a contested matter can stretch 45 to 120 days.

Fentress County's Low risk rating (2.5/10) reflects a combination of low rents, a limited tenant-protection legal framework under TCA Title 29, and no local rent-control or just-cause rules - conditions that generally favor landlords managing smaller rural portfolios in the upper Cumberland Plateau.