Hardin County, Tennessee Eviction Risk: Low

Hardin County sits on Tennessee's western border along the Tennessee River, covering roughly 578 square miles of agricultural land, timber country, and the historic Shiloh battlefield. With a population of about 11,709 and an estimated 41.2% renter share, roughly 4,800 households in the county rent rather than own. The county's eviction risk score of 3.7/10 (Low) places it 54th out of 95 Tennessee counties on the EvictionRiskMap scale, where rank 1 is the highest-risk county for landlords. That position means 53 Tennessee counties carry more landlord risk, and only 41 rank more favorably - putting Hardin firmly in the middle portion of the state.

The county seat of Savannah accounts for roughly 7,412 of the county's residents and drives much of the local rental market. Savannah's eviction risk reads at 4/10, the highest among Hardin's cities. Olivet, the second-largest community with about 1,377 residents, scores meaningfully lower at 3.2/10, reflecting a quieter rental market with fewer contested filings. Crump (pop. 1,231) and Saltillo (pop. 753) each register at 3.4/10 and 3.2/10 respectively. Morris Chapel, a smaller community of about 218, comes in at 3.1/10. Scores across the county range from a low of 3.1 to a high of 4, a spread of less than one full point - signaling a county where conditions are relatively consistent across communities rather than sharply stratified. Average rents across the county run approximately $780 per month, below Tennessee's larger metro averages, and rent burden sits at 28.8% of gross household income. The county's poverty rate of 23.4% is elevated relative to state and national benchmarks, which places some additional pressure on both landlords and tenants during economic downturns.

Because Hardin County's population falls below the 75,000-resident threshold that triggers URLTA applicability, landlord-tenant relationships are governed by TCA Title 29 Chapter 18 rather than the Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act. That distinction matters: landlords in Hardin County must provide a 30-day written notice to vacate for most terminations, compared to the 7-day or 14-day cure windows available under URLTA. Court filing fees for unlawful detainer actions run $200-$300, sheriff lockout fees add $40-$150, and uncontested cases typically resolve in 21 to 45 days. Contested proceedings can extend to 45-120 days. There is no just-cause requirement for non-renewal, and Tennessee's statewide preemption statute bars local governments from enacting rent control, so Hardin County municipalities cannot impose rent caps or additional tenant protections beyond what state law provides.

Hardin County's Low risk designation reflects a combination of stable local rents, limited tenant-protection statutes, and a legal framework that resolves most disputes in under six weeks when uncontested. The county's score of 3.7/10 tracks closely with comparable rural west-Tennessee eviction laws counties, all of which occupy the middle tier of the state's eviction risk distribution.