Lawrence County, Tennessee Eviction Risk: Low

Lawrence County, Tennessee eviction laws earns an average eviction-risk score of 2.5/10 (Low), placing it at rank 42 of 95 Tennessee counties, meaning 41 counties carry more risk and 53 are less risky. For landlords and investors, that middle-third position signals a market where tenant-payment stress exists but has not reached the acute levels seen in the state's urban cores. Across the county's 8 cities, average rent sits at $779 per month, and renters carry an average rent burden of 29.3% of income, a figure that points to moderate, manageable financial pressure among the renter population.

The intra-county spread runs from 1.8/10 to 2.7/10, a range that is narrow in absolute terms but still meaningful when selecting specific submarkets. The poverty rate of 20.1% deserves attention: it tells landlords that a meaningful share of renters are operating with thin financial cushions, which raises the practical probability of a payment disruption even in a nominally low-risk county. Thorough tenant screening and a well-documented lease remain essential operating disciplines here.

The cities inside Lawrence County

Lawrenceburg anchors the county with a population of 11,844 and the highest risk score in the market at 2.7/10. Because it holds the overwhelming majority of the county's rental stock, landlords with Lawrenceburg eviction risk portfolios are effectively setting their baseline at the county ceiling. Loretto (2.5/10, pop. 1,731) and Ethridge (2.5/10, pop. 419) cluster just below, forming a middle tier where conditions are broadly similar to the county average.

At the opposite end, St. Joseph and Iron City each score 1.8/10, the lowest readings in the county. Those numbers reflect relatively favorable operating conditions, though both communities are small enough that vacancy risk, not eviction frequency, is often the more practical concern for investors. Summertown (2.3/10), Leoma (2.2/10), and Westpoint (2.4/10) occupy the lower-to-middle range. The core takeaway is that eviction risk in Lawrence County is genuinely hyper-local: a landlord portfolio split between Lawrenceburg and St. Joseph spans the county's entire risk band within a single driving hour.

State-level laws that apply here

Tennessee eviction laws state law governs the eviction process for all Lawrence County landlords. Because Lawrence County's population falls under 75,000, eviction proceedings follow TCA Title 29 Chapter 18, which requires a 30-day notice to quit rather than the shorter URLTA timelines used in larger jurisdictions. If the county were subject to URLTA rules, nonpayment of rent would carry only a 7-day notice requirement under TCA § 66-28-505, and a material breach would trigger a 14-day cure-or-quit period. A non-curable breach can be addressed with a 3-day notice under TCA § 66-28-517. Understanding which notice type applies to your specific situation is the first step in managing the Tennessee eviction laws eviction process correctly.

On the cost side, court filing fees range from $200 to $300, sheriff lockout fees run $40 to $150, and attorney fees span $500 to $2,500, depending on whether the case is contested. An uncontested case typically resolves in 21 to 45 days; a contested case can stretch to 45 to 120 days. Tennessee eviction laws imposes no rent control and no just-cause eviction requirement, and state law preempts any local attempt to impose rent caps. Reviewing Tennessee eviction costs and Tennessee security deposit limits before signing a new lease is sound practice for any landlord entering this market.

With a renter share of 36.1% and a poverty rate of 20.1%, Lawrence County's rental market carries enough underlying stress to reward diligent underwriting; use the city grid above to identify which specific submarkets carry the most concentrated risk before committing capital.