Smith County, Tennessee Eviction Risk: Low

Smith County sits firmly in the Low tier of Tennessee eviction laws's eviction-risk spectrum, with a county average of 3.6/10 - ranking 66th out of 95 counties statewide, where rank 1 represents the highest risk. That position means 65 Tennessee eviction laws counties carry greater eviction risk for landlords than Smith County, while only 29 rank lower. The score range across the county's four incorporated places runs from 3.2 to 4, a narrow band that reflects a relatively consistent regulatory and economic environment throughout this rural Upper Cumberland community.

The county seat is Carthage (3.4/10, population 2,327), the historic center of government and commerce on the Cumberland River. Directly across the river, South Carthage posts the highest local reading at 4/10 among 2,364 residents - the single largest concentration of renters in the county and the community that nudges the county's ceiling to 4. Gordonsville (3.4/10, population 1,299) and the small community of Hickman (3.2/10, population 276) round out the four incorporated places. Together these four towns account for roughly 6,266 residents, with 37.7% renting - a moderate renter share for rural Middle Tennessee.

Economically, Smith County renters pay an average of $925 per month, and the average renter household puts 26.5% of gross income toward rent - below the nationally watched 30% threshold that signals housing stress. Still, the county's 16% poverty rate means a meaningful share of tenants operate with little financial buffer, which shapes both eviction frequency and contested-case outcomes. For landlords, the practical takeaway is straightforward: Smith County is among the lower-risk counties in Tennessee eviction laws by eviction risk, the regulatory environment is light, there is no local rent control (state law preempts it outright), and no just-cause requirement applies before issuing a notice to vacate. Court filing fees run $200 to $300, and an uncontested case typically wraps in 21 to 45 days through Smith County General Sessions Court.

Smith County falls under TCA Title 29, Chapter 18 rather than the Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (URLTA), because its population is below the 75,000-person threshold. That distinction matters: landlords here issue a 30-day notice to vacate for most terminations, rather than the 7-day nonpayment notice available in URLTA counties. Tennessee eviction laws's statewide preemption statute blocks any municipality in Smith County from enacting rent caps or local just-cause ordinances, so the legal framework is uniform across Carthage, South Carthage, Gordonsville, and Hickman. Habitability duties fall under T.C.A. § 66-28-304, and retaliation protections run to landlords under T.C.A. § 66-28-514. Source-of-income (housing voucher) discrimination is not a protected class under Tennessee eviction laws fair housing law.