Taylor County, West Virginia Eviction Risk: Low

Taylor County, West Virginia eviction laws carries an average eviction-risk score of 3.9/10 (Low), which places it in the higher-risk third of all 55 West Virginia counties. With a state rank of 9 of 55, only 8 counties in West Virginia score higher, meaning the overwhelming majority of the state offers landlords a calmer operating environment by comparison. For investors sizing up this market, that context matters: a Low absolute score still signals meaningful exposure when stacked against most of the state.

Across the county's 2 tracked cities, scores cluster tightly between 3.8 and 3.9, so there is little variation to arbitrage within Taylor County itself. Average rent sits at $535 per month against an average rent burden of 28.4%, and the renter share of households is a relatively modest 23.9%. That combination, modest rents and a thin renter pool, keeps absolute eviction volume low but can make rent collection friction disproportionately costly when it does occur.

The cities inside Taylor County

Grafton is the county seat and by far the largest market, with a population of 4,618 and a risk score of 3.9/10. It accounts for nearly the entire county rental pool, so any landlord operating in Taylor County is almost certainly operating in Grafton eviction risk. The city's score sits at the top of the county range, making it the highest-risk location in the county by a narrow margin.

Flemington, the county's only other tracked city, scores 3.8/10 with a population of just 240. The gap between the two cities is small (0.1 points), but Flemington edges out as the marginally more landlord-friendly option. Even so, risk is hyper-local, and a single building's tenant profile can shift the practical experience well beyond what a county average suggests.

State-level laws that apply here

West Virginia eviction laws landlord-tenant law is governed by W. Va. Code § 37-6 (Landlord and Tenant). For non-payment of rent, state law requires no advance written notice before filing, which is one of the more landlord-favorable notice rules in the region. Lease-violation notices require 14 days to cure, and no-cause terminations at the end of a term require 30 days notice. Understanding the West Virginia eviction process fully is essential before any filing, because an uncontested case still takes 21 to 45 days and a contested case can run 45 to 100 days.

On the cost side, court filing fees range from $75 to $150, sheriff lockout fees from $30 to $125, and attorney fees from $500 to $2,500, meaning a contested eviction with legal representation can total well over $2,700 in direct outlays. West Virginia eviction costs are therefore a real line item in any underwriting model. The state imposes no rent control and does not require just cause for non-renewal, and state law preempts any local rent-control ordinance, giving landlords statewide consistency on those two fronts.

With a poverty rate of 24.7% and a renter share of 23.9% of households, Taylor County's rental market is small but carries above-average economic stress; review the city-level scores in the grid above to pinpoint the specific submarket that best fits your risk tolerance.