Tyler County, West Virginia Eviction Risk: Low

Tyler County, West Virginia eviction laws earns an average eviction-risk score of 2.6/10 (Low) across its 3 cities, placing it at rank 48 of 55 West Virginia eviction laws counties, where rank 1 is the highest-risk, least landlord-friendly place. That means 47 counties in the state carry more risk than Tyler County, and only 7 are less risky, putting this market firmly in the lower-risk third of West Virginia. For landlords and investors, the county's low rent burden (average 29.4% of income), modest average rent of $748, and small renter population (about 21.2% of households) combine to create a quiet, low-volatility operating environment.

Still, that county average masks meaningful intra-county variation. City-level scores run from a floor of 1.8/10 up to a peak of 3.5/10, a spread of 1.7 points across a county with a total covered population of just 4,620. That dispersion matters: the city you choose inside Tyler County can shift your risk profile substantially, even though every data point here falls well below the statewide midpoint.

The cities inside Tyler County

Sistersville carries the highest risk score in the county at 3.5/10, with a population of 1,409. While still objectively low by statewide standards, it leads the county in every risk factor measured. Middlebourne, the county seat, is nearly as elevated at 3.4/10 with a population of 796, and investors should treat these two small cities as the county's relative hot spots, requiring tighter tenant screening and more proactive lease management.

Paden City is the county's largest city by population (2,415) and its lowest-risk market, scoring just 1.8/10. The gap between Paden City and Sistersville is nearly two full points, a reminder that risk is genuinely hyper-local here. Relying on the county average alone when evaluating a specific acquisition would mean ignoring a signal that separates the safest operating environment in the county from one that is nearly twice as risky.

State-level laws that apply here

All Tyler County landlords operate under West Virginia state law, codified primarily at W. Va. Code § 37-6 (Landlord and Tenant). For non-payment of rent, no advance written notice is required before filing, which is among the most landlord-favorable notice rules in the country. A lease-violation cure notice requires 14 days, and an end-of-term no-cause termination requires 30 days. West Virginia eviction laws does not require just cause for non-renewal, and the state preempts any local rent-control ordinance, so no city within Tyler County can impose a rent cap. Understanding the West Virginia eviction laws eviction process in full, including the procedural steps from filing through lockout, is essential before serving any notice. An uncontested case typically resolves in 21 to 45 days; 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 depending on complexity. Landlords budgeting for a contested removal should plan for the upper end of those attorney-fee ranges. For a detailed breakdown, the West Virginia eviction costs guide covers each fee component. Habitability obligations fall under W. Va. Code § 37-6-30, and fair-housing complaints are handled by the West Virginia eviction laws Human Rights Commission.

With an average poverty rate of 24% among covered cities and only about 21.2% of households renting, Tyler County has a small but economically stressed renter pool; review the city grid above to pinpoint which of the three cities best matches your risk tolerance before committing capital.