Columbia County, Wisconsin Eviction Risk: Low

Columbia County carries an average eviction-risk score of 3.9/10 (Low) across its 13 cities, which places it in the higher-risk third of Wisconsin, ranked 14th out of 72 counties statewide. That ranking means 13 Wisconsin eviction laws counties are riskier and 58 are more landlord-friendly, so while the Low label is accurate countywide, landlords should not treat it as a blanket clearance. Average rent runs $1,073 per month, rent burden sits at 25.4% of income, and roughly 29.8% of households are renters, a mix that keeps the market workable but not without pressure points.

The intra-county spread, from a floor of 3.1/10 to a ceiling of 4.6/10, is wide enough to matter. A property in the county's lowest-risk pocket carries meaningfully different odds of a contentious tenancy than one in its highest-risk city. Investors accustomed to treating a county score as a single operating metric will find that approach too blunt here; the city-level grid below is the more useful tool for underwriting individual acquisitions.

The cities inside Columbia County

Portage is the county's largest city at 10,236 residents and, at 4.6/10, its highest-risk market by a notable margin. No other city in the county reaches 4.0, which makes Portage an outlier landlords should underwrite separately from the rest of the county. Pardeeville comes next at 3.9/10, matching the county average, followed by Columbus (3.8/10, population 5,488) and Rio at 3.8/10.

At the other end of the spectrum, Lake Wisconsin and Lodi both score 3.3/10, representing the most landlord-favorable conditions in the county. Poynette, Fall River, Cambria, and Wyocena each land at 3.6/10, clustered in a comfortable mid-range. The hyper-local variation across these communities reinforces that a single address in Columbia County can sit in a meaningfully different risk environment than a property just a few miles away.

State-level laws that apply here

All Columbia County landlords operate under Wis. Stat. § 704 (Landlord and Tenant). For non-payment of rent, Wisconsin law requires a 5-day notice before filing; a lease-violation cure notice runs 14 days, and a no-cause end-of-term notice requires 30 days. Court filing fees range from $95 to $175, sheriff lockout fees from $50 to $150, and attorney fees typically range from $500 to $3,000. An uncontested case resolves in roughly 21 to 45 days; a contested case can stretch to 45 to 120 days. Understanding the full Wisconsin eviction process from notice through lockout is essential before acquiring rental property anywhere in the state. Wisconsin has no rent control and does not require just cause for non-renewal, and the state preempts any local attempt to impose rent caps, which is a meaningful structural advantage for landlords. Reviewing Wisconsin eviction costs before budgeting for worst-case scenarios will help investors set realistic reserve levels.

With a poverty rate of 8.9% and renters making up 29.8% of households, Columbia County's risk profile is shaped by a relatively stable tenant base, though Portage's elevated 4.6/10 score is a reminder that the city grid above is the right starting point for any site-specific decision.