Door County, Wisconsin Eviction Risk: Low

Door County, Wisconsin eviction laws carries an average eviction-risk score of 3/10 (Low), placing it at rank 58 of 72 Wisconsin counties, where rank 1 is the highest-risk market. That means 57 counties statewide are riskier for landlords than Door County, and only 14 post lower scores, putting the peninsula firmly in the lower-risk third of Wisconsin. Across the 8 cities tracked here, scores span a tight band from 2.3 to 3.1, meaning no single pocket of the county dramatically undercuts or inflates the county-wide read. For landlords and investors, that consistency signals a relatively stable operating environment, though conditions are local enough that city-level due diligence still matters.

With an average rent of $1,089 and an average rent burden of 25.9%, Door County renters are not generally stretched to the breaking point, which correlates with the low eviction-risk profile. The renter share sits at 36.8% of occupied housing, a sizable pool for a rural peninsula market. Compared to peer counties at similar risk levels, such as Vernon County (3/10) and Iowa County (3.1/10), Door County holds its own as a measured, lower-volatility landlord market in Wisconsin.

The cities inside Door County

The highest-risk city in the county is Sturgeon Bay, which scores 3.1/10 and anchors the county seat with a population of 9,806, accounting for the majority of Door County's total tracked population of 12,846. Its risk score edges above the county average but remains in Low territory. Little Sturgeon follows at 3/10, and Sister Bay and Forestville each score 2.9/10. None of these cities post anything approaching a high-risk reading, but Sturgeon Bay's scale means it drives the most actual eviction volume in the county.

At the low-risk end, Ellison Bay scores 2.3/10, the most landlord-favorable reading in the county, followed by Ephraim at 2.5/10 and Egg Harbor at 2.7/10. These smaller communities, all under 400 residents, reflect the quieter, tourism-adjacent character of the northern peninsula. Baileys Harbor lands at 2.8/10. The spread from 2.3 to 3.1 across eight cities illustrates that even within a low-risk county, risk is hyper-local, and an investor evaluating Sturgeon Bay faces meaningfully different conditions than one targeting Ellison Bay or Ephraim.

State-level laws that apply here

Wisconsin state law, codified under Wis. Stat. § 704 (Landlord and Tenant), sets the procedural framework that every landlord in Door County operates under. For non-payment of rent, the required notice period is 5 days. Lease-violation notices require 14 days, and end-of-term or no-cause terminations require 30 days. Wisconsin does not require just cause for non-renewal, and the state preempts local rent control, meaning no Door County municipality can impose its own rent cap. Landlords must provide at least 12 hours advance notice before entering a unit under Wis. Stat. § 704.07. Understanding the full Wisconsin eviction process, from notice through lockout, is essential before pursuing any action.

On costs, court filing fees range from $95 to $175, sheriff lockout fees from $50 to $150, and attorney fees from $500 to $3,000 depending on case complexity. An uncontested eviction typically resolves in 21 to 45 days; a contested case can run 45 to 120 days. For a complete breakdown of what landlords will spend, the Wisconsin eviction costs guide covers each fee category in detail. Retaliatory eviction is governed by Wis. Stat. § 704.45, a provision landlords should be familiar with before serving any notice to a tenant who has recently complained about habitability.

With an average poverty rate of 11.3% and renters making up 36.8% of occupied housing, Door County's risk profile is driven more by its small, stable communities than by economic stress, a pattern visible across the city grid above.