This overview of eviction in Dane County appears in our Q2 EDDP Program Report for April - June 2025. Read the full Q2 2025 Report here, and last quarter's eviction overview here.

Eviction filings slowed in Dane County during the past three months, according to the latest Tenant Resource Center data. Despite fewer filings, the number of eviction judgments held steady.

Landlords filed for 601 evictions between April 1st and June 30th, a 25% drop from the previous quarter. Most evictions (84%) were ultimately dismissed, with more than half of dismissals resulting from stipulated dismissal agreements between landlords and tenants.

These agreements, which can result in an eviction judgment if a tenant does not comply with its terms, accounted for a much greater proportion of dismissals this quarter compared to previous quarters. While most tenants did not default on their stipulations, nearly a quarter did, and these defaults, taken together with judgments awarded at a hearing or trial, meant the same or greater number of tenants had judgments entered against them when compared to previous quarters.

A judgment authorizes a sheriff to forcibly remove tenants from their home. In all, 157 households received judgments, including 72 who received default judgments after not appearing at a hearing or trial.

TRC distributed $5,604,455 in rent and utilities this quarter, provided nocost legal representation for 61 households, and had staff and mediators present for 1,500 initial appearances and trials.

Roughly 590 unique households faced eviction this past quarter, with 9 households receiving two eviction filings during this period. One household received three filings in as many months. While most tenants facing eviction this quarter were in eviction court for the first time, at least 23 percent of tenants had been to eviction court at least one other time since 2024.

Like past quarters, the vast majority (83%) of these households faced eviction solely because of non-payment of rent. The average amount owed at the time of filing totaling was $3,534 - a lower amount than in previous quarters. Landlords filed for as little as $328. The remaining cases were filed either due to other lease violations, “holding over” past the end of their lease term, or a combination of reasons.

The EDDP program’s partner attorneys defended 10% of tenants this quarter and attended 253 hearings and trials. Only 1% of tenants who were represented obtained an attorney through a non-EDDP partner organization, underscoring the vast need the program’s legal services fill. Landlords were represented by an attorney in 37% of all filings this quarter.

Partner attorneys filed 103 motions to redact this quarter, with every motion granted. These motions remove tenant names from CCAP, the Wisconsin online court database, which landlords routinely search when evaluating potential tenants. Redactions help lower barriers to housing for tenants who have receieved an eviction filing.

While 274 unique landlords filed for eviction this year, the top 10 evictors accounted for more than a quarter of all evictions. The top evictors this quarter are listed below.

Some additional key takeaways & evictions by the numbers:

• 83% of households faced eviction solely because of unpaid rent. An additional 6% were because of both unpaid rent & other lease violations. 6% were solely filed for tenants holding over, while the remaining 3% were for various lease violations
• 601 evictions were filed in between April and June of 2025 involving 590 unique renter households.
• Landlords were represented by an attorney in 37% of all filings. Tenants were represented by an attorney in 10% of all filings
• More than half of evictions were filed after a 5-day notice was given, the minimum amount of time legally allowed in Wisconsin