Calaveras County, California Eviction Risk: High

Calaveras County carries an average eviction-risk score of 7.3/10 (High) across its 19 tracked cities, placing it at rank 45 of 58 California counties, meaning 44 counties in the state are riskier and only 13 are more landlord-friendly. For landlords in California, that positioning puts Calaveras solidly in the lower-risk third of the state, a meaningful advantage over the high-pressure coastal and Central Valley markets. Still, moderate is not frictionless: eviction timelines under California law are real constraints, and the county's relatively low renter share of 15.3% means tenant turnover events carry outsized weight on cash flow.

Within the county, risk is not uniform. City-level scores range from 6.6 to 7.7, a full 1.2-point spread that makes location selection matter as much as due diligence on any individual deal. Average rent runs $1,704 per month, and the average rent-burden rate sits at 34%, indicating that a meaningful share of renters are stretching to cover housing costs, which can translate to payment-stress risk in economic downturns.

The cities inside Calaveras County

The highest-risk locations in the county are La Grange and Knights Ferry, each scoring 6.6/10, followed by Murphys (population 1,951) and Tuttletown, both at 7.7/10. San Andreas (population 2,979) and Valley Springs round out the upper tier at 7.6/10 each. These communities are smaller and more economically exposed, and landlords operating there should underwrite conservatively, factoring in the full range of California eviction costs before acquiring.

At the other end of the spectrum, Angels (population 3,716) is the county's most landlord-friendly market with the lowest score of 4.7/10. The county seat area around San Andreas and the larger bedroom community of Rancho Calaveras (population 7,131, score 7.2/10) represent mid-range risk. Because a single zip code can sit in a very different risk tier than the one next to it, investors should evaluate each city individually rather than relying on the county average.

State-level laws that apply here

Every landlord in Calaveras County operates under California state law regardless of local ordinances. For non-payment of rent, a curable lease violation, or an incurable violation such as nuisance or substantial damage, the notice period is 3 days under CCP § 1161. No-cause terminations require 30 days notice for tenancies under one year or 60 days for tenancies of one year or more under Civ. Code § 1946.1, and just-cause no-fault terminations (owner move-in, withdrawal, substantial remodel) also require 60 days under Civ. Code § 1946.2. AB 1482 imposes a statewide rent cap of 5% plus CPI, maximum 10% and requires just cause for termination on covered units. Understanding the full California eviction process, from notice through lockout, is essential because an uncontested case takes 35 to 60 days and a contested case can stretch 75 to 180 days.

On the cost side, California eviction costs include a court filing fee of $240 to $435, a sheriff lockout fee of $75 to $145, and attorney fees typically ranging from $1,500 to $4,500. Landlords should also be aware that California security deposit limits and California tenant protections under the California Civil Rights Department (CRD) govern screening practices statewide, including source-of-income protections and application fee caps adjusted annually under CC § 1950.6. Landlords who underestimate these statutory obligations tend to absorb both direct costs and opportunity costs when proceedings go sideways.

With a poverty rate of 13.7% and a renter share of just 15.3%, Calaveras County is a thin rental market where tenant financial fragility is real, making city-level risk differentiation, shown in the grid above, the most reliable tool landlords have for managing exposure.