Mariposa County, California Eviction Risk: High

Mariposa County carries an average eviction-risk score of 5.3/10 (Moderate) across its 16 scored cities, placing it at rank 50 of 58 California counties, meaning 49 counties in the state are riskier and only 8 are less risky. For landlords and investors, that translates to operating conditions that are measurably more manageable than most of California, though the county is far from frictionless. Rent burden averages 34.9% of household income, renter share sits at 47.7%, and a poverty rate of 19.9% tells you that tenant financial stress is real and non-payment events are a genuine planning consideration.

The intra-county score range stretches from 4.3 to 6/10, a meaningful spread for a rural county with a total population of roughly 7,998. An average rent of $1,638 is relatively high against the local income base, which partly explains why rent burden is elevated despite the county's generally moderate risk profile. Investors accustomed to California's coastal markets will find the regulatory environment here lighter, but the economic fragility of the tenant pool still warrants conservative underwriting.

The cities inside Mariposa County

Risk within the county concentrates in a handful of communities. Bootjack is the highest-risk city at 6/10, the only locality in the county reaching that threshold. The county seat, Mariposa (population 1,137), scores 5.6/10, making it the second-riskiest and the most likely location for any investor deploying rental capital in the county. Yosemite Valley, the largest community by population at 1,991, comes in at 5.5/10, the same score shared by Greeley Hill, Wawona, and Coulterville. Risk is genuinely hyper-local here: a few miles of elevation or a different water district can shift operating conditions by more than a full point.

At the lower end, Catheys Valley scores 4.3/10, the most landlord-favorable city in the county and among the more favorable in this part of California. Bear Valley registers 5/10 and Lake Don Pedro 5.1/10. Investors who want the quieter end of the county's risk spectrum will find their opportunities concentrated in these western foothill communities rather than the gateway-to-Yosemite corridor.

State-level laws that apply here

Every landlord in Mariposa County operates under California state law regardless of the city. For nonpayment of rent or a curable lease violation, the required notice is 3 days under CCP § 1161(2) and CCP § 1161(3). No-cause terminations require 30 days for tenancies under one year or 60 days for tenancies of one year or more under Civ. Code § 1946.1; just-cause no-fault terminations (owner move-in, substantial remodel, withdrawal from rental market) also require 60 days under Civ. Code § 1946.2. Understanding the California eviction process from notice through lockout is essential before acquiring any rental here, because the state's timelines add up quickly: an uncontested case runs 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 for a litigated matter. AB 1482 imposes a rent cap of 5% plus CPI, up to 10% annually on qualifying multi-unit buildings under Cal. Civ. Code § 1947.12, and just cause for termination is required under CA Civil Code § 1946.2 for covered units. California security deposit limits and the screening rules administered by the California Civil Rights Department add further compliance layers every Mariposa County landlord must track.

With a poverty rate of 19.9% and nearly half of all households renting, the city grid above is the sharpest tool available for pinpointing where within Mariposa County your specific submarket falls on the risk spectrum.