Plumas County, California Eviction Risk: High

Plumas County scores 7.3/10 (High) on the EvictionRiskMap scale, which puts it in a notable position for landlords operating in California: 41 of the state's 58 counties carry higher risk scores, placing Plumas in the lower-risk third statewide. That said, an Elevated rating still signals real friction, and the county's 34 tracked cities span a range of 6.6 to 7.8, meaning the difference between your chosen submarket and a neighboring town can shift your effective operating environment meaningfully.

With a total population of roughly 13,140 and an average rent of $1,217, Plumas is a thin, rural market. Just 30.2% of residents rent, so vacancy exposure and tenant turnover dynamics differ sharply from dense urban California eviction laws counties. Rent burden averages 38% of income, a figure that tracks closely with elevated delinquency risk during any income disruption, even in markets that look low-risk on other dimensions. Wise positioning inside the county matters more than the county average alone suggests. This is precisely the kind of environment where working with a professional property manager, who knows local vacancy patterns and tenant screening norms, can protect returns that a remote self-manager would erode.

The cities inside Plumas County

The riskiest submarket in the county is Portola, which scores 7.8/10. With a population of 2,441, Portola is the county's second-largest city and its highest-risk one, a combination that concentrates landlord exposure. Chester follows at 7/10 with 1,759 residents, and Keddie and Twain each come in at 6.7/10. These four communities represent the elevated-friction tier within an already Elevated-rated county, where tenant protections, local economic stress, and case-management timelines compound each other.

On the lower end of the county's range, Graeagle scores 6.9/10, and Lake Almanor Country Club and Lake Almanor West each come in at 7.7/10. East Quincy, the county's largest city at 2,723 residents, sits exactly at the county average of 7.3/10. Quincy (7.8/10, population 1,317) occupies a middle position. The point is simple: a one-point spread across a single county is enough to materially alter your risk profile, so city-level due diligence is not optional in Plumas.

State-level laws that apply here

Every property in Plumas County operates under California eviction laws state law, which imposes a layered set of landlord obligations. For non-payment of rent, a curable lease violation, or an incurable violation such as nuisance or substantial damage, California eviction laws requires a 3-day notice before filing (CCP § 1161). No-cause terminations require 30 days notice for tenancies under one year or 60 days for tenancies of one year or more (Civ. Code § 1946.1). Under AB 1482, just cause is required to terminate most tenancies (CA Civil Code § 1946.2), and rent increases are capped at 5% plus CPI, maximum 10% (Cal. Civ. Code § 1947.12). Understanding the full California eviction laws eviction process before you act is essential, because procedural missteps restart the clock entirely.

On the cost side, the California eviction costs landlords face in a contested case are substantial. Court filing fees run $240 to $435, sheriff lockout fees add $75 to $145, and attorney fees typically range from $1,500 to $4,500. An uncontested case resolves in 35 to 60 days, while a contested matter can stretch to 75 to 180 days. California security deposit limits and California tenant protections under the Civil Rights Department (CRD) also apply statewide, including source-of-income protections and restrictions on blanket criminal-history bans under FEHA. Landlords unfamiliar with these rules should review them before placing a tenant in any Plumas County property.

With a poverty rate of 13.7% and only 30.2% of the county renting, Plumas County is a small, economically constrained rental market; the city-by-city grid above shows where within that market the risk concentrations actually sit.