Estimated values: The U.S. Census suppresses field-level data for small places. Estimated from county average, pop-weighted from real underlying ACS data.
Tenant beats landlord
48.1%
/ 100 outcomes
In court-decided eviction outcomes for Mount Shasta, CA, tenants prevail in roughly 48.1% of contested cases. A higher number means landlords face stronger tenant defenses, longer calendars, and more required documentation, and landlord-friendliness drops as this rises.
Timeline
256d
filing → judgment
From the moment an unlawful-detainer notice is filed in Mount Shasta, CA until a money judgment is entered, a contested eviction takes about 256 days on average. Longer timelines mean more lost rent and higher carry costs for landlords.
Cost range
$15.2–35.1k
legal + lost rent
A typical eviction in Mount Shasta, CA costs landlords $15,230 to $35,097 all-in, covering court filing fees, process-server costs, attorney time, and lost rent during the calendar between filing and possession.
Average rent
$1,406
51% stretched on rent
Average gross rent in Mount Shasta, CA is $1,406 per month per the U.S. Census American Community Survey (5-year 2023). 51% of renter households here spend more than 30% of pre-tax income on rent, the federal cost-burden threshold.
Renters
47.9%
of households
47.9% of occupied housing units in Mount Shasta, CA are renter-occupied (vs owner-occupied). A higher renter share usually correlates with more eviction filings, more turnover, and a more active rental market.
Poverty
16.0%
9.0% unemp.
16.0% of Mount Shasta, CA residents live below the federal poverty line, and unemployment runs at 9.0%. Both feed into the economic-stress sub-score in our Eviction Risk Score model because rent payment problems track poverty + joblessness more reliably than any other single signal.
Time machine
Scrub 50 years
197619861996200620162026
2026
● LIVE · today◀ REPLAY · historical
Nine-axis profile
9-axis profile · today
Shape of the risk surface
1 landlord · 10 tenant
Sub-scores · with sparkline
Where the score comes from
1 → 10 scale
Local political climate
GOP margin +19.2% (2024)
4.8
Regional political climate
County-weighted neighbor mix
4.8
State political climate
California legislature & governorship
6.8
Economic stress
16.0% poverty · 9.0% unemp.
4.0
Supply constraint
$1,406 average · 47.9% renters
8.8
Rent Control risk
51.0% of income on rent
9.4
Eviction process difficulty
256 days filing → judgment
6.6
Tenant organizing strength
47.9% renters
9.2
Housing court bias
County bench composition
8.2
Geographic context
Risk heat across Mount Shasta and the region
Click any city to see its score
How Mount Shasta compares
Risk score vs. peers, county, state, and the U.S.
Rank in Siskiyou County
Very Low
#19of 23 cities
#19 of 23 cities in Siskiyou County for landlord eviction risk.
Rank in California
Very Low
#1497of 1,594 cities
#1497 of 1,594 cities in California for landlord eviction risk.
vs. county · state · U.S.
Score story
Six-stop tour of the risk profile
7
/ 10 · HIGH
The verdict
A High-tier market.
Composite 7/10. High statutory friction with active tenant counsel, so assume defenses on every filing. The 50-year curve shows a sharp climb.
50-yr trend+4.3 over 50 yr
197620012026
Steepening since 2010 · COVID inflection visible
256d
Typical timeline
The money
What renting (and evicting) looks like.
Rent published at $1,406/mo. A contested eviction takes 256 days and costs $15,230–$35,097 per case.
50-yr trendCalendar drag rising since '15
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
47.9%
Renters
The renters
Who you'll be renting to.
Out of 3,182 residents, 47.9% rent. 51% are spending 30%+ income on rent, 16.0% below the poverty line.
50-yr trendRenter share rising
197620012026
ACS 1970-present · once the migration overlay is in.
4.8
Local + regional
The politics
Mid-range climate. Not a coastal market.
Local & regional political climate score 4.8 and 4.8 (GOP margin +19.2% (2024)). State climate at 6.8, a mid-range statehouse.
50-yr trendTracks county vote margin
197620012026
Built on 50-yr presidential margins back to 1976.
6.8
State politics
The process
Long calendar, heavy friction.
State political climate 6.8/10 sets the legislative ceiling for landlord remedies, and it shows up in the process. Eviction process difficulty reads 6.6, housing court bias 8.2, rent-control risk 9.4. The slow part is the calendar, not the motion practice.
50-yr trendProcess difficulty +1.6 since '00
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
4
Economic stress
The stress
Economic pressure is the background risk.
Economic stress: 4. Supply constraint: 8.8. The numbers behind those: 16.0% poverty, 9.0% unemployment, 51% of income on rent.
50-yr trendTwo visible dips · '08 + COVID
197620012026
Mirrors BLS unemployment series.
US eviction landscape · timeline × all-in cost
Mount Shasta sits in the slow & expensive quadrant
Bubble size = population · color = risk score
Mount Shasta · 256d · ~$25.2k all-in ($98/day) · score 7National average: 58d · $4.6k all-inHover any bubble for stats · click to openColor: 0–4 4–7 7–10
Landlording in Mount Shasta, California, presents a high-friction environment where attorney involvement on every filing is the norm. The Eviction Risk Score is 7/10 (HIGH tier), drawn from the nine sub-axes shown above, covering rent-control exposure, eviction-process difficulty, housing-court bias, tenant-organizing strength, supply constraint, economic stress, and local, regional, and state political climate. This is not a quick-fix market: it's a High-friction landlord market where lease drafting, screening discipline, and well-documented notices materially change outcomes.
Mount Shasta is a city of 3,182 residents where 47.9% of occupied units are renter-occupied, and the typical renter spends 51.0% of income on rent. At an average rent of $1,406/month, the typical renter household here spends more than the federal 30% threshold on housing, a leading indicator of payment volatility and a precondition for the kinds of tenant defenses that show up most often in housing court.
01Process
How Mount Shasta eviction process actually works
Eviction process difficulty here reads 6.6/10, a number that combines statutory complexity (notice categories, just-cause rules, mandatory pre-filing disclosures) with operational realities (court calendar length and clerk responsiveness). The typical contested filing in Mount Shasta closes 256 days after the initial notice. For non-payment of rent the first step is a properly-formatted, properly-served pay-or-quit notice; for material lease breaches it's a cure-or-quit; for tenancies under just-cause protection an at-fault grounds notice (or a no-fault notice with statutory relocation assistance) is required.
The slow part of Mount Shasta's timeline is usually the calendar, not the motion practice. Housing court bias scores 8.2/10 here, meaning judges read borderline procedural defects in the tenant's favor more often than the national norm. The practical implication: every notice and every proof of service needs to be airtight before it gets filed.
02Cost
What it costs (and how long it takes)
An all-in eviction in Mount Shasta runs $15,230 to $35,097 per case once you account for filing fees, attorney time, lost rent during pendency, sheriff lockout, and unit turnover. That range is wide because the upper bound assumes a tenant answer plus motion practice, common when housing court bias is high. The lower bound assumes a default judgment after proper service.
For landlords running the numbers on holding costs vs. cash-for-keys: if your projected timeline times your monthly rent already exceeds the high-end cost number, cash-for-keys at 1–2 months' rent is typically the economically rational choice. With 256 days of typical timeline and $1,406/month in lost rent, that crossover happens fast here.
03Operations
Security deposits, screening, and lease terms
Tenant organizing strength scores 9.2/10 in Mount Shasta, and the city sits at the top of the rent control risk spectrum (9.4/10). Operations practice that survives audit in this environment looks like:
Screening discipline. Document income (verified at 2.5 to 3x rent), credit (with a clear minimum), and prior-tenancy reference checks, but do not screen on protected categories or source-of-income where banned. Keep a written, consistent screening criteria document for every applicant.
Lease specificity. Use a state-specific lease that names every term clearly: rent due date, late fees within statutory caps, deposit handling, smoke and CO disclosure, lead paint disclosure (pre-1978 stock), and a clean attorney's-fees clause.
Security deposit handling. Itemize deductions within the statutory window. Photograph move-in/move-out condition. In California, deposit cap and refund window are statute, so exceed them at your own risk.
Mid-tenancy documentation. Keep date-stamped records of every rent receipt, every habitability request, every notice served. The day you need them in court is too late to start.
04Strategy
What an everyday landlord should actually do here
If you own one to four units in Mount Shasta: hire a property manager who knows the local court. The pricing differential between self-managing and hiring out is small relative to the cost of one botched eviction in a HIGH tier market. If you own five or more: build relationships with a local landlord-side attorney before you need one, since retainer fees are negligible compared to emergency-rate billing when an eviction is already moving.
The avoidable mistakes here are all upstream of the filing: weak screening, an informal lease, sloppy rent receipts, and notice templates pulled off the internet that don't match California's statutory language. Fix those four, and most cases settle or default. Skip them, and a $35,097 all-in fight is the realistic worst case.
04bPractical traps
Local traps to avoid in Mount Shasta
Trap · AB 1482
Compare Mount Shasta to neighboring cities in Siskiyou County via the grid below. The 6.1/10 score is computed from nine sub-factors plus a state-law multiplier under AB 1482 + Costa-Hawkins. Siskiyou County 2020 presidential margin: R+15.8. Cross-reference the state overview link in the guides section for California statutory detail.
05FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Q1
Can I evict a tenant for any reason in Mount Shasta?
No. California is a statewide just-cause eviction state. After 12 months, you need a legally recognized reason to evict, such as non-payment of rent, lease violations, or specific no-fault reasons like an owner move-in (which often requires relocation assistance). You cannot evict without cause just because you want to.
Q2
How much can I charge for a security deposit in Mount Shasta?
You can charge up to 1.00 months' rent for an unfurnished unit as a security deposit in Mount Shasta, per California state law. This includes any "last month's rent" you might collect upfront.
Q3
What if my tenant claims their income source is protected?
California has statewide source-of-income protection. This means you cannot discriminate against a tenant or applicant based on their lawful source of income, such as Section 8 vouchers, disability payments, or social security. You must treat these income sources the same as traditional employment income.
Q4
How long do I have to return a security deposit?
You must return the security deposit, or an itemized statement of deductions, within 21 calendar days after the tenant moves out. Missing this deadline can result in penalties, including having to return the entire deposit even if you had valid deductions.
Q5
When should I call an attorney for an eviction?
As soon as a tenant fails to cure a notice (e.g., doesn't pay rent after a 3-day notice). The unlawful detainer process is complex and unforgiving. An experienced attorney can ensure proper procedures are followed, saving you significant time and money in the long run. Don't wait until you're deep into the court process.
Q6
Is "cash for keys" a good idea in Mount Shasta?
Often, yes. Given the typical eviction timeline of 256 days and costs up to $35,097, offering a tenant a few thousand dollars to vacate voluntarily and leave the property in good condition can be a much cheaper and faster solution than pursuing a full eviction through the courts. It's a business decision that can save you significant headaches.
A 7/10 places Mount Shasta in the 7th percentile of California cities on the Eviction Risk Score index. The score is the average of the nine sub-axes, all calibrated on a national 1 to 10 scale where 1 is most landlord-friendly and 10 is most tenant-protective. The 50-year reconstruction shows this score has risen sharply since 1976, a structural drift driven by court-calendar growth, rent-control adoption, and the rise of tenant-side legal aid. The trajectory matters more than the snapshot: the score is the climate, not the weather.
Cities with similar eviction risk to Mount Shasta (7/10)
Same risk band nationally · click any city for its full breakdown.
