Chaffee County, Colorado Eviction Risk: Moderate

Chaffee County sits in the Arkansas River valley roughly 130 miles southwest of Denver, a high-altitude stretch that includes the resort town of Buena Vista, the county seat of Salida, and a handful of smaller communities along U.S. 285. Its 10,662 residents live in a rental market where average monthly rent runs $1,559 and roughly 39.5% of households rent rather than own. That renter share, combined with an average poverty rate of 13.2% and a rent burden averaging 31.7% of income, puts meaningful financial pressure on tenants and creates the conditions that drive eviction filings.

The county's average eviction risk score is 4.5/10 (Moderate), placing Chaffee at rank 21 of 64 Colorado counties -- in the higher-risk third of the state, with 20 counties scoring worse and 43 scoring better. The range within the county is notable: Buena Vista leads at 4.9/10 and Nathrop follows at 4.7/10, while Poncha Springs and Smeltertown sit at the low end of the range at 3.9/10. Salida, the largest community at 5,861 residents, scores 4.4/10. That spread of 3.9 to 4.9 across eight tracked cities tells a story of localized pressure -- Buena Vista's tourism economy and tight housing stock push conditions toward the riskier end, while smaller communities with less rental activity see lower scores. Landlords operating across multiple Chaffee addresses face real variation in risk even within a single county.

Colorado eviction laws's tenant-protection framework adds meaningful legal weight to every filing in Chaffee County. Under C.R.S. § 38-12 (Tenants and Landlords), landlords must have just cause to terminate a tenancy. No-fault terminations for owner move-in or renovation require a 90-day notice under C.R.S. 13-40-104 (HB24-1098), a requirement that extends timelines well beyond what landlords in many other states face. Nonpayment of rent and material lease violations each trigger a 10-day notice under C.R.S. 13-40-104(1)(d) and (1)(e). A substantial violation drops that to 3 days under C.R.S. 13-40-107.5. Landlords must give 48 hours' notice before entry per the habitability statute at C.R.S. § 38-12-503. Court filing fees run $105 to $200, sheriff lockout fees add $50 to $200, and contested evictions routinely run 60 to 120 days with attorney costs between $750 and $3,500. Source-of-income discrimination is prohibited statewide, and the Colorado eviction laws Civil Rights Division handles fair-housing complaints. Colorado eviction laws also does not preempt local rent control, leaving room for municipalities to layer on additional tenant protections -- a factor worth monitoring as mountain-town housing markets stay tight.

Scores reflect the Eviction Risk Map research team's composite analysis of rent burden, poverty, renter share, legal framework, and local market data across all 8 tracked cities in Chaffee County, last updated June 2026.