Clear Creek County, Colorado Eviction Risk: Moderate

Clear Creek County sits in the middle third of Colorado eviction laws's 64 counties for landlord-tenant friction, carrying a Moderate eviction risk score of 4.5/10. Twenty-one counties in the state rank riskier; 42 rank friendlier to landlords. With a total population of roughly 7,503 spread across nine communities in the high-country foothills west of Denver eviction risk, the rental market here is small but shaped by Colorado eviction laws's increasingly tenant-protective statutory framework.

The county's average rent of $1,588/month lands against an average rent burden of 32.2% of household income, which pushes a meaningful share of renters close to the financial edge. Only 27.5% of households rent rather than own, a figure consistent with mountain resort-adjacent communities where ownership is aspirational but purchasing is expensive. The average poverty rate of 9.9% adds another layer: households with thin margins are the most likely to fall behind on rent and face formal eviction proceedings. Georgetown, the county seat, scores a 5/10 and tops the county's riskiest-cities list. Fraser scores 4.8/10, Montezuma 4.7/10, Empire 4.6/10, and Floyd Hill 4.4/10. Idaho Springs, the county's largest community at roughly 1,986 residents, scores 4.3/10. Silver Plume and Downieville-Lawson-Dumont both come in at 4.1/10, anchoring the lower end.

Colorado eviction laws's statutory environment is the primary driver behind any eviction complexity landlords face here. Under C.R.S. § 38-12 (Tenants and Landlords), landlords must provide 48 hours' notice before entry, and the retaliation prohibition at C.R.S. § 38-12-509 creates litigation exposure if an eviction follows a tenant complaint. Habitability obligations under C.R.S. § 38-12-503 are enforceable by tenants as a defense to nonpayment actions. Critically, just cause is required to terminate a tenancy under HB24-1098, and no-fault terminations for owner move-in or renovation require a 90-day notice under C.R.S. 13-40-104. Court filing fees run $105 to $200, sheriff lockout fees $50 to $200, and attorney costs for a contested case can reach $3,500. An uncontested case typically resolves in 21 to 45 days; a contested one stretches 60 to 120 days. Source-of-income discrimination is also prohibited statewide, enforced through the Colorado Civil Rights Division, which means a landlord cannot reject an otherwise-qualified tenant solely because they pay with a housing voucher.

Scores across Clear Creek County's nine tracked communities range from a low of 4/10 in Upper Bear Creek to a high of 5/10 in Georgetown, reflecting Colorado's uniform statewide statutory floor rather than sharp local ordinance differences within the county.