Costilla County, Colorado Eviction Risk: Moderate

Costilla County sits in the high-altitude San Luis Valley of southern Colorado, serving a total population of roughly 1,342 residents across five communities. With an overall eviction risk score of 4.6/10, the county lands in the higher-risk third of Colorado, ranking 9th of 64 counties statewide - meaning only 8 counties carry a heavier landlord burden. That placement is partly a reflection of the county's deep affordability strain: average rent runs $962 per month, yet the average rent burden reaches 33.4% of household income, and the poverty rate stands at 31.5%. Renter households make up 35.6% of all occupied units, a share that concentrates eviction-law exposure into a meaningful slice of the local population.

Within the county, risk is not uniform. Stonewall Gap tops the local chart at 5/10, followed by San Acacio at 4.8/10. The county seat and largest community, San Luis (population 560), scores 4.5/10 - the most landlord-favorable reading in the county, though still squarely in Moderate territory. Fort Garland (population 446) and Blanca (population 230) each score 4.7/10. Landlords with properties across multiple towns should note that no community here falls below 4.5, so the floor for legal and financial exposure is consistent throughout the county.

Colorado's statutory framework under C.R.S. § 38-12 shapes the landlord-tenant relationship in meaningful ways. The state now requires just-cause for most evictions, and HB24-1098 extended no-fault termination notice to 90 days for owner move-in or renovation situations - one of the longer advance-notice requirements in the region. Nonpayment and material lease violations each carry a 10-day cure notice under C.R.S. 13-40-104(1)(d) and (e), while a substantial-violation notice can be as short as 3 days under C.R.S. 13-40-107.5. Court filing fees range from $105 to $200, sheriff lockout fees from $50 to $200, and attorney fees typically run $750 to $3,500 depending on case complexity. An uncontested proceeding generally resolves in 21 to 45 days; a contested case stretches to 60 to 120 days. Colorado also protects source of income as a fair-housing class through the Colorado Civil Rights Division, which means a blanket no-voucher policy is unlawful statewide - a point particularly relevant in a high-poverty county like Costilla where housing assistance participation tends to be elevated.

Costilla County's Moderate risk score reflects the combined weight of a high poverty rate, above-average rent burden, and Colorado eviction laws's increasingly tenant-protective statutory environment - factors that together extend eviction timelines and raise the cost of landlord errors.