Crowley County, Colorado Eviction Risk: Moderate

Crowley County sits in southeastern Colorado with a total population of 2,768 and an eviction risk score of 4.3/10 (Moderate), placing it 41st out of 64 Colorado counties. That rank puts 40 counties above it in risk - meaning most of Colorado presents a harder operating environment for landlords than Crowley does - while 23 counties are more landlord-friendly. The county is squarely in the middle third of the state, so operators here face a balanced but not trivial set of obligations under state law.

The largest city, Ordway (population 1,528), carries the highest local score at 4.5/10, driven by a combination of income constraints and tenant-protection requirements that apply statewide. Olney Springs and Sugar City each score 4.1/10, while the small community of Crowley itself scores 3.8/10 - the most landlord-favorable point in the county. Average rent across the county runs $994 per month, and renters here allocate an average of 35.7% of income to rent - well above the commonly cited 30% affordability threshold. Roughly 33% of households rent rather than own, and 19% of residents fall below the poverty line, both figures that sharpen the practical difficulty of collecting on judgments even when the legal process goes smoothly.

Colorado's eviction framework under C.R.S. § 38-12 (Tenants and Landlords) applies uniformly across every county in the state, including Crowley. Landlords must issue a 10-day notice for nonpayment of rent (C.R.S. 13-40-104(1)(d)) and an equal 10-day cure period for material lease violations (C.R.S. 13-40-104(1)(e)). A substantial violation - threats, violence, or significant property damage - shortens that window to 3 days under C.R.S. 13-40-107.5. Critically, Colorado now requires just cause to terminate any tenancy, and no-fault terminations for owner move-in or renovation require a 90-day advance notice under HB24-1098. Court filing fees run from $105 to $200, sheriff lockout fees from $50 to $200, and attorney fees typically fall between $750 and $3,500 for a contested case. Uncontested matters typically resolve in 21 to 45 days; contested evictions stretch to 60 to 120 days. Source-of-income is a protected class statewide - screening on that basis exposes landlords to complaints with the Colorado Civil Rights Division. Landlords must give 48 hours' notice before entry under C.R.S. § 38-12-503, and retaliatory conduct is prohibited under C.R.S. § 38-12-509.

Crowley County's Moderate score reflects a small, high-poverty renter population in a state with increasingly robust tenant protections - the legal costs and timeline risks of a contested filing here can exceed the value of a month's rent at local rates.