Eagle County, Colorado Eviction Risk: Moderate

Eagle County carries an average eviction-risk score of 4.4/10 (Moderate) across its 12 cities, placing it at rank 16 of 64 Colorado counties. That standing means 15 counties statewide are riskier for landlords and 48 are more landlord-friendly, putting Eagle County solidly in the higher-risk third of Colorado eviction laws. With a total population of 47,378 and an average rent of $2,058, this is a high-cost mountain market where operating conditions are workable but not forgiving.

The intra-county spread, 4.3 to 4.9, is unusually wide for a county of this size, which matters a great deal to investors siting new acquisitions. The average rent burden sits at 37.8% of income, a level that keeps tenants financially stretched and raises the probability of payment disruptions during seasonal employment gaps. At 35% renter share, roughly one in three households is a potential tenant, a moderate-density rental pool that the resort economy can push toward saturation in winter and drain in summer.

The cities inside Eagle County

The highest-risk city in the county is Edwards at 4.9/10, a score driven in part by its resort-town tenant profile and a population of only 4,613 permanent residents who share a market with a large transient workforce. Close behind is Dotsero at 4.3/10 (population 1,306) and Minturn at 4.7/10. Gypsum, the county's second-largest city at 8,941 residents, posts a 5.6/10, reflecting its role as a working-class bedroom community for resort employees. The city of Eagle (population 7,442) scores 4.4/10, and Edwards, the county's most populous community at 10,785, lands at 5.1/10.

The friendlier end of the county tells a different story. Basalt comes in at 4.4/10, the lowest score in Eagle County, and Avon follows at 4.4/10 with a population of 5,972. El Jebel at 4.4/10 rounds out the low-risk cluster. Risk here is genuinely hyper-local: a landlord owning units in Basalt faces meaningfully different conditions than one owning in Vail, even though both addresses sit in the same county.

State-level laws that apply here

Colorado state law under C.R.S. § 38-12 (Tenants and Landlords) sets the procedural framework for every landlord in Eagle County. For nonpayment of rent or a material lease violation, Colorado requires a 10-day notice before filing; a substantial violation shortens that to 3 days. No-fault terminations for owner move-in or renovation require a full 90-day notice under HB24-1098. Colorado also mandates just cause to end most tenancies, a significant constraint compared with states that allow at-will non-renewal. Understanding the Colorado eviction process in full, including those notice requirements, is essential before serving any notice.

On cost, the Colorado eviction costs a landlord can expect to absorb include a court filing fee of $105 to $200, a sheriff lockout fee of $50 to $200, and attorney fees typically ranging from $750 to $3,500. An uncontested case resolves in roughly 21 to 45 days; a contested case stretches to 60 to 120 days. Source-of-income status is a protected class in Colorado under the Colorado Civil Rights Division, so screening on that basis carries fair-housing risk. Landlords planning for lease renewals and tenant screening should also review Colorado security deposit limits and Colorado tenant protections before operating here.

With an average poverty rate of 8.4% and renters making up 35% of households, Eagle County's risk profile is spread unevenly across its communities; the city-by-city scores in the grid above give the clearest picture of where conditions are tightest.