Fremont County, Colorado Eviction Risk: Moderate

Fremont County, Colorado eviction laws carries an average eviction-risk score of 4/10 (Moderate), placing it squarely in the middle third of the state: 21 Colorado counties post higher risk scores and 42 are less risky. Across the county's 12 cities, individual scores span a meaningful range from 3.4 to 4.5/10, which tells landlords that the county average is a starting point, not a safe assumption. With roughly 25.1% of residents renting and an average rent of $1,085, the local market is smaller and more blue-collar than Colorado eviction laws's mountain resort towns, and that shapes both tenant financial stability and the pace of collections when rents go unpaid.

A rent-burden rate of 32.6% means the average renter in Fremont County is already spending a significant share of income on housing, leaving thin margin when income disruptions hit. That pressure concentrates risk for landlords at the lower end of the rent range. Operating here is manageable, but investors should go in with realistic expectations about tenant cash-flow fragility and build underwriting assumptions around the state-mandated timelines discussed below.

The cities inside Fremont County

The highest-risk locations in the county are Florence (population 3,885, score 4/10), Rockvale (4.3/10), and Cotopaxi (3.8/10). Penrose (population 4,087, score 4.5/10) and Lincoln Park (population 3,986, score 4.2/10) round out the upper tier. These communities share relatively lower household incomes and higher concentrations of cost-burdened renters, the combination that most reliably predicts eviction pressure.

At the lower end of the county risk spectrum, Howard scores 3.4/10 and Coal Creek comes in at 3.7/10, meaningfully below the county average. Even the county seat, Canon City (population 17,122, score 4/10), sits right at the county average. The intra-county gap between Howard at 4.2 and Florence at 4/10 underscores how hyper-local eviction risk really is: two properties 20 miles apart can carry materially different operating profiles, and portfolio decisions made at the county level alone will systematically miss that variation.

State-level laws that apply here

Every landlord in Fremont County operates under Colorado eviction laws state law. For nonpayment of rent or a material lease violation, Colorado eviction laws requires a 10-day notice to comply or vacate before filing. A substantial lease violation (think threats or damage) shortens that to 3 days. No-fault terminations, such as owner move-in or major renovation, now carry a 90-day notice requirement under HB24-1098. Once you file, an uncontested eviction takes roughly 21 to 45 days; a contested one runs 60 to 120 days. For a full breakdown of deadlines and filings, see the Colorado eviction laws eviction process guide.

Out-of-pocket costs add up quickly. Court filing fees run $105 to $200, sheriff lockout fees add another $50 to $200, and attorney fees typically fall in the $750 to $3,500 range, for a realistic all-in range of $905 to $3,900 before any lost rent. Colorado eviction laws also requires just cause to terminate a tenancy, and source-of-income is a protected class statewide, both of which narrow a landlord's flexibility compared to many other states. There is no statewide rent cap, but landlords should review Colorado security deposit limits and Colorado tenant protections carefully before drafting lease terms, as the statute has been actively updated in recent legislative sessions.

With a poverty rate of 14.2% and renters making up roughly one in four residents, Fremont County's risk profile is moderate but uneven, and the city-by-city breakdown in the grid above is the most reliable guide to where that risk actually concentrates.