In court-decided eviction outcomes for Crested Butte, CO, tenants prevail in roughly 36.1% of contested cases. A higher number means landlords face stronger tenant defenses, longer calendars, and more required documentation, and landlord-friendliness drops as this rises.
Timeline
107d
filing → judgment
From the moment an unlawful-detainer notice is filed in Crested Butte, CO until a money judgment is entered, a contested eviction takes about 107 days on average. Longer timelines mean more lost rent and higher carry costs for landlords.
Cost range
$4.9–11.2k
legal + lost rent
A typical eviction in Crested Butte, CO costs landlords $4,924 to $11,211 all-in, covering court filing fees, process-server costs, attorney time, and lost rent during the calendar between filing and possession.
Average rent
$1,365
36% stretched on rent
Average gross rent in Crested Butte, CO is $1,365 per month per the U.S. Census American Community Survey (5-year 2023). 36% of renter households here spend more than 30% of pre-tax income on rent, the federal cost-burden threshold.
Renters
31.6%
of households
31.6% of occupied housing units in Crested Butte, CO are renter-occupied (vs owner-occupied). A higher renter share usually correlates with more eviction filings, more turnover, and a more active rental market.
Poverty
5.9%
5.4% unemp.
5.9% of Crested Butte, CO residents live below the federal poverty line, and unemployment runs at 5.4%. Both feed into the economic-stress sub-score in our Eviction Risk Score model because rent payment problems track poverty + joblessness more reliably than any other single signal.
Time machine
Scrub 50 years
197619861996200620162026
2026
● LIVE · today◀ REPLAY · historical
Nine-axis profile
9-axis profile · today
Shape of the risk surface
1 landlord · 10 tenant
Sub-scores · with sparkline
Where the score comes from
1 → 10 scale
Local political climate
Dem margin +29.2% (2024)
6.9
Regional political climate
County-weighted neighbor mix
6.9
State political climate
Colorado legislature & governorship
4.7
Economic stress
5.9% poverty · 5.4% unemp.
5.2
Supply constraint
$1,365 average · 31.6% renters
7.7
Rent Control risk
36.1% of income on rent
8.3
Eviction process difficulty
107 days filing → judgment
4.0
Tenant organizing strength
31.6% renters
7.3
Housing court bias
County bench composition
5.9
Geographic context
Risk heat across Crested Butte and the region
Click any city to see its score
How Crested Butte compares
Risk score vs. peers, county, state, and the U.S.
Rank in Gunnison County
High
#2of 5 cities
#2 of 5 cities in Gunnison County for landlord eviction risk.
Rank in Colorado
High
#91of 479 cities
#91 of 479 cities in Colorado for landlord eviction risk.
vs. county · state · U.S.
Score story
Six-stop tour of the risk profile
4.6
/ 10 · MODERATE
The verdict
A Moderate-tier market.
Composite 4.6/10. Mid-range market; standard documentation usually wins. The 50-year curve shows a sharp climb.
50-yr trend+2.7 over 50 yr
197620012026
Steepening since 2010 · COVID inflection visible
107d
Typical timeline
The money
What renting (and evicting) looks like.
Rent published at $1,365/mo. A contested eviction takes 107 days and costs $4,924–$11,211 per case.
50-yr trendCalendar drag rising since '15
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
31.6%
Renters
The renters
Who you'll be renting to.
Out of 1,229 residents, 31.6% rent. 36% are spending 30%+ income on rent, 5.9% below the poverty line.
50-yr trendRenter share rising
197620012026
ACS 1970-present · once the migration overlay is in.
6.9
Local + regional
The politics
Mid-range climate. Not a coastal market.
Local & regional political climate score 6.9 and 6.9 (Dem margin +29.2% (2024)). State climate at 4.7, a mid-range statehouse.
50-yr trendTracks county vote margin
197620012026
Built on 50-yr presidential margins back to 1976.
4.7
State politics
The process
Moderate calendar, moderate friction.
State political climate 4.7/10 sets the legislative ceiling for landlord remedies, and it shows up in the process. Eviction process difficulty reads 4, housing court bias 5.9, rent-control risk 8.3. Standard process speed for the state.
50-yr trendProcess difficulty +-1.0 since '00
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
5.2
Economic stress
The stress
Economic pressure is the background risk.
Economic stress: 5.2. Supply constraint: 7.7. The numbers behind those: 5.9% poverty, 5.4% unemployment, 36% of income on rent.
50-yr trendTwo visible dips · '08 + COVID
197620012026
Mirrors BLS unemployment series.
US eviction landscape · timeline × all-in cost
Crested Butte sits in the slow & expensive quadrant
Bubble size = population · color = risk score
Crested Butte · 107d · ~$8.1k all-in ($75/day) · score 4.6National average: 58d · $4.6k all-inHover any bubble for stats · click to openColor: 0–4 4–7 7–10
Landlording in Crested Butte, Colorado, presents a manageable operating environment for documented landlords. The Eviction Risk Score is 4.6/10 (MODERATE tier), drawn from the nine sub-axes shown above, covering rent-control exposure, eviction-process difficulty, housing-court bias, tenant-organizing strength, supply constraint, economic stress, and local, regional, and state political climate. This is not a quick-fix market: it's a Mid-tier market where lease drafting, screening discipline, and well-documented notices materially change outcomes.
Crested Butte is a city of 1,229 residents where 31.6% of occupied units are renter-occupied, and the typical renter spends 36.1% of income on rent. At an average rent of $1,365/month, the typical renter household here spends more than the federal 30% threshold on housing, a leading indicator of payment volatility and a precondition for the kinds of tenant defenses that show up most often in housing court.
01Process
How Crested Butte eviction process actually works
Eviction process difficulty here reads 4/10, a number that combines statutory complexity (notice categories, just-cause rules, mandatory pre-filing disclosures) with operational realities (court calendar length and clerk responsiveness). The typical contested filing in Crested Butte closes 107 days after the initial notice. For non-payment of rent the first step is a properly-formatted, properly-served pay-or-quit notice; for material lease breaches it's a cure-or-quit; for tenancies under just-cause protection an at-fault grounds notice (or a no-fault notice with statutory relocation assistance) is required.
The slow part of Crested Butte's timeline is usually the calendar, not the motion practice. Housing court bias scores 5.9/10 here, meaning judges read borderline procedural defects in the tenant's favor more often than the national norm. The practical implication: every notice and every proof of service needs to be airtight before it gets filed.
02Cost
What it costs (and how long it takes)
An all-in eviction in Crested Butte runs $4,924 to $11,211 per case once you account for filing fees, attorney time, lost rent during pendency, sheriff lockout, and unit turnover. That range is wide because the upper bound assumes a tenant answer plus motion practice, common when housing court bias is high. The lower bound assumes a default judgment after proper service.
For landlords running the numbers on holding costs vs. cash-for-keys: if your projected timeline times your monthly rent already exceeds the high-end cost number, cash-for-keys at 1–2 months' rent is typically the economically rational choice. With 107 days of typical timeline and $1,365/month in lost rent, that crossover happens fast here.
03Operations
Security deposits, screening, and lease terms
Tenant organizing strength scores 7.3/10 in Crested Butte, and the city sits at the top of the rent control risk spectrum (8.3/10). Operations practice that survives audit in this environment looks like:
Screening discipline. Document income (verified at 2.5 to 3x rent), credit (with a clear minimum), and prior-tenancy reference checks, but do not screen on protected categories or source-of-income where banned. Keep a written, consistent screening criteria document for every applicant.
Lease specificity. Use a state-specific lease that names every term clearly: rent due date, late fees within statutory caps, deposit handling, smoke and CO disclosure, lead paint disclosure (pre-1978 stock), and a clean attorney's-fees clause.
Security deposit handling. Itemize deductions within the statutory window. Photograph move-in/move-out condition. In Colorado, deposit cap and refund window are statute, so exceed them at your own risk.
Mid-tenancy documentation. Keep date-stamped records of every rent receipt, every habitability request, every notice served. The day you need them in court is too late to start.
04Strategy
What an everyday landlord should actually do here
If you own one to four units in Crested Butte: hire a property manager who knows the local court. The pricing differential between self-managing and hiring out is small relative to the cost of one botched eviction in a MODERATE tier market. If you own five or more: build relationships with a local landlord-side attorney before you need one, since retainer fees are negligible compared to emergency-rate billing when an eviction is already moving.
The avoidable mistakes here are all upstream of the filing: weak screening, an informal lease, sloppy rent receipts, and notice templates pulled off the internet that don't match Colorado's statutory language. Fix those four, and most cases settle or default. Skip them, and a $11,211 all-in fight is the realistic worst case.
04bPractical traps
Local traps to avoid in Crested Butte
Trap · 8.3/10
The 4.7/10 score weighs nine sub-factors including political climate, court bias, supply constraint, and tenant organizing strength. Crested Butte's rent-control-risk sub-score is 8.3/10, driven by demographic and political pressure for tenant relief.
05FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Q1
Can I charge whatever I want for a security deposit in Crested Butte?
No. Colorado state law caps security deposits at 2.00 months' rent. For Crested Butte, with a average rent of $1,365, that means a maximum of $2,730. Make sure you don't exceed this limit.
Q2
How long do I have to return a security deposit in Colorado?
You have 30 days after the tenant moves out to return the security deposit or provide a written itemized statement of deductions. You can extend this to 60 days if explicitly stated in your lease agreement. Missing this deadline can have serious financial penalties.
Q3
Do I need a lawyer to evict a tenant in Crested Butte?
While you can technically represent yourself in an eviction case, it's highly recommended to hire an attorney. The eviction process has strict legal requirements, and even minor errors can lead to delays or dismissal of your case, costing you more in the long run. Given the typical cost range of $4,924, $11,211, an attorney is a wise investment.
Q4
Can I deny a tenant because they use a Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8)?
No. Colorado has statewide source-of-income protection. This means you cannot refuse to rent to someone solely because they use a Housing Choice Voucher or other legal forms of income. You can, however, still screen them based on other criteria like credit history, rental history, and criminal background, as long as your criteria are applied consistently to all applicants.
Q5
What if my tenant just stops paying rent and disappears?
You still need to follow the proper eviction process. You can't just change the locks. Serve the 10-day pay-or-quit notice. If they don't respond, you can file for an Unlawful Detainer. The court will likely grant you a default judgment. Document that they've abandoned the property, but always go through the legal channels to regain possession to avoid legal liability.
A 4.6/10 places Crested Butte in the 84th percentile of Colorado cities on the Eviction Risk Score index. The score is the average of the nine sub-axes, all calibrated on a national 1 to 10 scale where 1 is most landlord-friendly and 10 is most tenant-protective. The 50-year reconstruction shows this score has risen sharply since 1976, a structural drift driven by court-calendar growth, rent-control adoption, and the rise of tenant-side legal aid. The trajectory matters more than the snapshot: the score is the climate, not the weather.
Cities with similar eviction risk to Crested Butte (4.6/10)
Same risk band nationally · click any city for its full breakdown.
