Huerfano County, Colorado Eviction Risk: Moderate

Huerfano County sits in the high plains and Culebra Range foothills of southern Colorado, home to roughly 5,510 residents spread across 10 communities. The Eviction Risk Map scores the county at 4.8/10 (Moderate), placing it 6th of 64 Colorado counties - meaning only five counties in the state carry higher eviction risk for landlords. That ranking puts Huerfano firmly in the higher-risk third of Colorado, a designation driven by a combination of income pressure, a meaningful renter population, and statewide tenant protections that have expanded significantly since 2021.

The county's economic picture sharpens the risk. Average rent across Huerfano's cities runs $741 per month, and renters here spend an average of 32.8% of income on housing - well above the conventional 30% threshold where households start making trade-offs between rent and necessities. 20.1% of residents live below the poverty line, and renters make up 33.9% of occupied housing units. That combination - moderate rents relative to the state, but incomes too thin to absorb them easily - is the core driver of eviction exposure here. Walsenburg, the county seat and largest community at 3,072 residents, scores 5/10 and is the county's highest-risk city outright. Beulah Valley and Lynn each score 4.7/10, while Aguilar comes in at 4.6/10. On the lower end, Segundo records the county's most landlord-favorable score at 3.9/10.

Colorado's landlord-tenant framework under C.R.S. § 38-12 has become materially more tenant-protective over the past several years. Just cause is now required for eviction terminations, and HB24-1098 extended no-fault termination notice requirements to 90 days for owner move-in or renovation scenarios - one of the longer notice windows in the country for that category. For nonpayment, landlords must serve a 10-day notice under C.R.S. 13-40-104(1)(d) before filing. Court filing fees run $105 to $200, sheriff lockout fees add $50 to $200, and attorney costs for a contested case typically land between $750 and $3,500. Uncontested cases resolve in roughly 21 to 45 days; contested matters stretch to 60 to 120 days. Colorado also prohibits preemption of local rent control, meaning municipalities in Huerfano County could theoretically enact their own caps - though none currently have. Source of income is a protected class under the state's fair housing rules, administered by the Colorado Civil Rights Division, which affects how landlords screen applicants who pay with housing vouchers.

Scores across Huerfano County's 10 tracked communities range from 3.9/10 in Segundo to 5/10 in Walsenburg, a narrow band that reflects relatively uniform economic conditions across a rural county with limited city-to-city variation in income or housing stock.