Ouray County, Colorado Eviction Risk: Moderate

Ouray County sits in the southwest corner of Colorado's San Juan Mountains, a county of 3,412 residents where the rental market is small but notable. The county earns a Moderate eviction risk score of 4.3/10, placing it 37th out of 64 Colorado eviction laws counties - meaning 36 counties carry higher risk and 27 are more landlord-friendly. That middle-third position is not an accident: Ouray's combination of a thin renter base, relatively high rents, and Colorado eviction laws's expanding statewide tenant protections all pull the score in competing directions.

Renters make up just 23.3% of the county's households - well below the state average - but those who do rent face an average monthly cost of $1,702 and an average rent burden of 37.3%, meaning the typical renter household spends more than a third of income on housing. The county's average poverty rate stands at 7.9%, modest by Colorado eviction laws standards, but that figure sits against a backdrop of limited rental inventory and a tourism-driven wage structure in the Ouray and Ridgway corridors. When a tenant falls behind in a market with few affordable alternatives, the eviction pressure is immediate. Across the county's 7 tracked communities, individual risk scores range from 3.8/10 in Placerville up to 4.7/10 in Ridgway - a spread that reflects real differences in local rental density and tenant demographics.

The statewide legal framework under C.R.S. § 38-12 (Tenants and Landlords) governs all landlord-tenant relationships in Ouray County. Colorado now requires just cause for most evictions, and no-fault terminations - such as owner move-in or renovation - require a 90-day written notice under C.R.S. 13-40-104 (HB24-1098). Nonpayment and material lease violations carry a 10-day cure notice under C.R.S. 13-40-104(1)(d)-(e), while a substantial violation shortens that window to 3 days under C.R.S. 13-40-107.5. Landlords must give 48 hours' notice before entry. Court filing fees run $105 to $200, sheriff lockout fees add another $50 to $200, and contested evictions with attorney representation typically cost $750 to $3,500 in legal fees. An uncontested case can close in 21 to 45 days; a contested matter often runs 60 to 120 days. Colorado does not preempt local rent control, and source-of-income is a protected class under the Colorado Civil Rights Division's fair housing authority. Landlords operating in Ouray County should treat every notice timeline and fee threshold as binding - the small-county informality that sometimes marks rural Colorado courts does not apply to the statutory framework itself.

Ouray County's rental market is anchored in its two main population centers - Ridgway, the county's largest community at 1,237 residents, and the city of Ouray at 985 - with Loghill Village (618 residents) and Placerville (333) rounding out the meaningful rental base. The remaining three tracked communities - Portland, Colona, and Sawpit - together hold fewer than 250 people.