Routt County, Colorado Eviction Risk: Moderate

Routt County, Colorado eviction laws carries an average eviction-risk score of 4.5/10, placing it in the Low-risk tier and ranking it 48th out of 64 Colorado counties, where rank 1 is the highest-risk county. That position means 47 counties across the state read as riskier for landlords, and only 16 are more landlord-friendly. Across the 5 tracked cities, scores range from a low of 3.5/10 to a high of 3.9/10, a narrow band that signals consistent, stable operating conditions throughout the county. With an average rent of $1,948 and an average rent-burden rate of 34.4%, tenants here are stretched but the overall risk profile remains well below the Colorado midpoint.

For landlords and investors, the practical takeaway is straightforward: Routt County is a measured, lower-complexity market compared to most of Colorado. The 30.8% renter share keeps the rental pool meaningful, and the 6.8% poverty rate is low enough that income instability is not a dominant driver of eviction risk. These conditions combine to make Routt County one of the easier Colorado counties in which to operate a buy-and-hold or single-family rental portfolio.

The cities inside Routt County

Risk is hyper-local within Routt County, and the spread between its highest and lowest-scoring communities reflects real differences even across a small geography. Phippsburg leads the county in risk at 4.6/10, followed by Hayden at 4.3/10 (population 2,057). Both sit above the county average, and landlords acquiring rental properties in either community should account for modestly elevated exposure relative to the county norm.

Steamboat Springs, the county seat and by far the largest city with a population of 13,433, scores exactly at the county average of 4.5/10. Oak Creek and Yampa both score 4.4/10, the lowest in the county, making them the most landlord-favorable markets here. The tight score range across all five cities, just 0.4 points from top to bottom, reinforces that this is a broadly low-risk county, though city-level data should still drive individual acquisition decisions.

State-level laws that apply here

Colorado state law governs landlord-tenant relations through C.R.S. § 38-12 (Tenants and Landlords). For nonpayment of rent or a material lease violation, landlords must serve a 10-day notice before proceeding to court, under C.R.S. 13-40-104. A substantial violation shortens that window to 3 days. No-fault terminations, such as owner move-in or renovation, require a 90-day notice under HB24-1098. Statewide just-cause eviction requirements are in effect, meaning landlords cannot terminate a tenancy without a qualifying reason. Colorado does not currently impose a statewide rent cap formula, though landlords should review the Colorado eviction process and Colorado tenant protections guides for current compliance details, since the legislative landscape continues to evolve.

Financially, the Colorado eviction costs picture ranges from $105 to $200 in court filing fees, $50 to $200 for sheriff lockout fees, and $750 to $3,500 for attorney fees, depending on complexity. An uncontested eviction typically resolves in 21 to 45 days; a contested matter can run 60 to 120 days. Landlords should also note that Colorado requires 48-hour entry notice and that source of income is a protected class under state law.

With a poverty rate of just 6.8% and a renter share of 30.8%, Routt County's underlying demographic profile supports the low-risk scores seen across all five cities in the grid above.