Blaine County, Idaho Eviction Risk: Very Low

Blaine County, Idaho eviction laws earns an average eviction-risk score of 2/10 (Low) across its 7 incorporated places, placing it 23rd of 44 Idaho eviction laws counties, meaning 22 counties carry more risk and 21 are even more landlord-friendly. That middle-of-the-pack position reflects a county where operating conditions are generally stable, with an average rent of $1,368 and an average rent burden of just 24.4% of renter income, both of which point toward a renter base that can realistically sustain tenancies.

The intra-county score range runs from 1.4 to 2.4, a narrow band that signals relatively consistent conditions from one end of the county to the other. Renter share sits at 28.3% of households, a modest figure that keeps competition for tenants manageable without flooding the market. For landlords and investors sizing up the Wood River Valley, Blaine County presents a low-friction environment by Idaho standards.

The cities inside Blaine County

The highest-risk cities in the county each score 2.5/10, still well inside the Low tier. Hailey, the county seat and largest city at 9,665 residents, shares that 2.5 rating alongside Bellevue (2,588 residents) and Carey (1,196 residents). At those scores, even the county's riskiest submarkets carry materially less exposure than the typical contested eviction market.

Moving down the risk ladder, Ketchum scores 1.5/10 at a population of 3,594, and Sun Valley comes in at 1.4/10. The smallest communities, Gannett and Lost River, both register 1.8/10, the lowest readings in the county. The key takeaway for investors is that risk here is genuinely hyper-local: a landlord operating a workforce rental in Hailey eviction risk faces a meaningfully different profile than one holding a unit in Sun Valley or Gannett, even though all seven cities sit within the same Low-risk band.

State-level laws that apply here

Under Idaho Code § 6-301 et seq. (Forcible Entry and Detainer), landlords must serve a 3-day notice for non-payment of rent or a lease violation, and a 30-day notice for end-of-term or no-cause terminations. If a tenant does not comply and a court filing becomes necessary, Idaho law produces a cost range with filing fees of $160 to $260, sheriff lockout fees of $30 to $120, and attorney fees typically running $500 to $2,500. An uncontested case resolves in roughly 21 to 45 days; a contested matter stretches to 45 to 120 days. Landlords researching the full Idaho eviction process and Idaho eviction costs before acquiring property here will find those ranges directly relevant to underwriting assumptions.

Idaho does not require just cause for eviction and the state preempts local rent control, so no Blaine County municipality can impose rent caps or additional just-cause requirements beyond state law. Source-of-income discrimination is not a protected class under Idaho law, and the retaliation and habitability framework falls under Idaho Code § 6-320. These are meaningful structural advantages compared with states where local ordinances can override landlord rights.

With a poverty rate of 7.8% and just 28.3% of households renting, Blaine County's tenant pool is relatively small and economically stable, factors that reinforce the low-risk scores shown in the city grid above.