Bristol County, Massachusetts Eviction Risk: Elevated

Bristol County, Massachusetts eviction laws carries an average eviction-risk score of 6.1/10, placing it in the Elevated tier across its 15 municipalities. That figure puts the county fifth among Massachusetts eviction laws's 14 counties, meaning 4 counties are riskier and 9 are more landlord-friendly, situating Bristol firmly in the middle third of the state. With a renter share of 46.3% and an average rent of $1,290 per month, demand for rental housing is real, but so is the financial stress driving tenant defaults.

Operating here is not a single experience. Scores range from 5.5 to 6.6 depending on which city a landlord is in, a two-point spread that translates into meaningfully different vacancy exposure, eviction frequency, and holding costs. Landlords who underwrite Bristol County as a monolith risk mispricing individual assets by a wide margin.

The cities inside Bristol County

The highest-risk concentration sits in the county's two largest cities. Fall River, with a population of 94,082, scores 6/10, the highest in the county. New Bedford, home to 100,998 residents, follows at 6.6/10. Both cities combine large renter populations with elevated poverty rates, a combination that raises the baseline probability of nonpayment events. Taunton, the county's third-largest city at 60,433 residents, scores 6.7/10, only a fraction behind the top two.

Risk falls noticeably as you move toward the county's smaller and more suburban communities. Attleboro scores 5.8/10, North Attleborough Town comes in at 5.7/10, Somerset at 5.5/10, and Bliss Corner at 5.7/10, the lowest score in the county's data. Raynham Center (5.8/10), Mansfield Center (5.8/10), and Ocean Grove (6.1/10) fill out the middle range. The takeaway for investors is straightforward: risk is hyper-local inside Bristol County, and a few miles of distance can shift the risk profile by more than a full point.

State-level laws that apply here

Every landlord in Bristol County operates under Massachusetts eviction laws state law, specifically M.G.L. c. 186 (Estates for Years and at Will). Notice requirements depend on the grounds for removal: a 14-day notice applies to nonpayment of rent under both tenancy-at-will (M.G.L. c. 186 § 11) and fixed-term leases (M.G.L. c. 186 § 11A), a 7-day notice covers material lease violations, and a 30-day notice is required for no-cause terminations of a tenancy at will. Massachusetts eviction laws does not require just cause to end a tenancy, and there is no statewide rent cap, which preserves operational flexibility. The Massachusetts eviction laws eviction process, once a case reaches court, runs 30 to 60 days for uncontested matters and 90 to 180 days when contested, so landlords should budget for the longer end in cities where tenant legal-aid access is higher.

On the cost side, the Massachusetts eviction costs break down as follows: court filing fees run $195 to $295, sheriff lockout fees add another $75 to $200, and attorney fees range from $750 to $3,500 depending on case complexity and whether the matter is contested. Source-of-income status is a protected class under Massachusetts law, administered by the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination, which is a material screening constraint landlords must account for when setting qualification criteria.

With a county-wide poverty rate of 14.7% and nearly half of all residents renting, the city-level grid above is the most reliable tool for pinpointing where within Bristol County your risk exposure actually lands.