Cottonwood County, Minnesota Eviction Risk: Moderate

Cottonwood County sits in southwest Minnesota with a total population of 8,746 spread across 8 communities. On the Eviction Risk Map composite index it scores 4.8/10 (Moderate), placing it 41st out of 87 Minnesota eviction laws counties - meaning 40 counties carry higher risk and 46 are more landlord-friendly. That middle-of-the-pack position reflects a county where rental market stress is real but not severe, and where statewide tenant protections under Minn. Stat. § 504B (Landlord and Tenant) set a firm legal floor for any landlord operating here.

The rental market is modest by any measure. The average asking rent of $796 per month is well below metro-area benchmarks, yet renters here still allocate an average of 23.7% of income to housing costs - a burden percentage that nudges toward the commonly cited 30% stress threshold when utility costs are added. With 29.4% of households renting and a 15.9% poverty rate, a meaningful share of the renter population is close enough to the edge that a single missed paycheck can trigger the eviction process. County seat Windom (population 4,799, risk score 4.8/10) and Mountain Lake (population 2,070, score 4.8/10) together account for the bulk of rental housing in the county. Smaller Westbrook (score 4.7/10) is slightly calmer. The communities carrying the highest local risk are Dundee at 5.2/10 and Jeffers at 5.1/10 - both small but worth watching if you hold or are considering rental property there, since local vacancy dynamics and limited professional management can amplify statewide risk factors.

On the legal side, Minnesota requires a 14-day notice for nonpayment of rent under Minn. Stat. § 504B.291 and a 30-day notice for material lease violations or month-to-month terminations under Minn. Stat. § 504B.135. Court filing fees run $310 to $410 and a sheriff lockout adds another $55 to $150. Factor in attorney costs of $750 to $3,000 and an uncontested case timeline of 30 to 60 days (contested cases stretching to 60 to 150 days), and a single eviction action can easily consume two to four months of rent at Cottonwood County rates. Minnesota also protects source-of-income as a fair housing class through the Minnesota Department of Human Rights, which matters during tenant screening. Landlords must provide 24 hours' notice before entry under Minn. Stat. § 504B.161, and retaliatory evictions are prohibited by Minn. Stat. § 504B.441. There is no local or statewide rent control in effect, and no just-cause eviction requirement, so landlords retain full discretion on lease renewal decisions - a meaningful advantage compared to higher-regulation metros.

Scores range from 4.2/10 (Sanborn, lowest risk) to 5.2/10 (Dundee, highest risk) across the county's 8 tracked cities, a relatively tight band that signals consistent moderate conditions rather than isolated hot spots.