Kanabec County, Minnesota Eviction Risk: Moderate

Kanabec County sits in east-central Minnesota, roughly 75 miles north of the Twin Cities, and carries a Moderate eviction risk score of 4.7/10 on the Eviction Risk Map. That places it 57th out of 87 Minnesota eviction laws counties, meaning 56 counties carry higher risk while 30 are more landlord-friendly -- Kanabec lands squarely in the middle third of the state. With a renter-tracked population of 4,391 and an average rent of $804 per month, it is a small but reasonably active rural rental market anchored almost entirely by the county seat of Mora.

Mora accounts for nearly all of the county's rental inventory, with a population of 3,732 and a city-level score of 4.7/10 -- essentially matching the county average. Ogilvie, the county's highest-risk city at 5.1/10, is far smaller at 322 residents but stands out as the only community in Kanabec that edges above the county norm. Brook Park and Quamba each score 4.4/10, the lowest readings in the county, while Grasston sits at 4.6/10. The narrow spread from 4.4 to 5.1 across all five tracked cities signals a fairly consistent risk profile countywide -- no single hot spot dramatically distorts the picture. The average rent burden of 25.3% of income is below the commonly cited 30% stress threshold, though with a poverty rate of 13.9% and a renter share of 38.4%, a meaningful portion of the tenant base has limited financial cushion when income disruptions hit.

Minnesota eviction laws governs landlord-tenant relationships statewide through Minn. Stat. § 504B (Landlord and Tenant), and that framework shapes every eviction action filed in Kanabec County. Landlords serving a nonpayment-of-rent notice must give tenants 14 days to cure under Minn. Stat. § 504B.291. Month-to-month terminations and material lease violations each require a 30-day notice under Minn. Stat. § 504B.135. Filing fees at the Pine County courthouse run $310 to $410, sheriff lockout fees add another $55 to $150, and attorney fees for contested matters typically range from $750 to $3,000. Uncontested cases typically resolve in 30 to 60 days; contested matters can stretch to 150 days. Minnesota eviction laws does not require just cause for nonrenewal, and Kanabec County has no local rent control ordinance -- the state does not preempt local control, but no jurisdiction in the county has enacted one. Source-of-income discrimination is prohibited statewide, and retaliation against a tenant for exercising legal rights is barred under Minn. Stat. § 504B.441. Landlords must provide at least 24 hours notice before entry. Fair housing complaints are handled by the Minnesota Department of Human Rights.

Kanabec County's rental market is heavily concentrated in Mora, which holds the overwhelming majority of the county's 4,391 tracked residents. The remaining four cities -- Ogilvie, Brook Park, Grasston, and Quamba -- are small enough that individual lease-ups or single large properties can shift local scores noticeably from one update cycle to the next.