Murray County, Minnesota Eviction Risk: Moderate

Murray County sits in the southwest corner of Minnesota with a total population of 5,414 spread across 11 communities. The county carries a Moderate eviction risk score of 4.6/10, placing it at rank 78 of 87 Minnesota eviction laws counties - meaning 77 counties in the state carry higher risk and only 9 are more landlord-friendly. For landlords operating here, the relatively low score reflects a rental market where supply-side pressures are mild, but state-level tenant protections still govern the eviction process and cannot be waived by local agreement.

The county seat of Slayton (population 2,141, score 4.7/10) is the largest rental market in Murray County, followed by Fulda (population 1,393, score 4.3/10) and The Lakes (population 594, score 4.4/10). At the higher end of the county's risk range, the small communities of Iona and Garvin each score 5.1/10 - the county maximum - reflecting the proportionally higher stress that rent burden and poverty concentrations can create in very small populations. Average rent across the county is $802 per month, and the average rent burden of 26.5% of household income is below the 30% threshold that typically signals housing instability, though that aggregate masks variation at the city level. The renter share of occupied housing is 19.8%, consistent with a predominantly owner-occupied rural county, and the average poverty rate is 10.4%.

Minnesota eviction laws's statewide eviction framework under Minn. Stat. § 504B (Landlord and Tenant) applies uniformly to Murray County. Nonpayment of rent requires a 14-day notice under Minn. Stat. § 504B.291 before a landlord can file. Lease violations and month-to-month terminations each require 30 days notice under Minn. Stat. § 504B.135. Court filing fees run $310 to $410, and sheriff lockout fees add another $55 to $150. If the case becomes contested, attorneys typically charge $750 to $3,000 and timelines stretch from 60 to 150 days. Landlords must provide 24 hours notice before entry under the habitability statute at Minn. Stat. § 504B.161, and retaliatory eviction is prohibited by Minn. Stat. § 504B.441. Minnesota eviction laws does not currently require just cause for non-renewal and does not preempt local rent control ordinances, though no Murray County municipality has enacted one. Source-of-income discrimination is a protected class under Minnesota law, administered by the Minnesota Department of Human Rights - a detail that matters for landlords who screen applicants receiving housing assistance.

Murray County's scores range from a low of 4.3/10 in Fulda to a high of 5.1/10 in Iona and Garvin, a narrow band that reflects the county's relatively homogeneous rural rental market and consistent application of Minnesota eviction laws's statewide landlord-tenant statutes.