Blaine County, Montana Eviction Risk: Very Low

Blaine County, Montana scores 2.2/10 (Low risk) across its 12 tracked cities, placing it at rank 21 of 56 Montana eviction laws counties, meaning 20 counties carry higher eviction risk and 35 are less risky. For landlords and investors, that middle-third positioning reflects a county that is broadly workable but not without pockets of elevated pressure. The total county population sits at roughly 4,967, average rent runs $627 per month, and the average rent burden is 18.5% of income, a figure that suggests most renters are not severely cost-stressed, which tends to keep eviction rates contained.

The intra-county score range of 1.7 to 2.4 is narrow in absolute terms but meaningful in practice. A landlord picking the wrong community within Blaine County faces materially different conditions than one operating in the most stable corners of the market. Operating costs, tenant pool depth, and turnover dynamics all shift across that range, so location selection within the county matters as much as the county average itself.

The cities inside Blaine County

The highest-risk community in the county is Hays, scoring 2.4/10 with a population of 1,009. Harlem (2.3/10, population 822) and Turner (2.3/10, population 69) follow closely. These communities sit at the upper end of the county range and would warrant tighter tenant screening and more conservative rent-setting for investors underwriting a new acquisition.

Chinook, the county seat and its most populous city at 1,353 residents, scores 2.1/10, a notch below the county average and a comparatively stable operating environment for a market of its size. Turner Colony scores 1.7/10, the lowest in the county, though its population of 157 limits the rental inventory available there. The gap between Turner Colony and Hays illustrates how hyper-local risk is in Blaine County: two communities separated by a short drive can carry scores nearly a full point apart.

State-level laws that apply here

Every lease in Blaine County operates under Montana eviction laws state law, specifically MCA § 70-24 (the Residential Landlord and Tenant Act). For nonpayment of rent, landlords may serve a 3-day notice; a lease-violation cure notice is also 3 days. Terminating a month-to-month tenancy without cause requires 30 days notice. Montana eviction laws does not require just cause for eviction and the state preempts local rent control, so no local ordinance in Blaine County can cap rents or layer on additional notice requirements beyond what state law specifies. Understanding the full Montana eviction laws eviction process, from notice through hearing, is essential before filing: an uncontested case typically resolves in 21 to 45 days, while a contested one can stretch to 45 to 120 days.

Montana eviction costs run from a court filing fee of $90 to $170, a sheriff lockout fee of $40 to $125, and attorney fees ranging $500 to $2,500 if counsel is retained. Montana security deposit limits and tenant protections are codified under the same chapter; landlords must provide 24 hours notice before entry under MCA § 70-24-303, and retaliation protections apply under MCA § 70-24-431.

With an average poverty rate of 22.5% and a renter share of 37.1% across the county, the renter pool in Blaine County is both meaningful in size and economically constrained in places; city-level scores in the grid above help pinpoint which specific communities carry the most concentrated risk for landlords evaluating individual acquisitions.