Broadwater County, Montana Eviction Risk: Very Low

Broadwater County scores 1.5/10 (Low risk) on the eviction-risk scale, placing it 50th of 56 Montana counties, meaning 49 counties carry more risk for landlords and only 6 are less risky. For investors eyeing a small, stable rural market in Montana eviction laws, that combination tells a clear story: tenant turnover, delinquency pressure, and regulatory friction all run well below the state norm. Across the county's 9 cities, scores cluster tightly between 1.2 and 2, so even the highest-risk pocket stays in Low territory.

The county's total population sits at roughly 6,563, with an average rent of $1,019 and a renter share of just 16.2%. Owner-occupancy dominates this landscape, which naturally limits the rental pool and keeps competition for quality tenants manageable. A poverty rate of 9% adds further confirmation that the structural stressors driving eviction filings in larger markets are largely absent here.

The cities inside Broadwater County

The highest-risk address in the county is Radersburg, which scores 2/10, the county ceiling and still firmly Low. Townsend, the largest city with roughly 1,967 residents, comes in at 1.8/10, meaning landlords operating there face only a modest step up in risk relative to the county average. Ponderosa Pines, Spokane Creek, and The Silos each score 1.6/10, representing the mid-range of the county distribution.

On the lower end, Wheatland, the second-largest city at 1,661 residents, scores 1.2/10, the county floor, making it one of the least pressured rental markets in the entire state. Winston scores 1.4/10. The takeaway for investors is that even moving from the most favorable address to the least in Broadwater County shifts risk by only 0.8 points, a narrow band that speaks to broad market stability. That said, risk is always hyper-local, and a single block's demographics or rental stock can move a submarket meaningfully.

State-level laws that apply here

Montana state law under MCA § 70-24 (Residential Landlord and Tenant Act) gives landlords a relatively efficient procedural toolkit. For non-payment of rent or a lease violation, the required notice period is just 3 days. A no-cause termination at end of term requires 30 days notice. Once filed, an uncontested eviction typically concludes in 21 to 45 days; a contested case may extend to 45 to 120 days. Court filing fees run $90 to $170, sheriff lockout fees add $40 to $125, and attorney fees typically range from $500 to $2,500 depending on complexity. Understanding the full Montana eviction costs before your first filing is essential for accurate pro-forma modeling.

Montana imposes no rent cap and does not require just cause for non-renewal, and state law preempts any local rent-control ordinance, so Broadwater County landlords operate under a single, predictable statewide framework. The Montana eviction process is straightforward by national standards, and the absence of source-of-income protections at the state level (the Montana Human Rights Bureau handles fair-housing complaints) means fewer categorical restrictions on tenant screening. Landlords should still document every step, since MCA § 70-24-431 prohibits retaliatory action and MCA § 70-24-303 codifies habitability obligations that can surface as affirmative defenses in contested proceedings.

With a poverty rate of 9% and only 16.2% of households renting, Broadwater County's risk floor is structurally low, but review the city-level scores in the grid above before committing to a specific address, since Radersburg and Townsend sit notably above the county average even within this low-risk band.