Chouteau County, Montana Eviction Risk: Very Low

Chouteau County, Montana scores 1.7/10 (Low) for eviction risk, placing it among the more landlord-friendly markets in the state. With 43 of Montana's 56 counties carrying higher risk scores, Chouteau County sits comfortably in the lower-risk third statewide, ranking 44th of 56. For landlords and investors, that translates to a rental environment shaped by low rent burden and a modest renter population, making it a relatively stable operating market by Montana standards.

Across the county's 8 cities, scores span a tight band of 1.4 to 1.9, and the average rent sits at $659, with renters spending an average of 22.4% of income on housing. That rent-burden figure is well below distress thresholds, which correlates with lower rates of delinquency-driven eviction pressure. The total population served across these communities is 2,941, so landlords are operating in genuinely small markets where tenant pools are limited but demand tends to be consistent.

The cities inside Chouteau County

The highest-risk location in the county is Geraldine, scoring 1.9/10, followed by Fort Benton at 1.8/10. Fort Benton is also the county seat and its largest city, with a population of 1,474. Even at the top of the county's risk range, a 1.9 score is still firmly in Low territory nationally, so the difference between Geraldine and the county's floor is more about relative positioning than an absolute landlord-risk concern.

On the lower end, Loma and Square Butte both score 1.4/10, the lowest readings in the county. Big Sandy, at 1.5/10 with a population of 784, sits in the middle tier alongside Sunnybrook Colony. Highwood scores 1.7/10, matching the county average exactly. The takeaway for investors is that risk here is hyper-local even within a uniformly low-scoring county: a landlord in Geraldine faces a measurably different profile than one two towns over in Loma or Square Butte eviction risk.

State-level laws that apply here

Every rental in Chouteau County operates under the Montana Residential Landlord and Tenant Act, cited as MCA § 70-24. For non-payment of rent and lease violations, Montana law requires only a 3-day notice before proceeding. No-cause terminations at the end of a lease term require 30 days notice. Montana does not require just cause to end a tenancy, and the state preempts local rent control, so no city within Chouteau County can impose its own rent cap. Landlords must give 24 hours notice before entering a unit under MCA § 70-24.

Understanding the full Montana eviction process matters here because even in low-risk counties, contested cases can run 45 to 120 days to resolution. Uncontested cases typically close in 21 to 45 days. Montana eviction costs range from a court filing fee of $90 to $170, a sheriff lockout fee of $40 to $125, and attorney fees of $500 to $2,500, depending on case complexity. Landlords evaluating Montana security deposit limits and Montana tenant protections should review the statewide guides for the full statutory detail, as these rules apply uniformly across Chouteau County regardless of which city a property sits in.

With an average poverty rate of 9% and a renter share of just 21.1% of households, Chouteau County's rental market is small but financially stable by Montana eviction laws norms; see the city grid above for city-level scores across all 8 communities in the county.