Dawson County, Montana Eviction Risk: Very Low

Dawson County, Montana scores 1.8/10 (Low risk) across its 5 incorporated places, putting it among the more landlord-friendly markets in the state. With 38 of Montana eviction laws's 56 counties carrying higher eviction risk, Dawson County sits comfortably in the lower-risk third statewide, rank 39 of 56. For landlords weighing where to place capital in eastern Montana eviction laws, the county's combination of low rent burden, modest poverty, and a cooperative legal climate makes it a comparatively low-friction operating environment.

The intra-county spread runs from 1.3 to 2.2 out of 10, a nearly full-point gap that matters when you're evaluating specific submarkets. Average rent across the county sits at $811, rent burden averages 19.1% of income, and the renter share of housing is 30.4%, meaning roughly three in ten occupied units are rentals. That relatively shallow renter pool tends to favor landlords in vacancy and pricing power, particularly in smaller communities.

The cities inside Dawson County

West Glendive carries the highest risk reading in the county at 2.2/10, still a Low score in absolute terms, but notably elevated compared to the rest of Dawson County. With a population of 2,121, it is the second-largest community in the county and draws enough renter demand to push conditions marginally tighter for landlords. Investors focused on this submarket should watch tenant turnover and vacancy trends more carefully than they would elsewhere in the county.

Glendive, the county seat and by far the largest city at 4,810 residents, scores 1.6/10, well within low-risk territory. Its larger rental stock generally provides landlords with more pricing flexibility and a steadier applicant pool. Richey comes in at 1.5/10, while Bloomfield and Lindsay, both very small communities, score 1.4 and 1.3 respectively. Risk is genuinely hyper-local here: the gap between West Glendive at 2.2 and Lindsay at 1.3 illustrates that a single county can contain meaningfully different operating environments within a short drive.

State-level laws that apply here

All residential tenancies in Dawson County are governed by Montana state law under MCA § 70-24 (Residential Landlord and Tenant Act). For non-payment of rent or a lease violation, the notice period is 3 days. No-cause terminations at the end of a term require 30 days notice. Montana does not require just cause for eviction and state law preempts any local rent-control ordinance, meaning landlords here face no patchwork of city-level restrictions. Understanding the Montana eviction process in full before filing is worthwhile: uncontested cases typically resolve in 21 to 45 days, while contested matters can run 45 to 120 days. Montana eviction costs stack up from a court filing fee of $90 to $170, a sheriff lockout fee of $40 to $125, and attorney fees ranging from $500 to $2,500 depending on case complexity. Landlords must also provide 24 hours notice before entry under MCA § 70-24-303.

With a county poverty rate of 9.1% and a renter share of 30.4%, Dawson County's fundamentals are stable by Montana standards; review the city-by-city grid above to see how conditions vary across Glendive, West Glendive, and the county's smaller communities before committing to a specific submarket.