Deer Lodge County, Montana Eviction Risk: Very Low

Deer Lodge County, Montana scores 2.7/10 overall, placing it in the Low risk tier, but that score carries an important asterisk for landlords: the county ranks 4th of 56 Montana eviction laws counties, meaning only 3 counties in the state carry higher eviction risk. With just 2 cities tracked and an intra-county score range of 2.6 to 2.7, conditions are tight, and the distinction between the county's floor and ceiling is narrow. The broader indicators confirm a challenging tenant base: average rent sits at $694 per month against an average rent burden of 26.2%, and a 26.9% renter share means roughly one in four occupied households is a rental.

For investors evaluating Montana markets, Deer Lodge County looks stable on a raw score basis, but its higher-risk positioning within the state warrants a sharper look at city-level data and local demand fundamentals before committing capital. The county's total population of 9,707 limits the tenant pool, and an average poverty rate of 18% signals that income-related delinquency risk is above average.

The cities inside Deer Lodge County

The highest-risk location in the county is Anaconda-Deer Lodge County, scoring 2.7/10 with a population of 9,597. This consolidated city-county jurisdiction accounts for nearly the entire county population, so landlords operating here are effectively operating in the county's core market. Its score matches the county average exactly, confirming that Anaconda-Deer Lodge County is setting, not skewing, the countywide figure.

At the other end of the county's range sits Wisdom, scoring 2.6/10 with a population of only 110. The lower score reflects a very small, likely stable tenant population rather than meaningfully better structural conditions. Risk is hyper-local here: a single distressed tenancy can move the needle in a market this size, so landlord due diligence in Wisdom requires an even more individualized assessment than in the larger Anaconda market.

State-level laws that apply here

All landlords in Deer Lodge County operate under MCA § 70-24 (Residential Landlord and Tenant Act). For non-payment of rent and most lease violations, Montana requires only a 3-day notice to quit or cure. Month-to-month tenancies terminated without cause require a 30-day notice. Understanding the Montana eviction process is straightforward in the notice phase, but the timeline stretches once filings begin: uncontested cases resolve in 21 to 45 days, while contested proceedings can run 45 to 120 days.

Montana eviction costs range from court filing fees of $90 to $170, sheriff lockout fees of $40 to $125, and attorney fees of $500 to $2,500, depending on case complexity. Montana imposes no rent control and no just-cause eviction requirement, and state law preempts any local rent control ordinance, so landlords face a consistent, statewide regulatory floor across every municipality in the county. Source-of-income discrimination is not protected under state law, though federal and local fair housing rules still apply through the Montana Human Rights Bureau.

With a poverty rate of 18% and a renter share of 26.9%, Deer Lodge County presents a concentrated set of income-stressed tenants across a small number of properties; review the city scores above to calibrate risk at the address level before underwriting any acquisition here.