Garfield County, Montana Eviction Risk: Very Low

Garfield County, Montana eviction laws earns an average eviction-risk score of 1.4/10 (Low), placing it among the most landlord-friendly markets in the state. With only 1 city tracked, the intra-county range runs from 1.4 to 1.4, meaning conditions are essentially uniform across the county. Of 56 Montana counties, only 1 scores lower, and 54 score higher, confirming that landlords and investors operating here face some of the lightest legal and economic headwinds in Montana.

The county's population of 321 makes this a micro-market. Average rent sits at $811 per month, rent burden runs at just 16.8% of income on average, and the poverty rate is a low 4.9%. These figures point to a stable, modest-income renter pool that is unlikely to generate frequent non-payment disputes, giving buy-and-hold operators a favorable baseline for underwriting vacancy and collection risk.

The cities inside Garfield County

Jordan is the sole city in Garfield County with a tracked score, carrying a 1.4/10 eviction-risk rating and a population of 321. That score ties it as the county's lowest and highest at once, and it lands in the low-risk tier by any state benchmark. For investors evaluating individual properties, risk in a county this size is effectively synonymous with conditions in Jordan itself, so city-level due diligence and county-level analysis converge completely here.

Even in hyper-local markets this small, conditions can shift with a single large employer or a change in housing stock. Peer counties in eastern Montana such as Fallon County (1.35) and Petroleum County (1.4) post comparable scores, suggesting the entire region operates under similar low-friction dynamics rather than anything unique to Garfield County's management environment.

State-level laws that apply here

Montana state law, codified in MCA § 70-24 (Residential Landlord and Tenant Act), governs every tenancy in Garfield County. For non-payment of rent, landlords must serve a 3-day notice before proceeding; lease violations also carry a 3-day cure notice, and no-cause end-of-term terminations require 30 days. Understanding the Montana eviction process matters here because even in a low-risk county, an uncontested case runs 21 to 45 days, and a contested matter can stretch 45 to 120 days. Total out-of-pocket costs include 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 when counsel is retained.

Montana does not require just cause for eviction and the state preempts any local rent-control ordinance, so no city within Garfield County can impose caps above the state framework. Montana security deposit limits and Montana tenant protections are both defined at the state level under MCA § 70-24, with the Montana Human Rights Bureau enforcing fair-housing obligations. Landlords should also note the mandatory 24-hour advance notice required before entering a unit under MCA § 70-24-303.

With an average poverty rate of 4.9% and a renter share of 28.6% of households, Garfield County's tenant base is small but economically stable; see the city grid above to compare Jordan's individual score against state and national benchmarks.