Glacier County, Montana Eviction Risk: Low

Glacier County, Montana eviction laws carries an average eviction-risk score of 2.6/10 (Low) across its 14 cities, but that headline number deserves careful reading. The county ranks 7th of 56 Montana counties, meaning only 6 counties statewide post higher risk scores, placing Glacier County in the higher-risk third of the state. Landlords eyeing this market should not mistake a low absolute score for a low-friction environment: underlying fundamentals, including a 34.5% average poverty rate and an average rent burden of 27.2%, point to a tenant base under genuine financial strain.

The intra-county score range runs from 2 to 3, a narrow band that nonetheless represents a meaningful difference in tenant-mix and operating risk at the street level. Average rent across the county sits at $640, and roughly 47.1% of residents are renters, meaning the rental market is sizeable relative to the county's total population of 10,371. Investors entering this market should underwrite conservatively and lean on city-level data rather than relying on the county average alone.

The cities inside Glacier County

The highest-risk location in the county is South Browning, which scores 3/10 and has a population of 1,538. Immediately behind it are North Browning (2.8/10, population 3,144), Browning (2.8/10, population 943), and Heart Butte (2.8/10, population 521). North Browning eviction risk is the single largest city in the county by headcount, which means a notable share of the county's rental inventory sits in the upper portion of the risk range.

Cut Bank, the county's second-largest city by population (3,028), scores 2.4/10, offering a noticeably lower risk profile than the Browning-area communities. Further down the risk ladder, East Glacier Park Village and Starr School both score 2.1/10, while Babb comes in at 2.2/10. The spread across just these eight communities illustrates why risk in Glacier County is hyper-local: two landlords operating a few miles apart can face materially different tenant-stability profiles.

State-level laws that apply here

All residential tenancies in Glacier County are governed by Montana state law under MCA § 70-24 (Residential Landlord and Tenant Act). For nonpayment of rent or a curable lease violation, the required notice period is 3 days. A no-cause termination at the end of a lease term requires 30 days notice. Montana does not require just cause for eviction and, because the state preempts local rent-control ordinances, no city inside Glacier County can impose a rent cap. Landlords should review the Montana eviction process before filing, since even an uncontested case typically resolves in 21 to 45 days, while a contested matter can stretch to 45 to 120 days.

On the cost side, court filing fees under Montana state law range from $90 to $170, sheriff lockout fees run $40 to $125, and attorney fees commonly fall between $500 and $2,500 depending on case complexity. Understanding Montana eviction costs upfront is essential for accurate underwriting, particularly given the county's elevated poverty rate, which increases the probability that any given case becomes contested. Montana also requires landlords to give tenants 24 hours advance notice before entering a unit, per MCA § 70-24-431.

With a 34.5% poverty rate and nearly half of all residents renting, the financial pressure on Glacier County tenants is real; the city-by-city risk scores in the grid above are the most reliable guide to where that pressure concentrates.