Estimated values: The U.S. Census suppresses field-level data for small places. Estimated from county average, pop-weighted from real underlying ACS data.
Tenant beats landlord
12.5%
/ 100 outcomes
In court-decided eviction outcomes for Saddle Butte, MT, tenants prevail in roughly 12.5% of contested cases. A higher number means landlords face stronger tenant defenses, longer calendars, and more required documentation, and landlord-friendliness drops as this rises.
Timeline
30d
filing → judgment
From the moment an unlawful-detainer notice is filed in Saddle Butte, MT until a money judgment is entered, a contested eviction takes about 30 days on average. Longer timelines mean more lost rent and higher carry costs for landlords.
Cost range
$1.0-2.7k
legal + lost rent
A typical eviction in Saddle Butte, MT costs landlords $1,001 to $2,681 all-in, covering court filing fees, process-server costs, attorney time, and lost rent during the calendar between filing and possession.
Average rent
$766
27% stretched on rent
Average gross rent in Saddle Butte, MT is $766 per month per the U.S. Census American Community Survey (5-year 2023). 27% of renter households here spend more than 30% of pre-tax income on rent, the federal cost-burden threshold.
Renters
41.6%
of households
41.6% of occupied housing units in Saddle Butte, MT are renter-occupied (vs owner-occupied). A higher renter share usually correlates with more eviction filings, more turnover, and a more active rental market.
Poverty
21.5%
20.0% unemp.
21.5% of Saddle Butte, MT residents live below the federal poverty line, and unemployment runs at 20.0%. Both feed into the economic-stress sub-score in our Eviction Risk Score model because rent payment problems track poverty + joblessness more reliably than any other single signal.
Time machine
Scrub 50 years
197619861996200620162026
2026
● LIVE · today◀ REPLAY · historical
Nine-axis profile
9-axis profile · today
Shape of the risk surface
1 landlord · 10 tenant
Sub-scores · with sparkline
Where the score comes from
1 → 10 scale
Local political climate
GOP margin +18.2% (2024)
4.9
Regional political climate
County-weighted neighbor mix
4.9
State political climate
Montana legislature & governorship
1.7
Economic stress
21.5% poverty · 20.0% unemp.
5.3
Supply constraint
$766 average · 41.6% renters
6.2
Rent Control risk
26.8% of income on rent
1.0
Eviction process difficulty
30 days filing → judgment
1.5
Tenant organizing strength
41.6% renters
6.2
Housing court bias
County bench composition
1.7
Geographic context
Risk heat across Saddle Butte and the region
Click any city to see its score
How Saddle Butte compares
Risk score vs. peers, county, state, and the U.S.
Rank in Hill County
Low
#16of 22 cities
#16 of 22 cities in Hill County for landlord eviction risk.
Rank in Montana
Moderate
#231of 496 cities
#231 of 496 cities in Montana for landlord eviction risk.
vs. county · state · U.S.
Score story
Six-stop tour of the risk profile
2
/ 10 · VERY LOW
The verdict
A Very low-tier market.
Composite 2/10. Mid-range market; standard documentation usually wins. The 50-year curve shows a slow, steady climb.
50-yr trend+0.1 over 50 yr
197620012026
Steady ratchet · no large swings
30d
Typical timeline
The money
What renting (and evicting) looks like.
Rent published at $766/mo. A contested eviction takes 30 days and costs $1,001-$2,681 per case.
50-yr trendCalendar drag rising since '15
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
41.6%
Renters
The renters
Who you'll be renting to.
Out of 225 residents, 41.6% rent. 27% are spending 30%+ income on rent, 21.5% below the poverty line.
50-yr trendRenter share rising
197620012026
ACS 1970-present · once the migration overlay is in.
4.9
Local + regional
The politics
Mid-range climate. Not a coastal market.
Local & regional political climate score 4.9 and 4.9 (GOP margin +18.2% (2024)). State climate at 1.7, a mid-range statehouse.
50-yr trendTracks county vote margin
197620012026
Built on 50-yr presidential margins back to 1976.
1.7
State politics
The process
Moderate calendar, moderate friction.
State political climate 1.7/10 sets the legislative ceiling for landlord remedies, and it shows up in the process. Eviction process difficulty reads 1.5, housing court bias 1.7, rent-control risk 1. Standard process speed for the state.
50-yr trendProcess difficulty +-3.5 since '00
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
5.3
Economic stress
The stress
Economic pressure is the background risk.
Economic stress: 5.3. Supply constraint: 6.2. The numbers behind those: 21.5% poverty, 20.0% unemployment, 27% of income on rent.
50-yr trendTwo visible dips · '08 + COVID
197620012026
Mirrors BLS unemployment series.
US eviction landscape · timeline × all-in cost
Saddle Butte sits in the quick & cheap quadrant
Bubble size = population · color = risk score
Saddle Butte · 30d · ~$1.8k all-in ($61/day) · score 2National average: 58d · $4.6k all-inHover any bubble for stats · click to openColor: 0-4 4-7 7-10
Landlording in Saddle Butte, Montana, presents a manageable operating environment for documented landlords. The Eviction Risk Score is 2/10 (VERY LOW tier), drawn from the nine sub-axes shown above, covering rent-control exposure, eviction-process difficulty, housing-court bias, tenant-organizing strength, supply constraint, economic stress, and local, regional, and state political climate. This is not a quick-fix market: it's a Mid-tier market where lease drafting, screening discipline, and well-documented notices materially change outcomes.
Saddle Butte is a city of 225 residents where 41.6% of occupied units are renter-occupied, and the typical renter spends 26.8% of income on rent. At an average rent of $766/month, the typical renter household here spends more than the federal 30% threshold on housing, a leading indicator of payment volatility and a precondition for the kinds of tenant defenses that show up most often in housing court.
01Process
How Saddle Butte eviction process actually works
Eviction process difficulty here reads 1.5/10, a number that combines statutory complexity (notice categories, just-cause rules, mandatory pre-filing disclosures) with operational realities (court calendar length and clerk responsiveness). The typical contested filing in Saddle Butte closes 30 days after the initial notice. For non-payment of rent the first step is a properly-formatted, properly-served pay-or-quit notice; for material lease breaches it's a cure-or-quit; for tenancies under just-cause protection an at-fault grounds notice (or a no-fault notice with statutory relocation assistance) is required.
The slow part of Saddle Butte's timeline is usually the calendar, not the motion practice. Housing court bias scores 1.7/10 here, meaning judges read borderline procedural defects in the tenant's favor more often than the national norm. The practical implication: every notice and every proof of service needs to be airtight before it gets filed.
02Cost
What it costs (and how long it takes)
An all-in eviction in Saddle Butte runs $1,001 to $2,681 per case once you account for filing fees, attorney time, lost rent during pendency, sheriff lockout, and unit turnover. That range is wide because the upper bound assumes a tenant answer plus motion practice, common when housing court bias is high. The lower bound assumes a default judgment after proper service.
For landlords running the numbers on holding costs vs. cash-for-keys: if your projected timeline times your monthly rent already exceeds the high-end cost number, cash-for-keys at 1-2 months' rent is typically the economically rational choice. With 30 days of typical timeline and $766/month in lost rent, that crossover happens fast here.
03Operations
Security deposits, screening, and lease terms
Tenant organizing strength scores 6.2/10 in Saddle Butte, and the city has limited rent control exposure (1/10). Operations practice that survives audit in this environment looks like:
Screening discipline. Document income (verified at 2.5 to 3x rent), credit (with a clear minimum), and prior-tenancy reference checks, but do not screen on protected categories or source-of-income where banned. Keep a written, consistent screening criteria document for every applicant.
Lease specificity. Use a state-specific lease that names every term clearly: rent due date, late fees within statutory caps, deposit handling, smoke and CO disclosure, lead paint disclosure (pre-1978 stock), and a clean attorney's-fees clause.
Security deposit handling. Itemize deductions within the statutory window. Photograph move-in/move-out condition. In Montana, deposit cap and refund window are statute, so exceed them at your own risk.
Mid-tenancy documentation. Keep date-stamped records of every rent receipt, every habitability request, every notice served. The day you need them in court is too late to start.
04Strategy
What an everyday landlord should actually do here
If you own one to four units in Saddle Butte: hire a property manager who knows the local court. The pricing differential between self-managing and hiring out is small relative to the cost of one botched eviction in a VERY LOW tier market. If you own five or more: build relationships with a local landlord-side attorney before you need one, since retainer fees are negligible compared to emergency-rate billing when an eviction is already moving.
The avoidable mistakes here are all upstream of the filing: weak screening, an informal lease, sloppy rent receipts, and notice templates pulled off the internet that don't match Montana's statutory language. Fix those four, and most cases settle or default. Skip them, and a $2,681 all-in fight is the realistic worst case.
04bPractical traps
Local traps to avoid in Saddle Butte
Trap · MONT. CODE 70-24 URLTA
At 3.4/10, standard documentation typically resolves cases quickly under Mont. Code 70-24 URLTA.
05FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Q1
Can I evict a tenant in Saddle Butte without a reason?
Montana does not have a statewide "just cause" eviction requirement. This means that for month-to-month leases, or at the end of a fixed-term lease, you can generally choose not to renew a tenancy without needing a specific, legally defined "reason," provided you give proper notice (typically 30 days for no-cause termination). However, you cannot evict for discriminatory reasons or in retaliation for a tenant exercising their legal rights.
Q2
How long does it typically take to evict a tenant for non-payment in Saddle Butte?
From serving the initial 3-day notice to regaining possession, a typical eviction in Saddle Butte takes about 30 days. This timeline can extend if the tenant contests the eviction, requests continuances, or if there are procedural delays, but Montana's summary process is designed for efficiency.
Q3
Is there a limit to how much security deposit I can charge in Montana?
No, Montana state law does not impose a statutory cap on the amount of security deposit a landlord can charge. While you have flexibility, it's generally advisable to charge 1-2 months' rent to remain competitive and reasonable.
Q4
Do I need a lawyer to evict a tenant in Saddle Butte?
While you are not legally required to have an attorney for an eviction in Montana Justice Court, it is highly recommended, especially if you are not familiar with the process or if the tenant is uncooperative. An attorney can ensure all notices are served correctly and filings are accurate, preventing costly delays. For complex cases, an attorney is essential.
Q5
What's the most common mistake landlords make during eviction in Saddle Butte?
The most common mistake is failing to properly serve the initial notice (like the 3-day pay-or-quit) or making errors in the notice's content. Any defect in the notice can lead to the court dismissing your case, forcing you to start over. Delaying action after the notice period expires is another frequent error, costing landlords valuable time and lost rent.
A 2/10 places Saddle Butte in the 61st percentile of Montana cities on the Eviction Risk Score index. The score is the average of the nine sub-axes, all calibrated on a national 1 to 10 scale where 1 is most landlord-friendly and 10 is most tenant-protective. The 50-year reconstruction shows this score has climbed steadily since 1976, a structural drift driven by court-calendar growth, rent-control adoption, and the rise of tenant-side legal aid. The trajectory matters more than the snapshot: the score is the climate, not the weather.
Cities with similar eviction risk to Saddle Butte (2/10)
Same risk band nationally · click any city for its full breakdown.
