Madison County, Montana Eviction Risk: Very Low

Madison County scores 1.8/10 (Low risk) across its 13 cities, placing it among the more landlord-favorable markets in Montana eviction laws. With 37 of the state's 56 counties carrying higher eviction risk, investors operating here face a comparatively low probability of chronic tenant distress. Average rent runs $885 per month against a rent burden of 27.4%, and only about 22.8% of residents rent at all, suggesting a stable, owner-occupied majority that keeps demand for rental units modest but predictable.

Within the county the intra-county range spans 1.3 to 2.1, a meaningful spread for a small rural market with a total population of 2,682. That gap matters: a landlord choosing between communities at opposite ends of the range is effectively choosing between two very different operating environments. The county average of 1.8 blends those conditions together, so city-level scores deserve close attention before committing to a specific location.

The cities inside Madison County

The highest-risk community in the county is Harrison, scoring 2.1/10 with a population of 95. Right behind it, Ennis (population 777) and Alder (population 92) both score 2/10, and Sheridan (population 869, the county's largest city) sits at 1.9/10. These four communities account for most of the county's rental housing stock and represent the tier where landlords should model their underwriting more conservatively.

On the lower-risk end, McAllister scores 1.3/10, Virginia City and Brandon each score 1.4/10, and Twin Bridges comes in at 1.6/10. The gap between McAllister's 1.3 and Harrison's 2.1 confirms that eviction risk in Madison County is hyper-local. A single score for the whole county masks real differences that can affect vacancy cycles, collections, and holding costs for rental investors.

State-level laws that apply here

Montana eviction laws's Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (MCA § 70-24) sets the legal framework for every lease in Madison County. For non-payment of rent or a lease violation, landlords must serve a 3-day notice before filing. A no-cause termination at end of term requires a 30-day notice. Understanding the full Montana eviction laws eviction process is important because an uncontested case can still take 21 to 45 days, and a contested matter can run 45 to 120 days from filing to possession. Montana eviction costs add up quickly: court filing fees range from $90 to $170, sheriff lockout fees from $40 to $125, and attorney fees from $500 to $2,500 depending on case complexity.

Montana eviction laws has no statewide rent control, no just-cause eviction requirement, and state law preempts any local jurisdiction from imposing rent caps. Landlords must give tenants 24 hours notice before entry. Source-of-income is not a protected class under Montana eviction laws state law, though fair housing complaints are handled by the Montana eviction laws Human Rights Bureau. These provisions apply uniformly across every city in Madison County.

With a poverty rate of 10.4% and fewer than one in four residents renting, Madison County's tenant pool is relatively small, review the city-level scores in the grid above to identify where that pool concentrates and where operating conditions diverge most sharply.