Park County, Montana Eviction Risk: Very Low

Park County, Montana eviction laws carries a county-wide eviction-risk score of 2.7/10 (Low), placing it second among 56 Montana counties on the risk scale, meaning only one county in the state scores higher. That ranking is a clear signal: while the absolute score sits in the low tier, Park County lands in the higher-risk third of Montana, and landlords entering this market should not mistake a modest number for an easy operating environment. Across the county's 13 cities, the average rent runs $991 per month, and the renter share of households is 37%, giving the county a sizable rental population relative to its total of roughly 12,355 residents.

The intra-county spread is narrow but meaningful: individual city scores range from 2.1 to 2.8, a gap that can shift underwriting assumptions. Rent burden averages 31.7% of renter income countywide, a figure that signals moderate but real payment pressure across the tenant pool. For investors sizing up Montana portfolio exposure, Park County demands city-by-city diligence rather than a blanket county-level call.

The cities inside Park County

The highest-risk cities in the county are Livingston (score 2.8/10, population 8,780) and Wilsall (score 2.8/10, population 203). Livingston eviction risk dominates the county's rental market by sheer size and represents the most consequential exposure point for operators active here. Emigrant and Pine Creek each score 2.7/10, while Pray and Corwin Springs come in at 2.6/10. These communities cluster toward the upper end of the county range and warrant tighter tenant screening standards.

At the lower-risk end, Gardiner scores 2.4/10 and Wineglass scores 2.3/10, both sitting noticeably below the county average. Clyde Park lands at 2.5/10. The variance across even a small county like this underscores how hyper-local eviction risk is: a landlord operating in Gardiner faces a materially different profile than one concentrated in Livingston, despite both being Park County addresses.

State-level laws that apply here

All properties in Park County fall under the Montana Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (MCA § 70-24). For non-payment of rent or a lease violation, state law requires a 3-day notice before filing; ending a month-to-month tenancy without cause requires a 30-day notice. Montana does not require just cause for eviction and, critically, state law preempts any local rent-control ordinance, so no Park County city can impose its own rent cap. Understanding the Montana eviction process is straightforward by statute, but the cost stack is real: court filing fees run $90 to $170, sheriff lockout fees add $40 to $125, and attorney fees typically fall between $500 and $2,500. An uncontested case resolves in 21 to 45 days; a contested matter can stretch to 45 to 120 days. Landlords unfamiliar with Montana eviction costs often underestimate the time cost as much as the dollar cost.

Montana security deposit limits and Montana tenant protections are governed at the state level with no local overlay permitted on rent, which simplifies multi-unit portfolio compliance but does not eliminate execution risk when a case is contested.

With a poverty rate of 14.2% and renters making up 37% of households, Park County carries enough economic fragility that city-level scores, shown in the grid above, are worth reviewing before committing capital to any specific address.