Phillips County, Montana Eviction Risk: Very Low

Phillips County, Montana scores 1.7/10 (Low risk) on the eviction-risk scale, placing it at rank 42 of 56 Montana eviction laws counties, meaning 41 counties carry more landlord risk and only 14 are more favorable than this one. For investors considering a foothold in north-central Montana eviction laws, that positioning puts Phillips County comfortably in the lower-risk third of the state, with an average rent of $614 and a rent-burden rate of 23.3%, both figures that suggest renters here are not under severe financial pressure relative to statewide norms.

Spread across 8 cities, scores in the county range from 1.5 to 2.3, a band that stays entirely within the Low tier. The total county population of 2,687 means this is a thin, rural rental market, and landlords operating here typically deal with a small tenant pool and limited competition from institutional investors. A renter share of 36.7% means roughly a third of households are renters, a meaningful share for a county of this size.

The cities inside Phillips County

The highest-risk locations in the county are Whitewater, scoring 2.3/10 (population 105), and Saco, scoring 2.2/10 (population 140). Both sit at the top of the county range and are the addresses where landlords should apply the most scrutiny to tenant screening and lease documentation. Even so, a 2.3/10 would be considered low risk in almost any other market context.

Malta is the county seat and its largest community by far, with a population of 2,100 and a score of 1.7/10, exactly at the county average. Smaller communities such as Dodson (1.6/10, population 153), Zortman (1.6/10), and Sleeping Buffalo (1.5/10) represent the most landlord-favorable addresses in the county. The roughly one-point spread between Sleeping Buffalo and Whitewater is a reminder that risk is hyper-local, even within a single rural county.

State-level laws that apply here

Every landlord in Phillips County operates under the Montana eviction laws Residential Landlord and Tenant Act, codified at MCA § 70-24. For non-payment of rent or a lease violation, the required notice period is just 3 days. No-cause terminations require a 30-day notice. Montana requires 24 hours notice before entry. Montana does not require just cause for non-renewal, and state law preempts local rent control, so no city in the county can impose a rent cap, a significant structural advantage for investors evaluating the Montana eviction process.

If a matter proceeds to court, the Montana eviction costs break down as follows: a court filing fee of $90 to $170, a sheriff lockout fee of $40 to $125, and attorney fees typically ranging from $500 to $2,500. An uncontested case typically resolves in 21 to 45 days; a contested matter can run 45 to 120 days. Understanding Montana security deposit limits and Montana tenant protections under MCA § 70-24 before signing leases is the most practical step a landlord can take to keep disputes out of court entirely.

With a poverty rate of 13.8% and a renter share of 36.7%, Phillips County presents modest but real tenant-financial risk; the city-by-city scores in the grid above let landlords pinpoint exactly which communities carry the most exposure before committing capital.