Prairie County, Montana Eviction Risk: Very Low

Prairie County, Montana eviction laws earns an average eviction-risk score of 2.2/10, placing it in the Low-risk tier and in the middle third of Montana's 56 counties. Twenty-one counties carry higher risk than Prairie County, and 34 are considered less risky, making this a relatively stable rental environment by statewide standards. Across the county's 2 incorporated places, scores range from 1.9 to 3.2, signaling that conditions are generally calm but not identical from one community to the next.

With a total measured population of 679 and an average rent of $883, Prairie County is one of the more sparsely populated corners of eastern Montana. Average rent burden sits at 23.9% of income, a figure that landlords should note alongside a 35.8% average poverty rate, which is elevated and merits careful tenant screening regardless of the county's broadly favorable risk score. The renter share is thin at 10.2% of households, so vacancy exposure and re-leasing timelines are real operational concerns in this market.

The cities inside Prairie County

The county seat of Terry is the larger of the two cities, with a population of 537 and a risk score of 1.9/10, the lowest in the county. That number reflects a combination of low eviction-filing frequency and a tenant base that, while modestly sized, has historically been stable. For landlords focused on long-term holds, Terry represents the lower-volatility end of the Prairie County spectrum.

Fallon, with a population of 142, scores 3.2/10, the highest in the county. That gap of 1.3 points between Fallon and Terry is meaningful in a small two-city county: risk here is genuinely hyper-local, and investors should underwrite each community separately rather than treating the county average as a reliable proxy for either location.

State-level laws that apply here

Every Prairie County landlord operates under Montana's Residential Landlord and Tenant Act, codified at MCA § 70-24. For non-payment of rent, landlords may serve a 3-day notice to pay or vacate; a lease violation that can be cured also triggers a 3-day cure notice. No-cause terminations at the end of a tenancy require a 30-day notice. Understanding the Montana eviction process from notice to writ is essential before acquiring rental property here, because timelines extend considerably once a case is contested: uncontested proceedings typically resolve in 21 to 45 days, while a contested case can run 45 to 120 days.

Montana eviction costs run from a court filing fee of $90 to $170, a sheriff lockout fee of $40 to $125, and attorney fees ranging from $500 to $2,500 if counsel is retained. Montana imposes no rent cap and does not require just cause to end a tenancy, and state law preempts any local attempt to impose rent control, so landlords are not exposed to a patchwork of municipal restrictions. Montana security deposit limits and Montana tenant protections are governed at the state level, giving investors a single, predictable regulatory framework across all Prairie County addresses.

Prairie County's average renter share of 10.2% means the rental pool here is small, so each vacancy carries outsized weight; the city-level scores for Terry and Fallon in the grid above help investors calibrate risk before committing to a specific address.