Teton County, Montana Eviction Risk: Very Low

Teton County, Montana scores 1.8/10 (Low risk) across its 9 tracked cities, placing it at rank 41 of 56 Montana eviction laws counties, meaning 40 counties carry higher eviction risk and only 15 are more landlord-friendly. For investors, that position in the lower-risk third of the state translates to a rental market where tenant instability is comparatively uncommon, average rent sits at $704, and rent burden averages just 23.8% of income, well below the threshold that typically drives payment stress.

Intra-county scores run from 1.5 to 2/10, a narrow but meaningful spread for a county of just 3,209 residents. With a 34% renter share, the tenant pool is modest, and landlords who have operated here consistently report low turnover as a defining characteristic. Operating conditions, in short, are favorable, though small-market illiquidity, not tenant risk, is the more significant variable to underwrite.

The cities inside Teton County

Augusta carries the highest score in the county at 2/10, making it the most elevated risk point in Teton County while still landing in Low territory by any statewide standard. The county seat, Choteau (population 1,479), matches that at 1.8/10 and accounts for nearly half the county's total population, so a landlord concentrating holdings in Choteau is essentially underwriting the county average. Dutton also scores 1.8/10, while Fairfield (population 759) and Simms (population 334) come in at 1.7/10.

At the lower end, Miller Colony and Bynum each score 1.5/10, the floor for the county. New Rockport Colony sits at 1.6/10. The takeaway for investors is that even the riskiest address in Teton County would rate as low-risk in most other Montana markets, but risk is still hyper-local: a 0.5-point spread between Augusta and Bynum is not trivial when evaluating individual assets.

State-level laws that apply here

Montana state law under MCA § 70-24 (Residential Landlord and Tenant Act) sets the procedural framework for all Teton County landlords. Non-payment and lease-violation notices require just 3 days, one of the shorter cure windows in the region. No-cause terminations at end of term require 30 days. If a tenant does not vacate, the Montana eviction process runs 21 to 45 days uncontested or 45 to 120 days for a contested case. Understanding the full Montana eviction costs before an event occurs is sound practice: court filing fees run $90 to $170, sheriff lockout fees $40 to $125, and attorney fees, if needed, range from $500 to $2,500.

Montana imposes no rent control, and state law explicitly preempts any local rent-control ordinance, so no municipality in Teton County can cap increases. Just cause is not required to terminate a tenancy, giving landlords meaningful flexibility at lease end. Source of income is not a protected class under Montana law, and landlords must give 24 hours notice before entry. Retaliation protections for tenants fall under MCA § 70-24-431.

With an average poverty rate of 11.2% and renters making up 34% of households, the tenant base here is relatively stable; the city-by-city grid above shows exactly where the 1.5 to 2/10 score range lands across each of Teton County's 9 tracked cities.