Toole County, Montana Eviction Risk: Very Low

Toole County, Montana scores 1.7/10 (Low risk) across its 9 cities, placing it at rank 46 of 56 Montana eviction laws counties, meaning 45 counties carry higher eviction risk and only 10 are considered less risky than this market. For landlords and investors, that translates to a county where tenant payment behavior, vacancy pressures, and regulatory friction sit well below state averages, making it one of the more operationally stable corners of northern Montana eviction laws.

The intra-county range runs from 1.4 to 1.9 out of 10, a relatively narrow band that reflects a consistently rural, low-density rental market. Average rent is $910 per month and the average rent burden is 24.1%, a figure well below the stress thresholds that typically drive eviction filings. The county's total population of 4,509 means deal flow is limited, but so is competition from institutional landlords, which suits buy-and-hold operators targeting smaller multifamily or single-family rentals.

The cities inside Toole County

The highest-risk locations within the county are Hillside Colony, Camrose Colony, and Rimrock Colony, each scoring 1.9/10. These are small communities, with Hillside Colony at 245 residents, Camrose Colony at 126, and Rimrock Colony at just 39, so the elevated relative scores reflect limited comparable data points rather than a widespread eviction crisis. Still, landlords underwriting deals in these communities should factor the higher intra-county positioning into their vacancy assumptions.

Shelby, the county seat and by far the largest city at 3,216 residents, scores 1.7/10, in line with the county average. Glacier Colony (404 residents) also sits at 1.7/10. The lowest-risk cities are Sunburst, Kevin, and Sweet Grass, each scoring 1.5/10, confirming that risk in Toole County is genuinely hyper-local, with a 0.4-point spread between the most and least challenging markets depending on exactly where a property sits.

State-level laws that apply here

All rentals in Toole County operate under Montana eviction laws state law, specifically the Montana eviction laws Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (MCA § 70-24). For nonpayment of rent or a lease violation, the required notice period is 3 days. A no-cause termination at end of term requires 30 days notice. Montana eviction laws does not require just cause for termination, and state law preempts any local rent-control ordinance, so landlords face no patchwork of city-level rent caps here. Understanding the Montana eviction laws eviction process matters because even in a low-risk county, an uncontested case takes 21 to 45 days and a contested one can run 45 to 120 days. When you factor in Montana eviction costs, the components include 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, so even a straightforward filing carries real out-of-pocket exposure.

With a 40.3% renter share and a 18.8% average poverty rate, Toole County carries meaningful underlying fragility despite its low aggregate score; the city grid above shows exactly where that risk concentrates and which communities offer the most stable operating conditions for landlords considering this market.