Colfax County, New Mexico Eviction Risk: Low

Colfax County, tucked in northeastern New Mexico eviction laws, carries a county-wide average eviction risk score of 4/10, placing it in the Moderate tier. Among the state's 34 counties, it ranks 24th, meaning 23 counties are riskier and only 10 are more landlord-friendly, so Colfax sits comfortably in the lower-risk third of New Mexico eviction laws. For a landlord or investor evaluating the region, that aggregate figure signals a market where tenant-payment stress and regulatory friction are present but not dominant concerns.

The spread across the county's 6 cities, however, tells a more nuanced story. Scores range from 3.2 to 4.1, a gap that can meaningfully change cash-flow assumptions depending on which community a portfolio is concentrated in. An average county rent of $738 and a rent-burden rate of 26.2% suggest that tenants here are not severely housing-cost-stressed on the whole, which supports collection stability compared with higher-burden markets elsewhere in New Mexico eviction laws.

The cities inside Colfax County

The highest-risk cities in the county are Raton, Cimarron, and Maxwell, each scoring 4.1/10. Raton is by far the largest community in the county at a population of 6,026, meaning the bulk of the county's rental stock sits at the upper end of the local risk range. Cimarron (population 701) and Maxwell (population 331) share that same 4.1 score despite being much smaller, so elevated risk in Colfax is not confined to the largest city alone.

Springer scores 4/10 (population 1,017) and occupies the middle of the county range. Ute Park comes in at 3.8/10 for its very small population of 63. The clear standout on the low-risk end is Angel Fire, scoring 3.2/10 with a population of 1,111, making it the most landlord-friendly market in the county by a meaningful margin. Risk is genuinely hyper-local here, and a landlord holding units in Angel Fire operates in a materially different environment from one holding units in Raton, even though both are in the same county.

State-level laws that apply here

New Mexico eviction laws state law governs every landlord-tenant relationship in Colfax County through NMSA § 47-8 (Uniform Owner-Resident Relations Act). For non-payment of rent, the required notice period is 3 days. A lease-violation cure notice requires 7 days, while a no-cause end-of-term termination requires 30 days. Landlords should also be aware that state law mandates 24 hours advance notice before entering an occupied unit. Understanding the full New Mexico eviction laws eviction process is important before filing, because uncontested cases typically resolve in 21 to 45 days while contested cases can run 45 to 120 days.

On costs, court filing fees run $132 to $200, sheriff lockout fees add $50 to $175, and attorney fees commonly range from $500 to $3,000, making New Mexico eviction costs a real line item even in straightforward cases. The state does not require just cause for eviction and has no rent-control formula, and source-of-income is not a protected class under state law. Reviewing New Mexico tenant protections before executing any lease termination is always advisable, as the retaliation statute (NMSA § 47-8-39) can expose landlords who act improperly.

With a poverty rate of 19.1% and a renter share of 30.6% across the county, Colfax County's rental universe is relatively small and economically mixed, which reinforces why choosing the right city matters, and why the city-level scores in the grid above are the most actionable starting point for any investment decision.