Morrow County, Oregon Eviction Risk: Elevated

Morrow County, Oregon scores 4/10 (Moderate) on average across its 5 cities, placing it at rank 33 of 36 Oregon counties, meaning only 3 counties are less risky and 32 are riskier. That positioning puts Morrow County in the lower-risk third of the state, a meaningful advantage for landlords who want manageable operating conditions without venturing into Oregon's densely regulated urban markets. Average rent runs $903, rent burden sits at 22.3%, and the renter share is 35.1% of households, a profile consistent with a small, stable rural rental market.

The intra-county band is narrow, running from 3.8 to 4.2 across the five incorporated places, which means portfolio diversification within Morrow County offers limited risk arbitrage. Landlords should treat the county average as a reliable proxy for any individual market here, while still checking city-level scores before acquiring units in a specific community.

The cities inside Morrow County

The highest-risk city is Heppner, the county seat, at 4.2/10 with a population of 1,277. Boardman, the largest city in the county at 4,064 residents and the primary commercial hub, comes in just behind at 4.1/10. Both sit above the county average, and landlords pricing vacancy risk in either market should account for that slight elevation relative to their smaller peers.

Irrigon (population 2,120, score 3.8/10) and Lexington (population 83, score 3.8/10) share the lowest scores in the county, tying at the bottom of the range. Ione falls in the middle at 3.9/10. The spread is modest but real: a landlord operating in Heppner faces conditions roughly half a point riskier than one operating in Irrigon or Lexington. In a county this size, that difference is largely driven by local income levels, renter density, and historical eviction frequency rather than any dramatic policy divergence.

State-level laws that apply here

Every tenancy in Morrow County is governed by Oregon state law under ORS § 90 (Residential Landlord and Tenant). Notice requirements vary sharply by situation: nonpayment of rent triggers a 14-day notice under ORS 90.394, a material non-curable violation requires only a 3-day notice under ORS 90.396, while a no-cause termination in the first year of tenancy requires 30 days, and a landlord-based no-fault termination after one year requires a 90-day notice under ORS 90.427. Oregon's just-cause eviction requirement applies statewide, so terminations outside these defined categories are not permitted after the first year. Rent increases are capped at the greater of 7% plus CPI or a maximum of 10% per year, and source-of-income discrimination is a protected class under state law enforced by the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries, Civil Rights Division. Landlords should review the full Oregon eviction process before filing, and budget carefully after reviewing Oregon eviction costs.

If a tenancy does reach the courthouse, court filing fees run $165 to $275, sheriff lockout fees add $50 to $175, and attorney fees, if counsel is retained, typically fall in the $750 to $3,500 range. An uncontested case resolves in roughly 30 to 60 days; a contested matter can stretch to 60 to 150 days. Those timelines are consistent with Oregon's statewide averages and reinforce the importance of thorough tenant screening before signing any lease.

With a poverty rate of 16.8% and 35.1% of households renting, Morrow County carries real underlying credit risk even at its moderate overall score, so landlords should weigh each city's individual figures in the grid above before committing capital.