Dawson County, Texas Eviction Risk: Low

Dawson County carries an eviction risk score of 3.9/10 (Low), placing it 31st out of 254 Texas eviction laws counties - meaning only 30 counties in the state present higher eviction risk for landlords. That position in the higher-risk of Texas puts Dawson County in a notably challenging spot relative to most of the state, even though its raw score is anchored in the Low tier. The county seat of Lamesa drives most of that exposure: at 3.9/10, it accounts for nearly all of the county's 8,393 renters and pulls the county average to its current level. Smaller communities like Los Ybanez (3.2/10) and Welch (3.3/10) post lower scores, reflecting thinner rental markets where individual payment disputes rarely escalate to formal proceedings.

The rental market here is small but economically stretched. Average asking rent runs around $811 per month, and the average renter household devotes roughly 30.5% of gross income to rent - a burden level that puts a meaningful share of tenants within one paycheck of late payment. The poverty rate across the county sits at 20.2%, and renters make up about 30.9% of occupied housing units. That combination - high poverty, tight budgets, limited rental inventory - means landlords in Lamesa should expect a baseline of payment-related friction even when the legal environment is straightforward. Texas eviction laws eviction law (governed by Tex. Prop. Code § 24 for forcible detainer and § 91-92 for lease terms) offers landlords some of the most landlord-favorable procedures in the country: a 3-day written notice is all that is required before filing for non-payment of rent (Tex. Prop. Code § 24.005(a-1)), lease violations, or holdover situations. There is no just-cause requirement and no local rent-control overlay - the state preempted municipal rent regulation under TX Local Gov Code §214.902. A squatter or unauthorized occupant can be removed with no prior notice under Tex. Prop. Code § 24.011, as added by SB-38. Court filing fees at the Dawson County Justice of the Peace courts run $54 to $125, and uncontested cases typically clear in 21 to 30 days from filing; contested matters extend to 45 to 90 days depending on scheduling and any appeals to the County Court.

Scores across Dawson County's three tracked municipalities range from 3.2 to 3.9 on the 10-point scale, a spread that reflects the outsized weight of Lamesa relative to the county's smaller unincorporated clusters. Landlords operating in Lamesa should prepare for the higher end of that range; those with rural holdings near Welch or Los Ybanez will find the risk profile materially lighter. Retaliation claims are governed by Tex. Prop. Code § 92.331, and habitability obligations fall under § 92.052 - both worth reviewing before responding to any tenant repair request that coincides with a rent dispute. Fair housing complaints are routed through the Texas eviction laws Workforce Commission, Civil Rights Division. Source-of-income discrimination is not a protected class under Texas eviction laws state law, so landlords retain discretion over housing voucher acceptance at the state level, though federal Fair Housing Act obligations still apply.

Dawson County is a lightly populated West Texas agricultural county anchored by Lamesa, the county seat and home to the overwhelming majority of the county's roughly 8,600 residents. The local economy has historically tied to cotton farming, oil-field services, and ranching - sectors that generate seasonal employment volatility and contribute to the elevated poverty and rent-burden figures that raise the county's risk profile above the Texas eviction laws average.