Zapata County, Texas Eviction Risk: Low

Zapata County, Texas scores 1.8/10 on the eviction risk index, placing it in the Low risk tier for landlords and investors. Across 12 cities and a total county population of 12,992, conditions favor landlord operations, with individual city scores ranging from 1.3 to 1.9. Statewide, the county ranks 139 of 254, meaning 138 Texas eviction laws counties carry higher risk and 115 are more landlord-friendly, putting Zapata County squarely in the middle third of the state.

The average rent here is $543 per month, and roughly 29.7% of residents rent rather than own. That relatively thin renter pool keeps competition for tenants modest, but it also means vacancies can linger. With a rent burden averaging 32.4% of income, a portion of tenants are stretching financially, so thorough screening upfront matters more than the low risk score might suggest.

The cities inside Zapata County

The highest-risk locations in the county are Zapata (1.9/10, population 4,897) and Siesta Shores (1.9/10, population 1,640). Both sit at the top of the county range, though even at 1.9 they still register Low risk in absolute terms. Medina (1.8/10, population 4,226) and Falcon Lake Estates (1.7/10, population 1,075) occupy the middle of the range.

The most landlord-favorable scores belong to smaller communities: Falcon Mesa, San Ygnacio, New Falcon, and Lopeno each score 1.3/10, the lowest in the county. The half-point spread from 1.3 to 1.9 across the county is a real operational difference, not a rounding artifact. Investors weighing specific submarkets should treat risk as hyper-local and review individual city data rather than relying on the county average alone.

State-level laws that apply here

Texas eviction laws state law governs eviction procedure for all landlords in Zapata County under Tex. Prop. Code § 91 and § 92 (Residential Tenancies). For non-payment of rent and most lease violations, the required notice period is 3 days under Tex. Prop. Code § 24.005. Holdover tenants also receive a 3-day notice, and squatters or unauthorized occupants may be removed with no notice period under Tex. Prop. Code § 24.011 as added by SB-38. An uncontested eviction typically resolves in 21 to 30 days; a contested case can run 45 to 90 days. Understanding the Texas eviction laws eviction process end to end is essential before you serve a first notice, because even straightforward cases carry real out-of-pocket costs: court filing fees run $54 to $125, sheriff lockout fees add $50 to $175, and attorney fees range from $500 to $3,500. Reviewing Texas eviction costs before your first filing helps set realistic expectations. Texas eviction laws does not require just cause to terminate a tenancy, and state law preempts any local rent-control ordinance under TX Local Gov Code § 214.902, so no city within Zapata County can impose its own rent cap.

With a county poverty rate of 38.4% and only about 29.7% of residents renting, the landlord market here is small but carries real financial stress among tenants; the city-level grid above breaks down exactly where within Zapata County that pressure concentrates.