Clallam County, Washington Eviction Risk: High

Clallam County, Washington eviction laws carries an average eviction-risk score of 7.1/10, placing it in the Elevated tier. Across 9 cities, the county sits in the middle third of Washington state, ranked 15th of 39 counties, meaning 14 counties are riskier and 24 are more landlord-friendly. For investors, that translates to a market where tenant protections and economic stress factors are real and measurable, but not at the extreme end of the spectrum.

The intra-county spread, from a low of 5.3/10 to a high of 6.7/10, is wide enough to matter. With an average rent of $1,124 and a rent burden of 33.5%, a meaningful share of tenants in Clallam County are financially stretched, which elevates late-payment and eviction exposure for landlords operating here. Roughly 39.7% of residents rent, so the rental base is substantial, but the 12.8% poverty rate adds a layer of credit-quality risk that landlords should factor into underwriting.

The cities inside Clallam County

The sharpest risk concentration falls in Port Angeles East (6.7/10, population 3,137) and Carlsborg (6.6/10, population 1,231). These two communities sit well above the county average and represent the highest-pressure operating environments in Clallam County. Landlords with units in these areas should expect tighter margins and closer attention to tenant screening.

Port Angeles, the county's largest city at 20,118 residents, scores 7.1/10, matching the county average, as do Forks (population 3,400) and Clallam Bay. Sequim, with a population of 8,161, is a relative bright spot at 5.5/10, while Neah Bay comes in at the county low of 5.4/10. The spread makes clear that risk is hyper-local: a portfolio positioned in Sequim or Neah Bay faces materially different conditions than one concentrated in Port Angeles East or Carlsborg.

State-level laws that apply here

Every landlord in Clallam County operates under Washington eviction laws's Residential Landlord-Tenant Act, RCW § 59.18. Notice requirements vary by cause: nonpayment triggers a 14-day notice under RCW 59.18.057; a curable material breach requires 10 days; waste, nuisance, or unlawful activity compresses to 3 days; a no-cause termination for tenancies under 6 months requires 20 days; and just-cause no-fault situations such as owner move-in or substantial rehab carry a 90-day notice requirement. Washington eviction laws also mandates just cause for terminating most tenancies, and the state applies a rent-increase cap formula of 7% plus CPI, with a maximum of 10%. Understanding the Washington eviction laws eviction process is essential before serving any notice, because procedural missteps restart the clock. On the cost side, the Washington eviction costs can accumulate quickly: court filing is $83, sheriff lockout runs $50 to $150, and attorney fees range from $1,000 to $3,500. An uncontested case closes in 30 to 60 days; a contested case can run 60 to 150 days.

With a poverty rate of 12.8% and roughly 39.7% of residents renting, economic stress is a consistent backdrop across all 9 cities in Clallam County; the city grid above breaks down which communities carry the highest and lowest individual risk scores.