In court-decided eviction outcomes for Gold Bar, WA, tenants prevail in roughly 42.9% of contested cases. A higher number means landlords face stronger tenant defenses, longer calendars, and more required documentation, and landlord-friendliness drops as this rises.
Timeline
169d
filing → judgment
From the moment an unlawful-detainer notice is filed in Gold Bar, WA until a money judgment is entered, a contested eviction takes about 169 days on average. Longer timelines mean more lost rent and higher carry costs for landlords.
Cost range
$8.1–22.2k
legal + lost rent
A typical eviction in Gold Bar, WA costs landlords $8,147 to $22,177 all-in, covering court filing fees, process-server costs, attorney time, and lost rent during the calendar between filing and possession.
Average rent
$1,843
44% stretched on rent
Average gross rent in Gold Bar, WA is $1,843 per month per the U.S. Census American Community Survey (5-year 2023). 44% of renter households here spend more than 30% of pre-tax income on rent, the federal cost-burden threshold.
Renters
9.5%
of households
9.5% of occupied housing units in Gold Bar, WA are renter-occupied (vs owner-occupied). A higher renter share usually correlates with more eviction filings, more turnover, and a more active rental market.
Poverty
9.7%
6.5% unemp.
9.7% of Gold Bar, WA residents live below the federal poverty line, and unemployment runs at 6.5%. Both feed into the economic-stress sub-score in our Eviction Risk Score model because rent payment problems track poverty + joblessness more reliably than any other single signal.
Time machine
Scrub 50 years
197619861996200620162026
2026
● LIVE · today◀ REPLAY · historical
Nine-axis profile
9-axis profile · today
Shape of the risk surface
1 landlord · 10 tenant
Sub-scores · with sparkline
Where the score comes from
1 → 10 scale
Local political climate
Dem margin +19.0% (2024)
6.4
Regional political climate
County-weighted neighbor mix
6.4
State political climate
Washington legislature & governorship
6.0
Economic stress
9.7% poverty · 6.5% unemp.
6.4
Supply constraint
$1,843 average · 9.5% renters
6.3
Rent Control risk
43.7% of income on rent
6.3
Eviction process difficulty
169 days filing → judgment
5.6
Tenant organizing strength
9.5% renters
3.9
Housing court bias
County bench composition
5.7
Geographic context
Risk heat across Gold Bar and the region
Click any city to see its score
How Gold Bar compares
Risk score vs. peers, county, state, and the U.S.
Rank in Snohomish County
Very High
#5of 61 cities
#5 of 61 cities in Snohomish County for landlord eviction risk.
Rank in Washington
Very High
#56of 637 cities
#56 of 637 cities in Washington for landlord eviction risk.
vs. county · state · U.S.
Score story
Six-stop tour of the risk profile
7.1
/ 10 · HIGH
The verdict
A High-tier market.
Composite 7.1/10. High statutory friction with active tenant counsel, so assume defenses on every filing. The 50-year curve shows a sharp climb.
50-yr trend+4.5 over 50 yr
197620012026
Steepening since 2010 · COVID inflection visible
169d
Typical timeline
The money
What renting (and evicting) looks like.
Rent published at $1,843/mo. A contested eviction takes 169 days and costs $8,147–$22,177 per case.
50-yr trendCalendar drag rising since '15
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
9.5%
Renters
The renters
Who you'll be renting to.
Out of 2,390 residents, 9.5% rent. 44% are spending 30%+ income on rent, 9.7% below the poverty line.
50-yr trendRenter share rising
197620012026
ACS 1970-present · once the migration overlay is in.
6.4
Local + regional
The politics
Mid-range climate. Not a coastal market.
Local & regional political climate score 6.4 and 6.4 (Dem margin +19.0% (2024)). State climate at 6, a mid-range statehouse.
50-yr trendTracks county vote margin
197620012026
Built on 50-yr presidential margins back to 1976.
6
State politics
The process
Moderate calendar, moderate friction.
State political climate 6/10 sets the legislative ceiling for landlord remedies, and it shows up in the process. Eviction process difficulty reads 5.6, housing court bias 5.7, rent-control risk 6.3. Standard process speed for the state.
50-yr trendProcess difficulty +0.6 since '00
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
6.4
Economic stress
The stress
Economic pressure is the background risk.
Economic stress: 6.4. Supply constraint: 6.3. The numbers behind those: 9.7% poverty, 6.5% unemployment, 44% of income on rent.
50-yr trendTwo visible dips · '08 + COVID
197620012026
Mirrors BLS unemployment series.
US eviction landscape · timeline × all-in cost
Gold Bar sits in the slow & expensive quadrant
Bubble size = population · color = risk score
Gold Bar · 169d · ~$15.2k all-in ($90/day) · score 7.1National average: 58d · $4.6k all-inHover any bubble for stats · click to openColor: 0–4 4–7 7–10
Landlording in Gold Bar, Washington, presents a high-friction environment where attorney involvement on every filing is the norm. The Eviction Risk Score is 7.1/10 (HIGH tier), drawn from the nine sub-axes shown above, covering rent-control exposure, eviction-process difficulty, housing-court bias, tenant-organizing strength, supply constraint, economic stress, and local, regional, and state political climate. This is not a quick-fix market: it's a High-friction landlord market where lease drafting, screening discipline, and well-documented notices materially change outcomes.
Gold Bar is a city of 2,390 residents where 9.5% of occupied units are renter-occupied, and the typical renter spends 43.7% of income on rent. At an average rent of $1,843/month, the typical renter household here spends more than the federal 30% threshold on housing, a leading indicator of payment volatility and a precondition for the kinds of tenant defenses that show up most often in housing court.
01Process
How Gold Bar eviction process actually works
Eviction process difficulty here reads 5.6/10, a number that combines statutory complexity (notice categories, just-cause rules, mandatory pre-filing disclosures) with operational realities (court calendar length and clerk responsiveness). The typical contested filing in Gold Bar closes 169 days after the initial notice. For non-payment of rent the first step is a properly-formatted, properly-served pay-or-quit notice; for material lease breaches it's a cure-or-quit; for tenancies under just-cause protection an at-fault grounds notice (or a no-fault notice with statutory relocation assistance) is required.
The slow part of Gold Bar's timeline is usually the calendar, not the motion practice. Housing court bias scores 5.7/10 here, meaning judges read borderline procedural defects in the tenant's favor more often than the national norm. The practical implication: every notice and every proof of service needs to be airtight before it gets filed.
02Cost
What it costs (and how long it takes)
An all-in eviction in Gold Bar runs $8,147 to $22,177 per case once you account for filing fees, attorney time, lost rent during pendency, sheriff lockout, and unit turnover. That range is wide because the upper bound assumes a tenant answer plus motion practice, common when housing court bias is high. The lower bound assumes a default judgment after proper service.
For landlords running the numbers on holding costs vs. cash-for-keys: if your projected timeline times your monthly rent already exceeds the high-end cost number, cash-for-keys at 1–2 months' rent is typically the economically rational choice. With 169 days of typical timeline and $1,843/month in lost rent, that crossover happens fast here.
03Operations
Security deposits, screening, and lease terms
Tenant organizing strength scores 3.9/10 in Gold Bar, and the city carries meaningful rent control exposure (6.3/10). Operations practice that survives audit in this environment looks like:
Screening discipline. Document income (verified at 2.5 to 3x rent), credit (with a clear minimum), and prior-tenancy reference checks, but do not screen on protected categories or source-of-income where banned. Keep a written, consistent screening criteria document for every applicant.
Lease specificity. Use a state-specific lease that names every term clearly: rent due date, late fees within statutory caps, deposit handling, smoke and CO disclosure, lead paint disclosure (pre-1978 stock), and a clean attorney's-fees clause.
Security deposit handling. Itemize deductions within the statutory window. Photograph move-in/move-out condition. In Washington, deposit cap and refund window are statute, so exceed them at your own risk.
Mid-tenancy documentation. Keep date-stamped records of every rent receipt, every habitability request, every notice served. The day you need them in court is too late to start.
04Strategy
What an everyday landlord should actually do here
If you own one to four units in Gold Bar: hire a property manager who knows the local court. The pricing differential between self-managing and hiring out is small relative to the cost of one botched eviction in a HIGH tier market. If you own five or more: build relationships with a local landlord-side attorney before you need one, since retainer fees are negligible compared to emergency-rate billing when an eviction is already moving.
The avoidable mistakes here are all upstream of the filing: weak screening, an informal lease, sloppy rent receipts, and notice templates pulled off the internet that don't match Washington's statutory language. Fix those four, and most cases settle or default. Skip them, and a $22,177 all-in fight is the realistic worst case.
04bPractical traps
Local traps to avoid in Gold Bar
Trap · 20.6 POINTS
Politically, Snohomish County voted Democratic by 20.6 points in 2020, a baseline that correlates with tenant-protective legislative pressure. Combined with 43.7% rent-to-income ratio, expect baseline enforcement of HB 1236 + RCW 59.18.
05FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Q1
Can I evict a tenant in Gold Bar for any reason if they're on a month-to-month lease?
No. Washington state law requires "just cause" for all evictions, even for month-to-month tenancies. You cannot simply terminate a tenancy without a valid, legally recognized reason like non-payment, lease violations, or specific owner-occupancy scenarios. This is a critical protection for tenants in Gold Bar.
Q2
What are common mistakes landlords make with security deposits in Washington?
Two big ones: charging more than one month's rent for the deposit, and failing to return the deposit or an itemized statement within 21 days of the tenant moving out. Both can lead to you owing the tenant double the deposit amount plus attorney fees. Document everything about the property's condition.
Q3
How much notice do I have to give for a rent increase in Gold Bar?
Washington state law generally requires a minimum of 60 days' written notice for any rent increase. Always check the latest RCW § 59.18 updates, as rules can change. Be aware that Gold Bar has a rent-control-risk sub-score of 6.3/10, so while there isn't strict rent control now, the legislative environment could shift.
Q4
Can I refuse to rent to someone because their income comes from a government assistance program?
No. Washington is a "source of income" protected state. You cannot discriminate against an applicant solely because their income is from a lawful source, including government assistance, Social Security, or housing vouchers. Treat all sources of verifiable income equally in your screening process.
Q5
When should I get an attorney involved in an eviction case?
As soon as possible, ideally before you even serve the official 14-day notice, but definitely immediately if the tenant doesn't comply with the notice. Given the complexity and cost of evictions in Gold Bar, having an experienced attorney from the outset can save you significant time and money by ensuring all steps are followed correctly. For a deeper dive into costs, see our Washington eviction costs guide.
A 7.1/10 places Gold Bar in the 94th percentile of Washington cities on the Eviction Risk Score index. The score is the average of the nine sub-axes, all calibrated on a national 1 to 10 scale where 1 is most landlord-friendly and 10 is most tenant-protective. The 50-year reconstruction shows this score has risen sharply since 1976, a structural drift driven by court-calendar growth, rent-control adoption, and the rise of tenant-side legal aid. The trajectory matters more than the snapshot: the score is the climate, not the weather.
Cities with similar eviction risk to Gold Bar (7.1/10)
Same risk band nationally · click any city for its full breakdown.
