Stevens County, Washington Eviction Risk: Elevated

Stevens County carries an average eviction-risk score of 6.3/10 (Moderate) across its 13 cities, placing it among the least-risk counties in Washington. The county ranks 38th of 39 statewide, which means 37 other Washington eviction laws counties post higher risk scores, and only one is considered more landlord-friendly. For investors, that ranking translates to a market where eviction pressure is below average for the state, though it is not absent.

Scores across the county span from 3.9 to 4.9, a spread that matters operationally. An investor buying in the lower end of that range faces a noticeably different tenant-base profile than one acquiring in the highest-risk pockets. Average rent runs $828, the average rent burden sits at 26.2% of income, and roughly 25.8% of households rent, making this a smaller but real rental market concentrated in a handful of towns.

The cities inside Stevens County

The sharpest risk sits in Springdale (4.9/10), a small community of 451 residents where the score approaches the top of the county range. Colville, the county's second-largest city at 4,998 residents, comes in at 4.6/10, making it the most consequential concentration of risk given its population weight. Barney's Junction (4.5/10) and both Kettle Falls and Northport (each 4.4/10) round out the higher end of the local spectrum. Landlords concentrating portfolios in Colville or Kettle Falls should price that modestly elevated risk into underwriting assumptions.

The lower-risk tier looks more favorable. Chewelah (4.1/10, population 2,606), Marcus (4.1/10), and Loon Lake (4.1/10) sit at the softest end of the county. Suncrest, the largest community at 5,345 residents, lands at 4.2/10, a reasonable score for a county seat area. The core takeaway is that risk is hyper-local even within a county that reads moderate at the aggregate level.

State-level laws that apply here

Every Stevens County landlord operates under RCW § 59.18 (Washington eviction laws's Residential Landlord-Tenant Act). Notice requirements vary by cause: nonpayment of rent triggers a 14-day notice under RCW 59.18.057, a curable material breach requires 10 days, and waste or nuisance situations allow a 3-day notice. No-cause terminations for tenancies under six months require 20 days, while just-cause no-fault situations such as owner move-in or substantial rehabilitation require 90 days. Washington eviction costs add up quickly: the court filing fee is a flat $83, sheriff lockout fees run $50 to $150, and attorney fees typically fall between $1,000 and $3,500. An uncontested case resolves in 30 to 60 days; a contested case can stretch to 150 days.

Washington eviction laws eviction process rules also include a just-cause requirement for termination (RCW § 59.18.650), meaning landlords cannot end a tenancy without a qualifying reason after the initial term. Rent increases are capped under a 7% plus CPI, maximum 10% formula. Reviewing Washington tenant protections before structuring leases in this county is strongly recommended, since source-of-income discrimination is prohibited and the state does not preempt local rent-control ordinances at the county level.

With a poverty rate of 14.6% among county residents and a renter share of 25.8%, Stevens County's rental pool is relatively small but carries meaningful income stress; the city-by-city risk grid above is the clearest guide to where that stress concentrates most.