Billings County, North Dakota Eviction Risk: Very Low

Billings County sits in the rugged badlands of southwestern North Dakota - a county of roughly 198 residents and one incorporated community, Medora, that doubles as the gateway to Theodore Roosevelt National Park. The rental market here is compact by any measure: a single community, modest average rent of $625 per month, and a rent burden of just 13.5% of renter household income. Those numbers translate directly into the county's eviction risk profile. Billings County earns a composite score of 1.7/10 (Very Low) on the Eviction Risk Map index, placing it at 43rd of 53 North Dakota counties - squarely in the lower-risk of the state's risk distribution. Only a small number of counties statewide land below it on the risk scale, meaning landlords operating here face fewer structural headwinds than in most of North Dakota.

Medora, the county's sole city, mirrors the county figure exactly at 1.7/10. With a population of 198, it functions almost entirely as a seasonal and tourism-driven economy rather than a year-round rental market. That context matters: vacancy-driven churn rather than tenant-protection litigation characterizes most landlord-tenant turnover in the area. Rent burden at 13.5% is well below the 30% threshold commonly used to flag housing stress, and even a poverty rate of 10.7% has not generated the legislative pressure for tenant-protection expansions that appears in larger urban counties. By comparison, the North Dakota statewide average is 1.8/10 - a gap that reflects Billings County's thin regulatory environment and low rental market density.

North Dakota's statutory framework reinforces the county's low-risk standing. Under N.D.C.C. § 47-16, landlords can issue a 3-day notice for both non-payment of rent and lease violations, and a 30-day no-cause notice to end a tenancy at will. The state requires no just cause for termination, imposes no rent cap, and actively preempts local governments from enacting rent control ordinances of their own. Court filing fees range from $75 to $150, and uncontested eviction cases in North Dakota typically reach resolution in 21 to 40 days - a timeline that compares favorably to high-risk urban jurisdictions where contested cases can run six months or longer. Even contested proceedings in Billings County's applicable court circuit wrap within 45 to 100 days. The combination of a landlord-permissive state statute, minimal local tenant advocacy infrastructure, and a tiny rental population keeps Billings County's risk score anchored at 1.7/10 with a spread of 1.7 to 1.7 across its market.

Billings County's 1.7/10 score reflects North Dakota eviction laws's landlord-favorable statutory baseline paired with a rental market so small - one city, 198 residents, average rent of $625 - that tenant-protection pressure has never taken hold. The score range within the county runs 1.7 to 1.7, confirming a uniform risk environment with no high-tension pockets.