Burleigh County, North Dakota Eviction Risk: Very Low

Burleigh County scores 1.7/10 on the EvictionRiskMap scale, earning a Low risk rating across all 8 cities in the county. That places it at rank 47 of 53 North Dakota eviction laws counties, meaning 46 counties carry higher eviction risk and only 6 are less risky than Burleigh. For landlords and investors, this is one of the most operationally stable corners of North Dakota eviction laws, anchored by a state legal framework that moves relatively quickly and imposes no local rent controls.

The intra-county spread runs from 1.7/10 at the floor to 1.6/10 at the top, a tight band that reflects consistent conditions rather than sharp pockets of distress. Average rent across the county sits at $994, with an average rent burden of 24.4% of income, a figure that stays comfortably below the threshold where tenants routinely fall behind. With a 32.9% renter share and a 9.5% average poverty rate, the tenant base here is predominantly working, which supports timely rent collection and limits the chronic delinquency patterns that drive up risk scores in tighter markets.

The cities inside Burleigh County

Bismarck, the county seat and by far its largest city at 75,556 residents, scores 1.7/10, the lowest risk in the county. That is where the overwhelming majority of the county's rental inventory is concentrated, and those landlords are operating in as calm an environment as this state offers. Lincoln, at 4,381 residents, scores 1.7/10, still well within the Low band but a notch above Bismarck eviction risk, reflecting somewhat different tenant demographics in the suburban fringe.

The highest-risk locations are small. Apple Valley, with a population of 607, scores 2.4/10, the county's peak, followed by Wing at 1.4/10 (population 207). These are rural communities where a single troubled property can move aggregate statistics, but even their scores signal low absolute risk. The point for investors is that risk is hyper-local even within a low-risk county: the city-level pages above show which specific markets warrant closer scrutiny before acquiring rental units.

State-level laws that apply here

North Dakota state law under N.D.C.C. § 47-16 (Leasing of Real Property) gives landlords efficient tools. Non-payment of rent triggers a 3-day notice, and lease-violation cure notices are also 3 days. End-of-tenancy no-cause termination requires 30 days. Uncontested evictions resolve in 21 to 40 days; contested cases run 45 to 100 days. The North Dakota eviction laws eviction process is materially faster than what landlords face in most coastal or high-regulation states. Court filing fees run $75 to $150, sheriff lockout fees add $40 to $125, and attorney fees typically range from $500 to $2,500 depending on case complexity. A thorough breakdown of those expenses appears in the guide to North Dakota eviction costs.

No just-cause requirement applies under state law, meaning landlords can exit month-to-month tenancies without stating a reason beyond the 30-day notice. There is no rent cap formula and no local rent-control ordinance, because North Dakota eviction laws state law preempts municipalities from enacting rent control. That combination of fast notice timelines, no just-cause mandate, and no rent ceiling is the legal foundation that keeps Burleigh County scores at the bottom of the risk scale. The North Dakota security deposit limits and the full scope of North Dakota tenant protections are covered in the statewide guides linked throughout this site.

With a 9.5% average poverty rate and 32.9% of households renting, Burleigh County's tenant base is stable relative to most U.S. markets, and the city-by-city grid above shows exactly where within the county the modest variation in risk is concentrated.