Cass County, North Dakota Eviction Risk: Very Low

Cass County carries an average eviction-risk score of 1.8/10 (Low), placing it among the more landlord-friendly corners of North Dakota eviction laws. That average, however, spans 26 cities and a total population of roughly 186,514, so the county-wide number masks meaningful local variation. Individual city scores range from 1.6 to 2.6, a gap that is narrow in absolute terms but wide enough to shift a portfolio's operating profile depending on which submarket you choose.

Ranked 17th of 53 North Dakota eviction laws counties on the eviction-risk index, Cass County sits in the higher-risk third of the state, with 16 counties carrying more risk and 36 sitting below it. Still, an absolute score below 2/10 means day-to-day landlord conditions here are far more stable than in most national markets. Average rent runs $1,007 per month against an average rent-burden rate of 25.9%, suggesting tenants as a whole are not financially stretched to breaking point, and a renter share of 49.1% of households signals a deep, active rental pool.

The cities inside Cass County

The highest-risk municipalities in the county are West Fargo and Casselton, both scoring 1.9/10. West Fargo is the county's second-largest city at a population of 40,094, so the elevated score there represents a material share of the local rental market. Casselton, a smaller community of 2,953, hits the same ceiling, as do Arthur and Buffalo at 1.7/10. Horace (population 4,588) and Kindred round out the higher-risk tier at 1.6/10 each. The contrast with Fargo is stark: the county seat, home to 131,627 residents and by far the dominant rental market in the county, scores just 1.1/10, the lowest in the data set. Risk is genuinely hyper-local here, and an investor choosing between Fargo and West Fargo is effectively choosing between two different operating environments.

Smaller communities such as Mapleton (1.8/10) and Harwood (1.8/10) track close to the county average, while Reile's Acres comes in at 2.4/10. For investors focused on the suburban tier, those mid-range scores reflect a stable but not risk-free landscape.

State-level laws that apply here

Every landlord in Cass County operates under North Dakota eviction laws state law (N.D.C.C. § 47-16, Leasing of Real Property). For non-payment of rent and lease-violation notices, state law requires only a 3-day notice before filing. End-of-tenancy no-cause terminations require a 30-day notice. Understanding the full North Dakota eviction laws eviction process is essential before acting on either type: an uncontested eviction typically resolves in 21 to 40 days, while a contested case can stretch to 45 to 100 days.

Direct monetary exposure from the North Dakota eviction costs side runs from a court filing fee of $75 to $150, a sheriff lockout fee of $40 to $125, and attorney fees ranging from $500 to $2,500. North Dakota eviction laws imposes no rent control and does not require just cause for eviction; in fact, state law preempts any local rent-control ordinance, so no Cass County municipality can layer additional rent restrictions on top of state rules. Source-of-income is not a protected class under state fair-housing law as reviewed.

With an average poverty rate of 10.7% across the county and renters making up nearly half of all households, the risk profile in Cass County varies considerably city by city, as the grid above shows in detail.