Divide County, North Dakota Eviction Risk: Low

Divide County sits in the extreme northwest corner of North Dakota - a sparsely populated oil-patch and grain-farming county of roughly 1,399 residents spread across four small towns. With an overall eviction risk score of 3.2/10 (Low), it ranks 46th of 53 North Dakota counties, placing it in the lower-risk band of the state. Scores across the county's cities span a tight range of 3.1 to 3.2, reflecting consistently low tenant-protection pressure throughout the area.

The county seat, Crosby (population 1,065, the largest community), comes in at the low end of local risk at 3.2/10. Wildrose, the second-largest town at around 260 residents, registers the highest local score at 3.2/10 - still solidly in Low territory but noticeably above the county average of 3.2/10. Fortuna sits at 3.1/10, and Ambrose at 3.1/10 - both small agricultural hamlets where formal eviction proceedings are rare. The county-wide rent burden of 16.3% is among the lowest in the state, a reflection of modest rents averaging $879 per month and a renter share of just 25.7% of occupied housing units. With a poverty rate of 5.4%, landlords here face a tenant population that is, on the whole, economically stable relative to North Dakota norms.

North Dakota's statutory framework (N.D.C.C. § 47-16) is favorable to property owners: no just-cause requirement for evictions, no local rent-control ordinances (state preemption bars them), and notice periods that begin at just 3 days for non-payment or lease violations. An uncontested eviction typically resolves in 21 to 40 days at a court filing cost of $75 to $150, with sheriff lockout fees running $40 to $125. Even a contested case, where a tenant disputes the action in court, generally concludes within 45 to 100 days. Source-of-income discrimination protection does not apply in North Dakota, and the state's fair housing complaints funnel through the North Dakota Department of Labor and Human Rights. For landlords evaluating northwest North Dakota, Divide County's combination of low risk scores, minimal regulatory overhead, and stable local economics makes it one of the more straightforward operating environments in the region.

Divide County's 3.2/10 average covers a score spread of 3.1 to 3.2 across its four incorporated places. The 16.3% average rent burden and $879 average monthly rent point to a rental market where affordability pressure on tenants is limited, which directly suppresses eviction filing frequency. North Dakota eviction laws's landlord-friendly statutes reinforce that low-pressure environment at the legal level.