Ransom County, North Dakota Eviction Risk: Very Low

Ransom County sits in the higher-risk third of North Dakota eviction laws's 53 counties, carrying an eviction risk score of 2/10 (Very Low) and ranking 12th of 53 statewide -- meaning 11 counties present a greater challenge to landlords while 41 are more forgiving. That standing reflects the county's blend of a 34.3% renter share, an average asking rent of $707 per month, and a poverty rate of 14.8% -- all measured against a landlord-law environment that remains comparatively straightforward under N.D.C.C. § 47-16. Scores across Ransom County's ten tracked cities span a moderate range, from a low of 1.6/10 to a high of 2.5/10, indicating that the specific city a landlord operates in can shift the practical risk picture noticeably even within the same county.

Lisbon, the county seat and by far the largest community at roughly 2,259 residents, scores 2.1/10 -- the second-highest in the county and the main driver of overall risk given that it holds a clear majority of the county's 3,795 people. Enderlin, the second-largest city at about 985 residents, scores 1.7/10, making it the most landlord-friendly of the county's bigger towns. Between those anchors sit Fort Ransom at 2/10, McLeod at 1.9/10, Verona at 1.8/10, Sheldon at 1.9/10, and Nome at 1.8/10. The clear outlier is Elliott -- a very small community of roughly 33 people -- which registers the county's peak score of 2.5/10, a figure that owes more to its extremely limited rental stock and thin data signal than to any concentrated tenant-protection regime.

North Dakota eviction laws's landlord law framework keeps baseline eviction risk contained across the state, and Ransom County is no exception. There is no local rent control ordinance, and state law explicitly preempts municipalities from enacting one. No just-cause requirement applies to lease non-renewals. For nonpayment of rent or lease violations, landlords must serve a 3-day notice to quit under N.D.C.C. § 47-16 before filing, and a standard eviction action typically resolves in 21 to 40 days when uncontested -- rising to 45 to 100 days if a tenant mounts a defense. Court filing fees run $75 to $150, sheriff lockout fees $40 to $125, and attorney costs most commonly fall between $500 and $2,500 for a straightforward case. Landlords are also not required to accept housing vouchers or other income sources as payment, and the state does not mandate documented just cause to end a tenancy at expiration. Compared to the North Dakota average of 1.8/10, Ransom County's 2/10 score reflects a slightly more cautious environment -- driven primarily by Lisbon's concentration of renters relative to the county's overall size -- but remains firmly in the Low-risk tier.

Ransom County's Very Low risk score of 2/10 reflects a 34.3% renter share and $707 average monthly rent against a state landlord-law environment with no rent control, no just-cause requirement, and 3-day notice periods for nonpayment and lease violations. The county ranks 12th of 53 in North Dakota, placing it in the higher-risk of the state.