A Landlord’s Guide to Renting in Billings County, North Dakota
Billings County is not a place where most people think to invest in rental property — and that is precisely what makes it interesting. With fewer than 1,000 permanent residents across more than a thousand square miles of some of the most dramatic landscape in the Great Plains, the county operates at the extreme edge of what a rental market can be. Housing is so scarce that the normal rules of supply and demand apply in an almost pure form: virtually any habitable unit in Medora or its surroundings can command above-average rates during the tourism season, and the year-round oil and ranching economy ensures that demand never completely disappears. The challenge is not finding tenants — it is finding and maintaining the properties themselves in a remote, harsh-winter environment far from the nearest hardware store or contractor.
Medora and Theodore Roosevelt National Park
Medora is one of the most visited small towns in North Dakota, a place whose permanent population of roughly 140 people swells dramatically each summer as Theodore Roosevelt National Park draws hundreds of thousands of visitors annually and the Medora Musical — a long-running outdoor musical production staged against the Badlands backdrop — draws audiences from across the region. The Medora Foundation, which operates the Musical and much of Medora’s tourism infrastructure, is a significant seasonal employer. National Park Service rangers, interpreters, and maintenance staff represent a stable government employment base with reliable income. Both groups create rental demand that far exceeds available supply in Medora itself, forcing many workers to commute from Belfield or Dickinson — a fact that underscores just how acute the housing shortage is.
Seasonal vs. Year-Round Demand
The Billings County rental market has two distinct phases. From roughly May through September, tourism-driven demand peaks and any available housing in Medora commands a significant premium. Seasonal workers, park service employees, and musical production staff need housing for this window, and many accept that accommodations will be modest or that they will commute. From October through April, the tourist economy goes largely dormant, the park operates on reduced schedules, and the market reverts to its year-round base of ranchers, oil field workers, county employees, and the small permanent community of Medora residents. Landlords who can structure leases around this seasonality — annual leases with summer subletting provisions, or flexible arrangements that accommodate the academic and seasonal calendar — will maximize occupancy across both phases.
Oil and Gas: The Year-Round Economic Foundation
Billings County sits at the southern edge of the Williston Basin oil patch, and while it is not as intensively developed as McKenzie or Williams counties to the north, active oil and gas production occurs throughout the county’s northern reaches. Oil field workers, supervisors, pipeline technicians, and energy company representatives who work Billings County assets often base themselves in Dickinson (Stark County) and commute, but some prefer to live closer to their work sites if housing can be found. These workers tend to have strong incomes and relatively stable employment on multi-year contracts, making them attractive tenants when housing can be secured. The commodity-cycle nature of oil employment is worth factoring into lease terms and income verification.
Ranching: The Historical Economic Base
Cattle ranching is the oldest and most deeply rooted industry in Billings County, and ranch families form a permanent presence in the county that is distinct from both the seasonal tourism economy and the cyclical energy sector. Ranch operators who need residential rental housing — for themselves, for ranch hands, or for seasonal agricultural workers — represent a stable if small demand segment. Agricultural income can be irregular in its timing, and landlords renting to ranchers or farm operators should be comfortable with income documentation that differs from standard pay stubs, including Schedule F tax returns and cattle sale records.
North Dakota Law in Billings County
Billings County landlords operate under NDCC Ch. 47-16 and Ch. 47-32. The 3-Day Notice to Pay or Quit for nonpayment (after the 3-day grace period), the 3-Day Notice to Quit for lease violations with no cure right, and the 30-Day Written Notice for month-to-month terminations are the operative notice timelines. The Billings County District Court in Medora handles eviction filings as part of the Southwest Judicial District. Given the county’s extreme remoteness, landlords should be aware that legal proceedings may require counsel from Dickinson or Bismarck, and that practical logistics of eviction enforcement — including the sheriff’s office executing a writ of possession — operate on a small-county timeline. LLCs and other entities must retain licensed North Dakota counsel. Attorney fees are recoverable by the prevailing landlord under § 47-32-04.
Billings County landlord-tenant matters are governed by NDCC Ch. 47-16 and Ch. 47-32. Nonpayment notice: 3-day pay or quit (after 3-day grace period). Lease violation: 3-day quit (no cure). Month-to-month termination: 30-day written notice. Security deposit cap: 1 month’s rent; pet deposit up to $2,500 or 2 months. Deposit return: 30 days; interest required if occupancy 9+ months. Late fees must be in lease. Legal entities must use licensed ND attorney in eviction. Attorney fees recoverable by prevailing landlord (§ 47-32-04). Hardship stay: up to 5 days. Eviction filed at Billings County District Court, 495 4th St., Medora, ND 58645, (701) 623-4491. Filing fee ~$80. Southwest Judicial District. 2025 SB 2238: eviction record sealing after 7 years. No rent control. No just-cause eviction requirement. Last updated: May 2026.
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