Butler County, Pennsylvania Court Filings Intelligence
Live court-record analysis of property-related filings (foreclosure, probate, divorce, partition, guardianship). Data sourced direct from Butler County court dockets. Updated 2026-07-02. See methodology.
- Filing volume accelerating (+117.9%) — last 2 complete months (85 filings) vs prior 2 complete months (39 filings). Excludes the current calendar month (in progress).
- 70.4% of filings are Equity Division Sale — the dominant lead category in Butler County during the observed window.
About Butler County
Butler County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 193,763. Its county seat is Butler. Butler County was created on March 12, 1800, from part of Allegheny County and named in honor of General Richard Butler, a hero of the American Revolution. The county is part of the Greater Pittsburgh region of the commonwealth.
Source: Wikipedia
At a glance
2227 verified property-related court filings tracked across 52 months (Jan 2022 to Jul 2026).
44 typical monthly filing volume.
#15 of 18 Pennsylvania counties Keystone covers, ranked by total filing volume.
0% of filings involve owners whose mailing address differs from the property address (2 of 2227 filings).
$36,800 median estimated property value across the 374 filings with property-enrichment data (17% coverage).
3.7% Pennsylvania unemployment rate (BLS, as of 2026-04). Filings should be read against the local-economy backdrop.
Filing type breakdown
| Filing type | Filings | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Partition | 1627 | 73.1% | |
| Pre-Foreclosure | 489 | 22.0% | |
| Inherited Property | 61 | 2.7% | |
| Stalled Project | 44 | 2.0% | |
| Divorce | 2 | 0.1% | |
| Pre-Probate | 2 | 0.1% | |
| Forced Liquidation | 1 | 0.0% | |
| Tired Landlord | 1 | 0.0% |
Each row is a distinct case verified for current owner-of-record before inclusion.
Monthly filing activity
| Month | Filings | vs prior | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 2022 | 33 | ||
| Feb 2022 | 38 | +5 | |
| Mar 2022 | 58 | +20 | |
| Apr 2022 | 49 | -9 | |
| May 2022 | 48 | -1 | |
| Jun 2022 | 52 | +4 | |
| Jul 2022 | 55 | +3 | |
| Aug 2022 | 54 | -1 | |
| Sep 2022 | 49 | -5 | |
| Oct 2022 | 58 | +9 | |
| Nov 2022 | 47 | -11 | |
| Dec 2022 | 51 | +4 | |
| Jan 2023 | 51 | 0 | |
| Feb 2023 | 47 | -4 | |
| Mar 2023 | 52 | +5 | |
| Apr 2023 | 53 | +1 | |
| May 2023 | 43 | -10 | |
| Jun 2023 | 35 | -8 | |
| Jul 2023 | 30 | -5 | |
| Aug 2023 | 48 | +18 | |
| Sep 2023 | 47 | -1 | |
| Oct 2023 | 40 | -7 | |
| Nov 2023 | 38 | -2 | |
| Dec 2023 | 26 | -12 | |
| Jan 2024 | 45 | +19 | |
| Feb 2024 | 44 | -1 | |
| Mar 2024 | 53 | +9 | |
| Apr 2024 | 46 | -7 | |
| May 2024 | 47 | +1 | |
| Jun 2024 | 49 | +2 | |
| Jul 2024 | 51 | +2 | |
| Aug 2024 | 33 | -18 | |
| Sep 2024 | 39 | +6 | |
| Oct 2024 | 36 | -3 | |
| Nov 2024 | 29 | -7 | |
| Dec 2024 | 44 | +15 | |
| Jan 2025 | 46 | +2 | |
| Feb 2025 | 44 | -2 | |
| Mar 2025 | 41 | -3 | |
| Apr 2025 | 42 | +1 | |
| May 2025 | 46 | +4 | |
| Jun 2025 | 41 | -5 | |
| Jul 2025 | 43 | +2 | |
| Aug 2025 | 49 | +6 | |
| Sep 2025 | 56 | +7 | |
| Oct 2025 | 44 | -12 | |
| Nov 2025 | 32 | -12 | |
| Dec 2025 | 37 | +5 | |
| Apr 2026 | 2 | -35 | |
| May 2026 | 39 | +37 | |
| Jun 2026 | 46 | +7 | |
| Jul 2026 | 1 | -45 |
Each row reflects new filings entering the dataset that month, after ownership verification. Most recent month may be partial.
Geographic concentration by ZIP
Top 10 ZIPs in Butler County account for 56.2% of all tracked filings, showing where distressed real estate activity clusters.
| ZIP | City | Filings | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16001 | BUTLER | 493 | 22.1% | |
| 16066 | CRANBERRY TOWNSHIP | 211 | 9.5% | |
| 16002 | Butler | 129 | 5.8% | |
| 16046 | Mars | 104 | 4.7% | |
| 16057 | SLIPPERY ROCK | 72 | 3.2% | |
| 16033 | Evans City | 57 | 2.6% | |
| 16055 | Sarver | 52 | 2.3% | |
| 16059 | Valencia | 48 | 2.2% | |
| 16063 | Zelienople | 45 | 2.0% | |
| 16037 | Harmony | 40 | 1.8% |
Based on filings with a parseable property address (74% of Butler County filings).
Property value distribution
| Estimated value | Filings | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under $75k | 360 | 96.3% | |
| $75k - $150k | 7 | 1.9% | |
| $150k - $250k | 2 | 0.5% | |
| $250k - $400k | 3 | 0.8% | |
| $400k+ | 2 | 0.5% |
Source: third-party property enrichment (17% coverage on Butler County filings). Median $36,800; mean $46,981.
Day-of-week filing pattern
| Day | Filings | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sun | 0 | 0.0% | |
| Mon | 463 | 20.8% | |
| Tue | 446 | 20.0% | |
| Wed | 421 | 18.9% | |
| Thu | 391 | 17.6% | |
| Fri | 503 | 22.6% | |
| Sat | 3 | 0.1% |
Filings cluster Monday through Friday, with weekend filings essentially absent (court system closed). Computed for 2227 filings with a parseable date.
Housing stock + distress signals
Underlying housing stock and distress indicators across all 86399 Butler County housing units, from US Census ACS 5-year data. National reference values shown for context.
| Indicator | Butler County | US average |
|---|---|---|
| Vacancy rate (incl. seasonal + for-sale) | 7.1% | 10.5% |
| Share of owner-occupied units carrying a mortgage | 57.0% | 60.8% |
| Pre-1940 housing stock | 15.0% | 12.3% |
| Single-family detached share of housing stock | 69.6% | 61.2% |
| Residents age 65 or older | 20.1% | 17.3% |
Source: US Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS 2023 5-year). National reference values are ACS 2022 5-year US totals. Why these matter: vacancy rate is the strongest single proxy for distressed inventory; mortgage-carrying share defines the risk pool exposed to rate environment; pre-1940 stock signals deferred maintenance and renovation opportunity; senior population correlates with probate pipeline depth.
Rent benchmark (HUD Fair Market Rent)
HUD sets Fair Market Rents at the metro area level — the same FMRs apply to every county within the metro. Butler County sits within the Pittsburgh, PA (FY 2026). Used to set Section 8 voucher amounts; investors use it as a defensible rent-estimate floor for buy-to-rent underwriting.
| Unit size | Fair market rent / month |
|---|---|
| Efficiency / studio | $1,001 |
| 1-bedroom | $1,077 |
| 2-bedroom | $1,299 |
| 3-bedroom | $1,661 |
| 4-bedroom | $1,789 |
Source: US Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents (2026). 40th-percentile gross rent including utilities. Why this matters: Section-8-eligible tenants are a baseline demand floor for rental inventory at these price points; FMR is the official ceiling for voucher-eligible rents.
New construction (market momentum)
Annual building permits filed in Butler County from the US Census Building Permits Survey. Trend signal on whether new housing demand is accelerating or contracting in this market.
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Total housing units permitted (2025) | 1,246 |
| Year-over-year change (2024 → 2025) | +27.7% |
| Single-family share of permits (2025) | 78.2% |
| Single-family units permitted | 974 |
| Multifamily units permitted (2+ units per building) | 272 |
Source: US Census Bureau Building Permits Survey, annual cumulative data. Why this matters: permits trending up signals strong demand for new inventory; permits contracting at the same time foreclosure activity rises indicates broader market softening (deals price differently). Multifamily share shows whether the market is densifying or holding to single-family stock.
Macro context: state home prices and national delinquency
Butler County filings should be read against the broader housing-market backdrop. Pennsylvania state home-price trend and the national mortgage-delinquency rate are the two macro signals most directly relevant to foreclosure exposure.
| Indicator | Value | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania home price index (year-over-year) | +5.3% | 2026-01-01 |
| Pennsylvania home price index (cumulative since 2020) | +59.3% | 2026-01-01 |
| National mortgage delinquency rate (30+ day, single-family) | 1.89% | 2026-01-01 |
Sources: Federal Housing Finance Agency state house price indices (FRED series PASTHPI); Federal Reserve Board, Mortgage Delinquency 30+Day Rate on Single-Family Residential Mortgages (FRED series DRSFRMACBS). Updated quarterly. Free public data.
Most active foreclosure plaintiffs in Butler County
Top mortgage holders and servicers named in foreclosure complaints filed in this county. Lender names are normalized to collapse common legal-suffix variants (e.g. "as Trustee for X Trust", "N.A.").
| Plaintiff | Foreclosure filings |
|---|---|
| FREEDOM MORTGAGE CORPORATION | 3 |
| PENNYMAC LOAN SERVICES, LLC | 2 |
| ROCKET MORTGAGE, LLC | 2 |
| TH MSR HOLDINGS LLC | 2 |
| CITIZENS BANK, N.A | 1 |
| DOLLAR BANK, FEDERAL SAVINGS BANK | 1 |
| LAKEVIEW LOAN SERVICING, LLC | 1 |
| MUIRFIELD MANAGEMENT, LLC | 1 |
| REGIONS BANK | 1 |
| SELECT PORTFOLIO SERVICING, INC | 1 |
Source: plaintiff names extracted from Butler County foreclosure complaint text. Court records are public information.
Post-filing sale outcomes in Butler County
What happens to distressed properties after a court filing? By cross-referencing each filing's property with county assessor and deed-transfer records, we track which properties sold, how long the process took, and at what price. This analysis covers 1637 filings (73.5% of all 2227 filings) where parcel-level tracking is available.
Time from filing to sale
How quickly do distressed properties sell after a court filing is recorded? This distribution shows where post-filing sales cluster.
| Timeframe | Sales | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 30 days | 5 | 8.6% | |
| 31–90 days | 19 | 32.8% | |
| 91–180 days | 14 | 24.1% | |
| 181–365 days | 20 | 34.5% | |
| Over 1 year | 0 | 0.0% |
Sale rates by filing type
Not all distress types lead to property sales at the same rate. Foreclosures tend to result in eventual sales more often than probate or divorce filings.
| Filing type | Tracked | Sold | Sale rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Partition | 40 | 2 | 5.0% |
| Equity Division Sale | 1112 | 54 | 4.9% |
| Distressed Heir | 32 | 1 | 3.1% |
| High Urgency Pre-Foreclosure | 414 | 1 | 0.2% |
| Stalled Project | 32 | 0 | 0.0% |
Source: county assessor and deed-transfer records cross-referenced with court filings by parcel ID. Sale outcomes tracked for 1637 of 2227 filings (73.5% parcel coverage). Timing based on 58 sales with valid filing and sale dates.
Filing velocity by case type
How each distress category is trending — are foreclosures accelerating while divorces cool, or vice versa? This breakdown is only possible with direct court-record data.
| Case type | Total | Share | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Equity Division Sale | 1568 | 70.4% | -35.4% |
| High Urgency Pre Foreclosure | 486 | 21.8% | -7.4% |
| Partition | 59 | 2.6% | -20.0% |
| Distressed Heir | 58 | 2.6% | -- |
| Stalled Project | 44 | 2.0% | -33.3% |
Trend = recent 2-3 month volume vs prior 2-3 months (current partial month excluded). Positive = accelerating; negative = cooling.
Lender concentration analysis
Foreclosure activity is spread across many lenders, suggesting diverse distress sources rather than a single institutional wave.
| Lender / Plaintiff | Filings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| FREEDOM MORTGAGE CORPORATION | 3 | 17.6% |
| PENNYMAC LOAN SERVICES LLC | 2 | 11.8% |
| ROCKET MORTGAGE LLC | 2 | 11.8% |
| TH MSR HOLDINGS LLC | 2 | 11.8% |
| CITIZENS BANK NA | 1 | 5.9% |
HHI (Herfindahl-Hirschman Index): <1500 = competitive, 1500-2500 = moderate concentration, >2500 = highly concentrated. Based on 17 foreclosure filings with identified plaintiffs.
Seasonal filing patterns
Court filings peak in Mar and are lowest in Nov. Filing volume is relatively steady year-round.
| Month | Avg filings | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 43.8 | 86% |
| Feb | 43.2 | 85% |
| Mar | 51 | 100% |
| Apr | 38.4 | 75% |
| May | 44.6 | 87% |
| Jun | 44.6 | 87% |
| Jul | 44.8 | 88% |
| Aug | 46 | 90% |
| Sep | 47.8 | 94% |
| Oct | 44.5 | 87% |
| Nov | 36.5 | 72% |
| Dec | 39.5 | 77% |
Average filings per calendar month across all observed years. Relative column shows each month as a percentage of the peak month (Mar), with a 1.4x peak-to-trough ratio.
ZIP code distress hotspots
Distress shows moderate geographic concentration — the top 5 ZIP codes represent 45.3% of filings.
| ZIP | Area | Filings | Share | Median value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16001 | Butler | 493 | 22.1% | $36,640 |
| 16066 | Cranberry Township | 211 | 9.5% | $35,120 |
| 16002 | Butler | 129 | 5.8% | $39,945 |
| 16046 | Mars | 104 | 4.7% | $38,510 |
| 16057 | Slippery Rock | 72 | 3.2% | $38,850 |
| 16033 | Evans City | 57 | 2.6% | $34,500 |
| 16055 | Sarver | 52 | 2.3% | $33,340 |
| 16059 | Valencia | 48 | 2.2% | $34,890 |
| 16063 | Zelienople | 45 | 2.0% | $33,960 |
| 16037 | Harmony | 40 | 1.8% | $35,925 |
Top 10 of 73 ZIP codes with filings.
Non-resident owner analysis
Most filings (100%) involve owner-occupied properties. The relatively low absentee rate suggests distress is primarily hitting homeowners, not institutional investors.
| Case type | Total filings | Non-resident % |
|---|---|---|
| Equity Division Sale | 1568 | 0.0% |
| High Urgency Pre Foreclosure | 486 | 0.0% |
| Partition | 59 | 0.0% |
| Distressed Heir | 58 | 0.0% |
| Stalled Project | 44 | 0.0% |
Non-resident = owner's mailing address differs from the property address. Could indicate out-of-state landlords, inherited estates, second homes, or in-transition properties.
Distress composition and shifts
Equity Division Sale share is declining.
| Case type | Recent share | Earlier share | Shift |
|---|---|---|---|
| Equity Division Sale | 60.0% | 70.8% | -10.8pp (falling) |
| High Urgency Pre Foreclosure | 21.2% | 21.9% | -0.7pp |
| Pre-Foreclosure | 3.5% | 0.0% | +3.5pp |
| Distressed Heir | 3.5% | 2.6% | +0.9pp |
| Inherited Property | 3.5% | 0.0% | +3.5pp |
| Divorce | 2.4% | 0.0% | +2.4pp |
| Pre-Probate | 2.4% | 0.0% | +2.4pp |
| Forced Liquidation | 1.2% | 0.0% | +1.2pp |
| Tired Landlord | 1.2% | 0.0% | +1.2pp |
| Partition | 1.2% | 2.7% | -1.5pp |
| Stalled Project | 0.0% | 2.1% | -2.1pp |
Distress diversity score: 1.91 (Shannon entropy; higher = more diverse distress sources). "Recent" = last 2 complete months; "Earlier" = all prior months.
Case Outcomes & Resolution Timeline
4.1% of tracked cases have reached a resolution, with a median time of 130 days from filing to resolution. The most common resolution is judgment entered (69 cases, 76% of resolved).
| Resolution Type | Median Days | Cases |
|---|---|---|
| Judgment | 134 | 69 |
| Settlement | 98 | 13 |
Detailed disposition breakdown
| Disposition | Count | % of Resolved |
|---|---|---|
| Final Judgment | 69 | 75.8% |
| Settlement | 13 | 14.3% |
| Voluntary Discontinuance | 9 | 9.9% |
Outcomes by Case Type
| Case Type | Cases | Resolved | Resolution Rate | Median Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Equity Division Sale | 1569 | 71 | 4.5% | 133 |
| High Urgency Pre-Foreclosure | 489 | 18 | 3.7% | 86 |
| Partition | 59 | 0 | 0.0% | — |
| Distressed Heir | 58 | 2 | 3.4% | — |
| Stalled Project | 44 | 0 | 0.0% | — |
Based on 2224 court filings with docket event tracking. Based on a robust sample; percentages are reliable. Outcomes derived from docket entries (judgments, dismissals, sheriff sales, and settlement agreements). 2133 cases are still active or pending resolution.
Property Value Profile
The median assessed value of properties in court filings is $19,390. Equity Division Sale filings involve the highest-value properties (median $20,690), while High Urgency Pre Foreclosure filings trend lower (median $15,500). The largest segment (99.5%) falls in the Under $100K range.
| Value range | Properties | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under $100K | 1519 | 99.5% |
| $100K - $250K | 3 | 0.2% |
| $250K - $500K | 3 | 0.2% |
| $500K - $1M | 2 | 0.1% |
Value breakdown by case type
| Case type | Median value | Avg value | Properties |
|---|---|---|---|
| Equity Division Sale | $20,690 | $23,804 | 1030 |
| High Urgency Pre Foreclosure | $15,500 | $18,127 | 386 |
| Partition | $20,450 | $23,931 | 37 |
| Stalled Project | $18,210 | $22,164 | 32 |
| Distressed Heir | $19,350 | $18,621 | 30 |
Based on county assessor records for 1527 properties with court filings (68.6% of total filings). Values are tax-assessed amounts, not market listing prices.
Investment Opportunity Score by ZIP Code
Across 34 ZIP codes with sufficient court filing data, ZIP 16001 (Whitestown Township) ranks highest with an investment opportunity score of 75/100, driven by high filing volume (493 cases). 10 of 34 scored ZIPs are above the average score of 33.
| Rank | ZIP Code | Area | Score | Filings | Avg Value | Absentee % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | 16001 | Whitestown Township |
75
|
493 | — | 0% |
| #2 | 16066 | Cranberry Twp |
51
|
211 | — | 0% |
| #3 | 16002 | Butler |
45
|
129 | — | 0% |
| #4 | 16046 | Mars |
41
|
104 | — | 0% |
| #5 | 16059 | Valencia |
39
|
48 | — | 0% |
| #6 | 16063 | Zelienople |
37
|
45 | — | 0% |
| #7 | 16023 | Cabot |
36
|
33 | — | 0% |
| #8 | 16057 | Slippery Rock |
36
|
72 | — | 0% |
| #9 | 16053 | Renfrew |
36
|
39 | — | 0% |
| #10 | 16052 | Prospect |
35
|
27 | — | 0% |
How the score is calculated
The Investment Opportunity Score combines four dimensions from verified court filing data:
- Filing volume (35%): More filings = more potential deals in the area
- Property value (25%): Higher assessed values = larger potential deal sizes
- Absentee owner rate (25%): Absentee owners are more likely to sell at a discount
- Case type diversity (15%): Multiple case types = broader opportunity set
Each dimension is normalized to a 0–100 scale across all scored ZIPs, then weighted and combined. A score of 100 means that ZIP ranks highest across all dimensions. Scores should be compared within the same county or state, not across different markets.
Based on 2227 court filings across 34 ZIP codes. ZIPs with fewer than 3 filings are excluded. Property values from county assessor records. Absentee status from property ownership verification.
Distress Capital Analysis
$36,294,910 in assessed property value is currently tied up in 1527 court-filed properties. Equity Division Sale filings represent the largest capital pool ($24,518,600 across 1030 properties).
Capital at Risk by Filing Type
| Filing Type | Total Value | Properties | Avg Value | High Equity % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Equity Division Sale | $24,518,600 | 1030 | $23,804 | -- |
| High Urgency Pre Foreclosure | $6,996,984 | 386 | $18,127 | -- |
| Pre-Foreclosure | $1,380,316 | 3 | $460,105 | 66.7% |
| Partition | $885,440 | 37 | $23,931 | -- |
| Stalled Project | $709,263 | 32 | $22,164 | -- |
| Distressed Heir | $558,631 | 30 | $18,621 | -- |
| Inherited Property | $50,080 | 3 | $16,693 | -- |
Based on 1527 properties with assessor valuations (68.6% of 2227 total filings). Values are county assessor estimates. Equity calculated from estimated value vs outstanding mortgage balance where available.
Why these filings are invisible on most public foreclosure sites
The largest public foreclosure-aggregator interfaces surface only post-auction bank-owned properties in Pennsylvania. Pre-foreclosure court filings are not visible to their non-paying users. Keystone tracks the court filing the day it hits the docket, weeks or months before any property reaches the auction stage those aggregators surface.
Methodology and full audit: Court-vs-aggregator coverage gap report.
Methodology and data sources
- Court filings are collected directly from Butler County court records, which are public information.
- Every filing in this dataset has been verified for current owner-of-record. Entity-owned filings (LLCs, trusts, banks) and properties where the named party is not the current owner are excluded.
- Property value figures come from third-party enrichment (17% coverage on this dataset).
- Individual case data, defendant names, and property addresses are not published. Reports show aggregated statistics only.
- The methodology page at /reports/methodology documents data sources, sample sizes, and known limitations in detail.
- This report was generated 2026-07-02 from the live database. Numbers reflect the dataset at that moment.
Top cities for filings within Butler County
Where filings concentrate inside Butler County, by parsed property city or township.
| City / Township | Filings | Share (of city-parsed filings) |
|---|---|---|
| Butler | 620 | 37.8% |
| Cranberry Township | 204 | 12.4% |
| Mars | 85 | 5.2% |
| Slippery Rock | 73 | 4.4% |
| Evans City | 57 | 3.5% |
Share is computed against filings with a parsed property city (not against total Butler County filings — addresses missing the city portion are excluded from the denominator). Top 5 shown; smaller cities aggregate into the long tail.
Get the underlying Butler County filings
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Cite: Keystone Court Data, "Butler County Pennsylvania Court Filings Intelligence," 2026-07-02, https://keystonecourtdata.com/reports/butler-pa-court-filings-intelligence · Download data (CSV)