Dekalb County, Indiana Court Filings Intelligence
Live court-record analysis of property-related filings (foreclosure, probate, divorce, partition, guardianship). Data sourced direct from Dekalb County court dockets. Updated 2026-06-20. See methodology.
- Max gross cap rate 6.4% at HUD Fair Market Rent — $11,520/year (2BR FMR × 12) on the $179,827 median estimated market value. Section-8-eligible rent ceiling; real-market rent typically exceeds FMR; excludes operating costs (taxes, insurance, maintenance, vacancy, management).
- 54.0% of filings are Divorce — the dominant lead category in Dekalb County during the observed window.
About Dekalb County
DeKalb County is a county in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 43,265. The county seat is Auburn.
Source: Wikipedia
At a glance
87 verified property-related court filings tracked across 18 months (Jan 2024 to Jun 2026).
5 typical monthly filing volume.
#17 of 22 Indiana counties Keystone covers, ranked by total filing volume.
0% of filings involve owners whose mailing address differs from the property address (0 of 87 filings).
$179,827 median estimated property value across the 27 filings with property-enrichment data (31% coverage).
2.8% Indiana unemployment rate (BLS, as of 2026-04). Filings should be read against the local-economy backdrop.
Filing type breakdown
| Filing type | Filings | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Divorce | 47 | 54.0% | |
| Probate | 18 | 20.7% | |
| Pre-Foreclosure | 16 | 18.4% | |
| Guardianship | 6 | 6.9% |
Each row is a distinct case verified for current owner-of-record before inclusion.
Monthly filing activity
| Month | Filings | vs prior | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 2024 | 37 | ||
| Feb 2024 | 3 | -34 | |
| Mar 2024 | 1 | -2 | |
| Apr 2024 | 3 | +2 | |
| May 2024 | 3 | 0 | |
| Jun 2024 | 3 | 0 | |
| Jul 2024 | 1 | -2 | |
| Sep 2024 | 1 | 0 | |
| Nov 2024 | 5 | +4 | |
| Jun 2025 | 1 | -4 | |
| Jul 2025 | 1 | 0 | |
| Sep 2025 | 1 | 0 | |
| Oct 2025 | 9 | +8 | |
| Nov 2025 | 4 | -5 | |
| Dec 2025 | 3 | -1 | |
| Jan 2026 | 2 | -1 | |
| May 2026 | 2 | 0 | |
| Jun 2026 | 7 | +5 |
Each row reflects new filings entering the dataset that month, after ownership verification. Most recent month may be partial.
Geographic concentration by ZIP
Top 7 ZIPs in Dekalb County account for 40.2% of all tracked filings, showing where distressed real estate activity clusters.
| ZIP | City | Filings | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 46738 | Garrett | 13 | 14.9% | |
| 46706 | Auburn | 10 | 11.5% | |
| 46793 | Waterloo | 4 | 4.6% | |
| 46721 | Butler | 4 | 4.6% | |
| 46785 | Saint Joe | 2 | 2.3% | |
| 46730 | Corunna | 1 | 1.1% | |
| 46705 | Ashley | 1 | 1.1% |
Based on filings with a parseable property address (40% of Dekalb County filings).
Property value distribution
| Estimated value | Filings | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under $75k | 1 | 3.7% | |
| $75k - $150k | 6 | 22.2% | |
| $150k - $250k | 9 | 33.3% | |
| $250k - $400k | 9 | 33.3% | |
| $400k+ | 2 | 7.4% |
Source: third-party property enrichment (31% coverage on Dekalb County filings). Median $179,827; mean $220,070.
Day-of-week filing pattern
| Day | Filings | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sun | 0 | 0.0% | |
| Mon | 6 | 6.9% | |
| Tue | 18 | 20.7% | |
| Wed | 15 | 17.2% | |
| Thu | 20 | 23.0% | |
| Fri | 27 | 31.0% | |
| Sat | 1 | 1.1% |
Filings cluster Monday through Friday, with weekend filings essentially absent (court system closed). Computed for 87 filings with a parseable date.
Housing stock + distress signals
Underlying housing stock and distress indicators across all 18280 Dekalb County housing units, from US Census ACS 5-year data. National reference values shown for context.
| Indicator | Dekalb County | US average |
|---|---|---|
| Vacancy rate (incl. seasonal + for-sale) | 7.0% | 10.5% |
| Share of owner-occupied units carrying a mortgage | 65.5% | 60.8% |
| Pre-1940 housing stock | 27.1% | 12.3% |
| Single-family detached share of housing stock | 78.9% | 61.2% |
| Residents age 65 or older | 17.0% | 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. Dekalb County sits within the DeKalb County, IN. 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 | $688 |
| 1-bedroom | $732 |
| 2-bedroom | $960 |
| 3-bedroom | $1,195 |
| 4-bedroom | $1,271 |
Source: US Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents (None). 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 Dekalb 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) | 114 |
| Year-over-year change (2024 → 2025) | -1.7% |
| Single-family share of permits (2025) | 84.2% |
| Single-family units permitted | 96 |
| Multifamily units permitted (2+ units per building) | 18 |
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
Dekalb County filings should be read against the broader housing-market backdrop. Indiana state home-price trend and the national mortgage-delinquency rate are the two macro signals most directly relevant to foreclosure exposure.
| Indicator | Value | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Indiana home price index (year-over-year) | +4.3% | 2026-01-01 |
| Indiana home price index (cumulative since 2020) | +64.9% | 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 INSTHPI); Federal Reserve Board, Mortgage Delinquency 30+Day Rate on Single-Family Residential Mortgages (FRED series DRSFRMACBS). Updated quarterly. Free public data.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Divorce | 47 | 54.0% | -33.3% |
| Probate | 18 | 20.7% | -- |
| Pre-Foreclosure | 16 | 18.4% | -- |
| Guardianship | 6 | 6.9% | -- |
Trend = recent 2-3 month volume vs prior 2-3 months (current partial month excluded). Positive = accelerating; negative = cooling.
Seasonal filing patterns
Court filings peak in Jan and are lowest in Mar. Filing volume is relatively steady year-round.
| Month | Avg filings | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 19.5 | 100% |
| Feb | 3 | 15% |
| Mar | 1 | 5% |
| Apr | 3 | 15% |
| May | 2.5 | 13% |
| Jun | 2 | 10% |
| Jul | 1 | 5% |
| Sep | 1 | 5% |
| Oct | 9 | 46% |
| Nov | 4.5 | 23% |
| Dec | 3 | 15% |
Average filings per calendar month across all observed years. Relative column shows each month as a percentage of the peak month (Jan).
ZIP code distress hotspots
Distress is geographically dispersed across 7 ZIP codes, with no single area dominating.
| ZIP | Area | Filings | Share | Median value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 46738 | Garrett | 13 | 14.9% | $164,200 |
| 46706 | Auburn | 10 | 11.5% | $258,400 |
| 46793 | Waterloo | 4 | 4.6% | $276,934 |
| 46721 | Butler | 4 | 4.6% | $287,100 |
| 46785 | Saint Joe | 2 | 2.3% | $100,400 |
| 46730 | Corunna | 1 | 1.1% | $99,200 |
| 46705 | Ashley | 1 | 1.1% | $330,200 |
Top 7 of 7 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 % |
|---|---|---|
| Divorce | 47 | 0.0% |
| Probate | 18 | 0.0% |
| Pre-Foreclosure | 16 | 0.0% |
| Guardianship | 6 | 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.
Property Value Profile
The median assessed value of properties in court filings is $173,700. Divorce filings involve the highest-value properties (median $179,827), while Pre-Foreclosure filings trend lower (median $178,200). The largest segment (40.6%) falls in the $100K - $250K range.
| Value range | Properties | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under $100K | 8 | 25.0% |
| $100K - $250K | 13 | 40.6% |
| $250K - $500K | 10 | 31.2% |
| $500K - $1M | 1 | 3.1% |
Value breakdown by case type
| Case type | Median value | Avg value | Properties |
|---|---|---|---|
| Divorce | $179,827 | $171,570 | 20 |
| Pre-Foreclosure | $178,200 | $238,412 | 8 |
Based on county assessor records for 32 properties with court filings (36.8% of total filings). Values are tax-assessed amounts, not market listing prices.
Investment Opportunity Score by ZIP Code
Across 4 ZIP codes with sufficient court filing data, ZIP 46738 (Garrett) ranks highest with an investment opportunity score of 75/100, driven by high filing volume (13 cases).
| Rank | ZIP Code | Area | Score | Filings | Avg Value | Absentee % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | 46738 | Garrett |
75
|
13 | — | 0% |
| #2 | 46706 | Auburn |
63
|
10 | — | 0% |
| #3 | 46721 | Butler |
40
|
4 | — | 0% |
| #4 | 46793 | Waterloo |
25
|
4 | — | 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 87 court filings across 4 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
$5,996,096 in assessed property value is currently tied up in 32 court-filed properties. Divorce filings represent the largest capital pool ($3,431,396 across 20 properties).
Capital at Risk by Filing Type
| Filing Type | Total Value | Properties | Avg Value | High Equity % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Divorce | $3,431,396 | 20 | $171,570 | -- |
| Pre-Foreclosure | $1,907,300 | 8 | $238,412 | -- |
| Probate | $657,400 | 4 | $164,350 | -- |
Based on 32 properties with assessor valuations (36.8% of 87 total filings). Values are county assessor estimates. Equity calculated from estimated value vs outstanding mortgage balance where available.
Market Absorption & Turnover Analysis
86 court filings tracked with 0 resolved (0.0% absorption rate). The court system is accumulating cases faster than they resolve, creating a growing backlog of 86 active cases.
| Month | New Filings | Resolved | Net | Inflow | Absorption |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 2024 | 37 | 0 | +37 | 0.0% | |
| Feb 2024 | 3 | 0 | +3 | 0.0% | |
| Mar 2024 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 0.0% | |
| Apr 2024 | 3 | 0 | +3 | 0.0% | |
| May 2024 | 3 | 0 | +3 | 0.0% | |
| Jun 2024 | 3 | 0 | +3 | 0.0% | |
| Jul 2024 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 0.0% | |
| Sep 2024 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 0.0% | |
| Nov 2024 | 5 | 0 | +5 | 0.0% | |
| Jun 2025 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 0.0% | |
| Jul 2025 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 0.0% | |
| Sep 2025 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 0.0% | |
| Oct 2025 | 9 | 0 | +9 | 0.0% | |
| Nov 2025 | 4 | 0 | +4 | 0.0% | |
| Dec 2025 | 3 | 0 | +3 | 0.0% | |
| Jan 2026 | 2 | 0 | +2 | 0.0% | |
| May 2026 | 2 | 0 | +2 | 0.0% | |
| Jun 2026 | 6 | 0 | +6 | 0.0% |
Resolution by Case Type
| Case Type | Filed | Resolved | Absorption | Avg Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Divorce | 46 | 0 | 0.0% | n/a |
| Probate | 18 | 0 | 0.0% | n/a |
| Pre-Foreclosure | 16 | 0 | 0.0% | n/a |
| Guardianship | 6 | 0 | 0.0% | n/a |
Absorption rate measures the percentage of filed cases that have reached a terminal resolution (judgment, dismissal, settlement, or sale). A low absorption rate indicates a growing backlog of active cases in the court system. Resolution timing based on 0 resolved cases out of 86 total filings.
Why these filings are invisible on most public foreclosure sites
The largest public foreclosure-aggregator interfaces surface only post-auction bank-owned properties in Indiana. 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 Dekalb 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 (31% 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 2026-06-20 from the live database. Numbers reflect the dataset at that moment.
Top cities for filings within Dekalb County
Where filings concentrate inside Dekalb County, by parsed property city or township.
| City / Township | Filings | Share (of city-parsed filings) |
|---|---|---|
| Garrett | 13 | 37.1% |
| Auburn | 10 | 28.6% |
| Waterloo | 4 | 11.4% |
| Butler | 4 | 11.4% |
| Saint Joe | 2 | 5.7% |
Share is computed against filings with a parsed property city (not against total Dekalb 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 Dekalb County filings
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Cite: Keystone Court Data, "Dekalb County Indiana Court Filings Intelligence," 2026-06-20, https://keystonecourtdata.com/reports/dekalb-in-court-filings-intelligence · Download data (CSV)