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Gaston County, North Carolina Court Filings Intelligence

Live court-record analysis of property-related filings (foreclosure, probate, divorce, partition, guardianship). Data sourced direct from Gaston County court dockets. Updated 2026-08-03. See methodology.

Investor takeaway

About Gaston County

Gaston County is a county in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 227,943. The county seat is Gastonia. Dallas served as the original county seat from 1846 until 1911.

Source: Wikipedia

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At a glance

4725 verified property-related court filings tracked across 34 months (Aug 2020 to Jul 2026).

132 typical monthly filing volume.

0% of filings involve owners whose mailing address differs from the property address (2 of 4725 filings).

$287,120 median estimated property value across the 1023 filings with property-enrichment data (22% coverage).

3.5% North Carolina unemployment rate (BLS, as of 2026-05). Filings should be read against the local-economy backdrop.

Filing type breakdown

Filing typeFilingsShare
Other 3655 77.4%
Divorce 486 10.3%
Probate 396 8.4%
Pre-Foreclosure 181 3.8%
Partition 3 0.1%
Guardianship 3 0.1%
Tax Sale 1 0.0%

Each row is a distinct case verified for current owner-of-record before inclusion.

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Monthly filing activity

MonthFilingsvs prior
Aug 2020 24
Sep 2020 60 +36
Oct 2020 41 -19
Nov 2020 10 -31
Dec 2020 12 +2
Jan 2021 10 -2
Aug 2021 1 -9
Sep 2021 2 +1
Oct 2021 1 -1
Nov 2021 1 0
Feb 2022 1 0
Nov 2022 10 +9
Dec 2022 31 +21
Jan 2023 19 -12
Feb 2023 33 +14
Mar 2023 14 -19
Jun 2023 23 +9
Jul 2023 23 0
Aug 2023 19 -4
Sep 2023 27 +8
Mar 2024 1 -26
Jul 2025 173 +172
Aug 2025 468 +295
Sep 2025 486 +18
Oct 2025 287 -199
Nov 2025 234 -53
Dec 2025 248 +14
Jan 2026 432 +184
Feb 2026 324 -108
Mar 2026 307 -17
Apr 2026 351 +44
May 2026 339 -12
Jun 2026 346 +7
Jul 2026 362 +16

Each row reflects new filings entering the dataset that month, after ownership verification. Most recent month may be partial.

Geographic concentration by ZIP

Top 8 ZIPs in Gaston County account for 0.6% of all tracked filings, showing where distressed real estate activity clusters.

ZIPCityFilingsShare
28052 Gastonia 7 0.1%
28034 Dallas 6 0.1%
28120 5 0.1%
28054 5 0.1%
28164 Stanley 2 0.0%
28016 Bessemer City 1 0.0%
28012 1 0.0%
28056 1 0.0%

Based on filings with a parseable property address (1% of Gaston County filings).

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Property value distribution

Estimated valueFilingsShare
Under $75k 26 2.5%
$75k - $150k 106 10.4%
$150k - $250k 269 26.3%
$250k - $400k 428 41.8%
$400k+ 194 19.0%

Source: third-party property enrichment (22% coverage on Gaston County filings). Median $287,120; mean $297,723.

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Day-of-week filing pattern

DayFilingsShare
Sun 779 16.5%
Mon 892 18.9%
Tue 971 20.6%
Wed 927 19.6%
Thu 848 18.0%
Fri 279 5.9%
Sat 24 0.5%

Filings show some weekend activity, suggesting after-hours electronic filing. Computed for 4720 filings with a parseable date.

Housing stock + distress signals

Underlying housing stock and distress indicators across all 100109 Gaston County housing units, from US Census ACS 5-year data. National reference values shown for context.

Indicator Gaston County US average
Vacancy rate (incl. seasonal + for-sale)7.8%10.5%
Share of owner-occupied units carrying a mortgage63.0%60.8%
Pre-1940 housing stock7.4%12.3%
Single-family detached share of housing stock72.7%61.2%
Residents age 65 or older16.3%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. Gaston County sits within the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC (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$1,469
1-bedroom$1,538
2-bedroom$1,686
3-bedroom$2,076
4-bedroom$2,637

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 Gaston 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)2,343
Year-over-year change (2024 → 2025)+13.2%
Single-family share of permits (2025)91.9%
Single-family units permitted2,153
Multifamily units permitted (2+ units per building)190

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

Gaston County filings should be read against the broader housing-market backdrop. North Carolina state home-price trend and the national mortgage-delinquency rate are the two macro signals most directly relevant to foreclosure exposure.

IndicatorValuePeriod
North Carolina home price index (year-over-year)+2.4%2026-01-01
North Carolina home price index (cumulative since 2020)+72.0%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 NCSTHPI); Federal Reserve Board, Mortgage Delinquency 30+Day Rate on Single-Family Residential Mortgages (FRED series DRSFRMACBS). Updated quarterly. Free public data.

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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
Lien 3069 65.0% +3.7%
Eviction 519 11.0% --
Divorce 486 10.3% +33.6%
Probate 395 8.4% -94.7%
Pre-Foreclosure 177 3.7% +18.2%
Personal Property 64 1.4% -8.7%

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 Apr and are lowest in Nov. The 5.5x peak-to-trough ratio suggests strong seasonal patterns — investors who time their outreach around Apr can reach more distressed homeowners.

Month Avg filings Relative
Jan 153.7
44%
Feb 119.3
34%
Mar 107.3
31%
Apr 351
100%
May 339
97%
Jun 184.5
53%
Jul 186
53%
Aug 128
36%
Sep 143.8
41%
Oct 109.7
31%
Nov 63.8
18%
Dec 97
28%

Average filings per calendar month across all observed years. Relative column shows each month as a percentage of the peak month (Apr), with a 5.5x peak-to-trough ratio.

ZIP code distress hotspots

Distress is geographically dispersed across 8 ZIP codes, with no single area dominating.

ZIP Area Filings Share Median value
28052 Gastonia 7 0.1% $280,380
28034 Dallas 6 0.1% $273,610
28120 5 0.1% $367,270
28054 5 0.1% $247,270
28164 Stanley 2 0.0% $244,295
28016 Bessemer City 1 0.0% $225,970
28012 1 0.0% $266,130
28056 1 0.0% $193,210

Top 8 of 8 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.

0.0%
Non-resident owners
Case type Total filings Non-resident %
Lien 3069 0.0%
Eviction 519 0.0%
Divorce 486 0.0%
Probate 396 0.0%
Pre-Foreclosure 181 1.1%
Personal Property 64 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.

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Distress composition and shifts

Lien share is rising. Eviction, Probate share is declining. Low diversity — distress is dominated by one or two case types, suggesting a concentrated driver.

Case type Recent share Earlier share Shift
Lien 82.5% 61.9% +20.6pp (rising)
Divorce 13.6% 9.7% +3.9pp
Pre-Foreclosure 2.3% 4.0% -1.7pp
Personal Property 1.3% 1.4% -0.1pp
Eviction 0.3% 12.9% -12.6pp (falling)
Probate 0.1% 9.8% -9.7pp (falling)
Partition 0.0% 0.1% -0.1pp
Tax Sale 0.0% 0.0% +0.0pp
Custody 0.0% 0.0% +0.0pp
Other 0.0% 0.0% +0.0pp
Guardianship 0.0% 0.1% -0.1pp

Distress diversity score: 0.86 (Shannon entropy; higher = more diverse distress sources). "Recent" = last 2 complete months; "Earlier" = all prior months.

Court Docket Activity

Across 148 tracked cases, the average case has 12 docket entries (median 12). 37.8% of cases are in the "mid-process (6-15 events)" stage. Pre-Foreclosure cases are the most court-active at 16.1 events on average. Higher docket activity signals that courts are actively processing the case, which can indicate timeline urgency for investor outreach.

12.1
Avg. docket entries per case
12
Median entries per case
32
Most active case
Activity level Cases Share
Early stage (1-5 events) 42 28.4%
Mid-process (6-15 events) 56 37.8%
Advanced (16+ events) 50 33.8%
Docket activity by case type
Case type Avg. events Cases tracked
Pre-Foreclosure 16.1 50
Probate 9.9 92

Based on 148 cases with docket event tracking from Gaston County court records. Docket entries include filings, hearings, orders, and motions.

Property Value Profile

The median assessed value of properties in court filings is $286,290. Lien filings involve the highest-value properties (median $301,400), while Personal Property filings trend lower (median $204,950). The largest segment (54.2%) falls in the $250K - $500K range.

$286,290
Median assessed value
$293,657
Average assessed value
1038
Properties with values
Value range Properties Share
Under $100K 64 6.2%
$100K - $250K 352 33.9%
$250K - $500K 563 54.2%
$500K - $1M 56 5.4%
Over $1M 3 0.3%
Value breakdown by case type
Case type Median value Avg value Properties
Lien $301,400 $302,990 791
Probate $241,550 $250,829 76
Divorce $254,330 $285,614 74
Pre-Foreclosure $269,300 $270,074 63
Eviction $235,820 $238,788 22
Personal Property $204,950 $249,971 8

Based on county assessor records for 1038 properties with court filings (22.0% 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 28052 (Gastonia) ranks highest with an investment opportunity score of 60/100, driven by high filing volume (7 cases).

60/100
Highest ZIP score
4
ZIPs scored
50
Average score
Rank ZIP Code Area Score Filings Avg Value Absentee %
#1 28052 Gastonia
60
7 0%
#2 28034 Dallas
58
6 0%
#3 28120
40
5 0%
#4 28054
40
5 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 4725 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

$304,815,630 in assessed property value is currently tied up in 1038 court-filed properties. Lien filings represent the largest capital pool ($239,665,340 across 791 properties).

$305M
Total Value at Risk
1038
Properties Valued
$286,290
Median Value

Capital at Risk by Filing Type

Filing Type Total Value Properties Avg Value High Equity %
Lien
$239,665,340
791 $302,990 --
Divorce
$21,135,430
74 $285,614 --
Probate
$19,063,010
76 $250,829 --
Pre-Foreclosure
$17,014,640
63 $270,074 --
Eviction
$5,253,330
22 $238,788 --
Personal Property
$1,999,770
8 $249,971 --
Partition
$515,980
3 $171,993 --

Based on 1038 properties with assessor valuations (22.0% of 4725 total filings). Values are county assessor estimates. Equity calculated from estimated value vs outstanding mortgage balance where available.

Market Absorption & Turnover Analysis

4,718 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 4,718 active cases.

0.0%
Absorption Rate
4,718
Active Case Backlog
Month New Filings Resolved Net Inflow Absorption
Aug 2020 23 0 +23
0.0%
Sep 2020 60 0 +60
0.0%
Oct 2020 41 0 +41
0.0%
Nov 2020 10 0 +10
0.0%
Dec 2020 12 0 +12
0.0%
Jan 2021 10 0 +10
0.0%
Aug 2021 1 0 +1
0.0%
Sep 2021 2 0 +2
0.0%
Oct 2021 1 0 +1
0.0%
Nov 2021 1 0 +1
0.0%
Feb 2022 1 0 +1
0.0%
Nov 2022 10 0 +10
0.0%
Dec 2022 31 0 +31
0.0%
Jan 2023 19 0 +19
0.0%
Feb 2023 32 0 +32
0.0%
Mar 2023 14 0 +14
0.0%
Jun 2023 23 0 +23
0.0%
Jul 2023 23 0 +23
0.0%
Aug 2023 19 0 +19
0.0%
Sep 2023 27 0 +27
0.0%
Mar 2024 1 0 +1
0.0%
Jul 2025 173 0 +173
0.0%
Aug 2025 468 0 +468
0.0%
Sep 2025 486 0 +486
0.0%
Oct 2025 287 0 +287
0.0%
Nov 2025 234 0 +234
0.0%
Dec 2025 248 0 +248
0.0%
Jan 2026 432 0 +432
0.0%
Feb 2026 324 0 +324
0.0%
Mar 2026 307 0 +307
0.0%
Apr 2026 351 0 +351
0.0%
May 2026 339 0 +339
0.0%
Jun 2026 346 0 +346
0.0%
Jul 2026 362 0 +362
0.0%

Resolution by Case Type

Case Type Filed Resolved Absorption Avg Days
Lien 3027 0 0.0% n/a
Eviction 519 0 0.0% n/a
Divorce 484 0 0.0% n/a
Probate 393 0 0.0% n/a
Pre-Foreclosure 177 0 0.0% n/a
Personal Property 64 0 0.0% n/a
Other 46 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 4718 total filings.

Case Aging & Stall Analysis

555 cases (11.8%) have been active for over a year without resolution. 353 filings in the last <30 days represent fresh opportunities.

555
Cases stalled 1yr+
11.8%
of all filings
4,718
Total tracked
Age Total Resolved Still active Resolution rate
<30 days 353 0 353 0.0%
30-90 days 646 0 646 0.0%
3-6 months 999 0 999 0.0%
6-12 months 2,165 0 2,165 0.0%
1-2 years 194 0 194 0.0%
2+ years 361 0 361 0.0%
Resolution speed by case type
Case type Total Resolved Rate Median days
Lien 3,027 0 0.0%
Eviction 519 0 0.0%
Divorce 484 0 0.0%
Probate 393 0 0.0%
Pre-Foreclosure 177 0 0.0%
Personal Property 64 0 0.0%

Case aging computed from filing date to present for unresolved cases. Resolution classified from court docket entries (judgments, settlements, dismissals, sheriff sales). Cases with a resolution event are removed from the stall count.

Municipality filing concentration in Gaston County

Court filings in Gaston County span 18 municipalities. Gastonia leads with 34 filings (41.5% of total), predominantly Probate (61.8%). Filing activity is geographically concentrated — the top 3 municipalities account for 64% of all filings.

18
Municipalities
63.5%
Top 3 share
Concentrated
Geographic spread
Municipality Filings Share Top case type
Gastonia 34 41.5% Probate (61.8%)
Mount Holly 10 12.2% Probate (60.0%)
Dallas 8 9.8% Probate (75.0%)
Cherryville 8 9.8% Probate (100.0%)
Bessemer City 5 6.1% Probate (80.0%)
Belmont 3 3.7% Probate (66.7%)
Gastonia City 2 2.4% Partition (100.0%)
Lincolnton 2 2.4% Probate (100.0%)
Stanley 1 1.2% Pre-Foreclosure (100.0%)
Ranlo City 1 1.2% Pre-Foreclosure (100.0%)
Hillsborough 1 1.2% Pre-Foreclosure (100.0%)
Whiteville 1 1.2% Probate (100.0%)
Mount Holly City 1 1.2% Probate (100.0%)
New Hope Fd 1 1.2% Probate (100.0%)
Denver 1 1.2% Probate (100.0%)

Top 15 of 18 municipalities with court filings. Data from 82 filings (2% of total). Municipality names from county assessor records.

Property Value Distribution

The median property value in distressed filings is $285,780, with the largest concentration (40.3%) in the $300K–$500K range. Lien filings have the highest median value ($298,220) while Eviction filings are lowest ($230,365).

$285,780
Median value
$291,492
Average value
1,022
Properties valued
Price range Count Share Distribution
Under $50K 29 2.8%
$50K–$100K 40 3.9%
$100K–$150K 82 8.0%
$150K–$200K 121 11.8%
$200K–$300K 280 27.4%
$300K–$500K 412 40.3%
$500K+ 58 5.7%
Value by case type
Case type Median value Average value Properties
Lien $298,220 $300,588 779
Probate $244,190 $250,245 74
Divorce $253,375 $281,622 72
Pre-Foreclosure $269,300 $270,073 63
Eviction $230,365 $238,787 22

Assessed property values from county assessor records for 1,022 properties (21.6% of total filings). Values reflect tax-assessed amounts, not market price.

Repeat litigation patterns in Gaston County

Of 4,356 unique property owners in court filings, 243 (5.6%) appear in multiple cases, including 47 with 3 or more filings. The most active repeat filer has 6 cases. Personal Property cases have the highest repeat rate at 9.5%.

4,356
Unique owners
243
Repeat filers (2+ cases)
5.6%
Repeat rate
47
Serial filers (3+ cases)

Repeat rate by case type

Case type Repeat owners Total owners Repeat rate
Lien 200 2784 7.2%
Eviction 40 472 8.5%
Pre-Foreclosure 8 120 6.7%
Personal Property 6 63 9.5%
Other 2 46 4.3%

Analysis based on 4,356 unique owner names across court filings. Repeat filers are property owners appearing in 2 or more distinct cases.

Serial distressed properties in Gaston County

Of 759 unique properties in court filings, 89 (11.7%) have multiple filings (averaging 2.3 filings per property). Average time between repeat filings: 4 months. Lien properties have the highest repeat rate at 15.7%.

759
Unique properties
89
Repeat-filing properties
11.7%
Serial distress rate
4 mo
Avg time between filings

Serial distress rate by case type

Case type Serial properties Total properties Serial rate
Lien 88 562 15.7%
Pre-Foreclosure 7 58 12.1%

Analysis based on 759 unique property addresses across court filings. Serial distressed properties have 2 or more distinct case filings at the same address.

Methodology and data sources

Related North Carolina guides

North Carolina foreclosure process How to find leads in North Carolina Top foreclosure counties in North Carolina North Carolina statewide analysis

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Cite: Keystone Court Data, "Gaston County North Carolina Court Filings Intelligence," 2026-08-03, https://keystonecourtdata.com/reports/gaston-nc-court-filings-intelligence · Download data (CSV)