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Mecklenburg County, North Carolina Court Filings Intelligence

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

Investor takeaway

About Mecklenburg County

Mecklenburg County is a county located in the southwestern region of the U.S. state of North Carolina, in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,115,482, making it the second-most populous county in North Carolina. Its county seat is Charlotte, the state's largest municipality.

Source: Wikipedia

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At a glance

30769 verified property-related court filings tracked across 30 months (Aug 2020 to Jul 2026).

1003 typical monthly filing volume.

0% of filings involve owners whose mailing address differs from the property address (46 of 30769 filings).

$352,203 median estimated property value across the 5062 filings with property-enrichment data (16% 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 26400 85.8%
Divorce 3029 9.8%
Pre-Foreclosure 1083 3.5%
Probate 151 0.5%
Tax Sale 62 0.2%
Real Estate Dispute 25 0.1%
Guardianship 16 0.1%
Partition 3 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 6
Sep 2020 17 +11
Oct 2020 9 -8
Nov 2020 1 -8
Dec 2020 2 +1
Jan 2021 2 0
Jan 2022 6 +4
Sep 2022 1 -5
Apr 2023 1 0
Aug 2023 1 0
Apr 2024 2 +1
Jun 2024 1 -1
Sep 2024 5 +4
Oct 2024 1 -4
Nov 2024 4 +3
Jan 2025 11 +7
Feb 2025 4 -7
Jul 2025 893 +889
Aug 2025 2739 +1846
Sep 2025 2897 +158
Oct 2025 2964 +67
Nov 2025 2080 -884
Dec 2025 2683 +603
Jan 2026 3097 +414
Feb 2026 3066 -31
Mar 2026 3055 -11
Apr 2026 1871 -1184
May 2026 1835 -36
Jun 2026 1828 -7
Jul 2026 1653 -175

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 Mecklenburg County account for 0.2% of all tracked filings, showing where distressed real estate activity clusters.

ZIPCityFilingsShare
28214 9 0.0%
28215 8 0.0%
28269 7 0.0%
28208 5 0.0%
28227 5 0.0%
28216 5 0.0%
28273 4 0.0%
28262 4 0.0%
28226 3 0.0%
28212 3 0.0%

Based on filings with a parseable property address (0% of Mecklenburg County filings).

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Property value distribution

Estimated valueFilingsShare
Under $75k 24 0.5%
$75k - $150k 98 1.9%
$150k - $250k 616 12.2%
$250k - $400k 2566 50.7%
$400k+ 1758 34.7%

Source: third-party property enrichment (16% coverage on Mecklenburg County filings). Median $352,203; mean $404,752.

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Day-of-week filing pattern

DayFilingsShare
Sun 4031 13.1%
Mon 6148 20.0%
Tue 6581 21.4%
Wed 6112 19.9%
Thu 5451 17.7%
Fri 2123 6.9%
Sat 289 0.9%

Filings show some weekend activity, suggesting after-hours electronic filing. Computed for 30735 filings with a parseable date.

Housing stock + distress signals

Underlying housing stock and distress indicators across all 491721 Mecklenburg County housing units, from US Census ACS 5-year data. National reference values shown for context.

Indicator Mecklenburg County US average
Vacancy rate (incl. seasonal + for-sale)7.4%10.5%
Share of owner-occupied units carrying a mortgage74.8%60.8%
Pre-1940 housing stock2.3%12.3%
Single-family detached share of housing stock55.6%61.2%
Residents age 65 or older11.7%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. Mecklenburg 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 Mecklenburg 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)7,496
Year-over-year change (2024 → 2025)-37.4%
Single-family share of permits (2025)50.0%
Single-family units permitted3,747
Multifamily units permitted (2+ units per building)3,749

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

Mecklenburg 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 14416 46.9% -12.9%
Eviction 11669 37.9% -88.3%
Divorce 3029 9.8% -2.4%
Pre-Foreclosure 1063 3.5% +35.9%
Probate 151 0.5% -95.1%
Contract 128 0.4% +21.2%
Negligence 92 0.3% -38.5%
Other 57 0.2% +5.3%
Tax Sale 48 0.2% -41.7%
Real Estate Dispute 25 0.1% +77.8%
Personal Property 22 0.1% -14.3%
Guardianship 16 0.1% --
Child Support 14 0.0% +40.0%

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 Mar and are lowest in Apr. The 4.9x peak-to-trough ratio suggests strong seasonal patterns — investors who time their outreach around Mar can reach more distressed homeowners.

Month Avg filings Relative
Jan 779
25%
Feb 1535
50%
Mar 3055
100%
Apr 624.7
20%
May 1835
60%
Jun 914.5
30%
Jul 1273
42%
Aug 915.3
30%
Sep 730
24%
Oct 991.3
32%
Nov 695
23%
Dec 1342.5
44%

Average filings per calendar month across all observed years. Relative column shows each month as a percentage of the peak month (Mar), with a 4.9x peak-to-trough ratio.

ZIP code distress hotspots

Distress is geographically dispersed across 19 ZIP codes, with no single area dominating.

ZIP Area Filings Share Median value
28214 9 0.0% $115,350
28215 8 0.0% $256,800
28269 7 0.0% $337,600
28208 5 0.0% --
28227 5 0.0% $280,950
28216 5 0.0% $269,000
28273 4 0.0% $419,200
28262 4 0.0% $241,600
28226 3 0.0% $402,750
28212 3 0.0% $165,943

Top 10 of 19 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.

0.1%
Non-resident owners
Case type Total filings Non-resident %
Lien 14416 0.2%
Eviction 11669 0.0%
Divorce 3029 0.0%
Pre-Foreclosure 1083 0.3%
Probate 151 0.0%
Contract 128 0.0%
Negligence 92 0.0%
Tax Sale 62 17.7%
Other 57 0.0%
Real Estate Dispute 25 4.0%
Personal Property 22 0.0%
Guardianship 16 0.0%
Child Support 14 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, Divorce share is rising. Eviction 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 72.9% 43.6% +29.3pp (rising)
Divorce 14.6% 9.3% +5.3pp (rising)
Eviction 6.8% 41.9% -35.1pp (falling)
Pre-Foreclosure 4.2% 3.4% +0.8pp
Contract 0.8% 0.4% +0.4pp
Negligence 0.3% 0.3% +0.0pp
Tax Sale 0.1% 0.2% -0.1pp
Other 0.1% 0.2% -0.1pp
Probate 0.1% 0.5% -0.4pp
Child Support 0.1% 0.0% +0.1pp
Partition 0.0% 0.0% +0.0pp
Custody 0.0% 0.0% +0.0pp
Real Estate Dispute 0.0% 0.1% -0.1pp
Personal Property 0.0% 0.1% -0.1pp
Guardianship 0.0% 0.1% -0.1pp
Injunction 0.0% 0.0% +0.0pp

Distress diversity score: 1.31 (Shannon entropy; higher = more diverse distress sources). "Recent" = last 2 complete months; "Earlier" = all prior months.

Court Docket Activity

Across 120 tracked cases, the average case has 12 docket entries (median 9). 46.7% of cases are in the "mid-process (6-15 events)" stage. Pre-Foreclosure cases are the most court-active at 11.6 events on average. Higher docket activity signals that courts are actively processing the case, which can indicate timeline urgency for investor outreach.

11.6
Avg. docket entries per case
9
Median entries per case
37
Most active case
Activity level Cases Share
Early stage (1-5 events) 29 24.2%
Mid-process (6-15 events) 56 46.7%
Advanced (16+ events) 35 29.2%
Docket activity by case type
Case type Avg. events Cases tracked
Pre-Foreclosure 11.6 119

Based on 120 cases with docket event tracking from Mecklenburg County court records. Docket entries include filings, hearings, orders, and motions.

Property Value Profile

The median assessed value of properties in court filings is $352,203. Probate filings involve the highest-value properties (median $420,600), while Tax Sale filings trend lower (median $121,400). The largest segment (67.5%) falls in the $250K - $500K range.

$352,203
Median assessed value
$407,123
Average assessed value
5072
Properties with values
Value range Properties Share
Under $100K 64 1.3%
$100K - $250K 682 13.4%
$250K - $500K 3426 67.5%
$500K - $1M 785 15.5%
Over $1M 115 2.3%
Value breakdown by case type
Case type Median value Avg value Properties
Lien $350,600 $398,641 3626
Eviction $349,700 $412,004 741
Divorce $398,300 $483,135 462
Pre-Foreclosure $346,100 $388,314 177
Tax Sale $121,400 $152,203 17
Contract $354,000 $372,578 13
Other $332,500 $404,133 12
Negligence $380,500 $534,530 8
Probate $420,600 $392,283 6
Personal Property $282,500 $286,700 5

Based on county assessor records for 5072 properties with court filings (16.5% of total filings). Values are tax-assessed amounts, not market listing prices.

Investment Opportunity Score by ZIP Code

Across 10 ZIP codes with sufficient court filing data, ZIP 28214 ranks highest with an investment opportunity score of 75/100, driven by high filing volume (9 cases). 6 of 10 scored ZIPs are above the average score of 52.

75/100
Highest ZIP score
10
ZIPs scored
52
Average score
Rank ZIP Code Area Score Filings Avg Value Absentee %
#1 28214
75
9 0%
#2 28215
69
8 0%
#3 28269
63
7 0%
#4 28208
52
5 0%
#5 28227
52
5 0%
#6 28216
52
5 0%
#7 28273
46
4 0%
#8 28262
46
4 0%
#9 28226
40
3 0%
#10 28212
25
3 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 30769 court filings across 10 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

$2,064,927,479 in assessed property value is currently tied up in 5072 court-filed properties. Lien filings represent the largest capital pool ($1,445,471,081 across 3626 properties).

$2,065M
Total Value at Risk
5072
Properties Valued
$352,203
Median Value

Capital at Risk by Filing Type

Filing Type Total Value Properties Avg Value High Equity %
Lien
$1,445,471,081
3626 $398,641 --
Eviction
$305,294,639
741 $412,004 --
Divorce
$223,208,455
462 $483,135 --
Pre-Foreclosure
$68,731,607
177 $388,314 --
Other
$4,849,600
12 $404,133 --
Contract
$4,843,514
13 $372,578 --
Negligence
$4,276,240
8 $534,530 --
Tax Sale
$2,587,443
17 $152,203 --
Probate
$2,353,700
6 $392,283 --
Personal Property
$1,433,500
5 $286,700 --

Based on 5072 properties with assessor valuations (16.5% of 30769 total filings). Values are county assessor estimates. Equity calculated from estimated value vs outstanding mortgage balance where available.

Market Absorption & Turnover Analysis

30,563 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 30,563 active cases.

0.0%
Absorption Rate
30,563
Active Case Backlog
Month New Filings Resolved Net Inflow Absorption
Aug 2020 6 0 +6
0.0%
Sep 2020 17 0 +17
0.0%
Oct 2020 9 0 +9
0.0%
Nov 2020 1 0 +1
0.0%
Dec 2020 2 0 +2
0.0%
Jan 2021 2 0 +2
0.0%
Jan 2022 6 0 +6
0.0%
Sep 2022 1 0 +1
0.0%
Apr 2023 1 0 +1
0.0%
Aug 2023 1 0 +1
0.0%
Apr 2024 2 0 +2
0.0%
Jun 2024 1 0 +1
0.0%
Sep 2024 5 0 +5
0.0%
Oct 2024 1 0 +1
0.0%
Nov 2024 4 0 +4
0.0%
Jan 2025 11 0 +11
0.0%
Feb 2025 4 0 +4
0.0%
Jul 2025 894 0 +894
0.0%
Aug 2025 2739 0 +2739
0.0%
Sep 2025 2897 0 +2897
0.0%
Oct 2025 2964 0 +2964
0.0%
Nov 2025 2080 0 +2080
0.0%
Dec 2025 2683 0 +2683
0.0%
Jan 2026 2946 0 +2946
0.0%
Feb 2026 3044 0 +3044
0.0%
Mar 2026 3055 0 +3055
0.0%
Apr 2026 1871 0 +1871
0.0%
May 2026 1835 0 +1835
0.0%
Jun 2026 1828 0 +1828
0.0%
Jul 2026 1653 0 +1653
0.0%

Resolution by Case Type

Case Type Filed Resolved Absorption Avg Days
Lien 14331 0 0.0% n/a
Eviction 11655 0 0.0% n/a
Divorce 3012 0 0.0% n/a
Pre-Foreclosure 1008 0 0.0% n/a
Other 175 0 0.0% n/a
Contract 127 0 0.0% n/a
Negligence 92 0 0.0% n/a
Probate 51 0 0.0% n/a
Tax Sale 48 0 0.0% n/a
Real Estate Dispute 25 0 0.0% n/a
Personal Property 22 0 0.0% n/a
Child Support 14 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 30563 total filings.

Case Aging & Stall Analysis

1,075 cases (3.5%) have been active for over a year without resolution. 1,515 filings in the last <30 days represent fresh opportunities.

1,075
Cases stalled 1yr+
3.5%
of all filings
30,563
Total tracked
Age Total Resolved Still active Resolution rate
<30 days 1,515 0 1,515 0.0%
30-90 days 3,503 0 3,503 0.0%
3-6 months 7,942 0 7,942 0.0%
6-12 months 16,528 0 16,528 0.0%
1-2 years 1,026 0 1,026 0.0%
2+ years 49 0 49 0.0%
Resolution speed by case type
Case type Total Resolved Rate Median days
Lien 14,331 0 0.0%
Eviction 11,655 0 0.0%
Divorce 3,012 0 0.0%
Pre-Foreclosure 1,008 0 0.0%
Contract 127 0 0.0%
Negligence 92 0 0.0%
Other 54 0 0.0%
Probate 51 0 0.0%
Tax Sale 48 0 0.0%
Real Estate Dispute 25 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 Mecklenburg County

Court filings in Mecklenburg County span 9 municipalities. Charlotte leads with 56 filings (82.4% of total), predominantly Pre-Foreclosure (98.2%). Filing activity is geographically concentrated — the top 3 municipalities account for 91% of all filings.

9
Municipalities
91.2%
Top 3 share
Concentrated
Geographic spread
Municipality Filings Share Top case type
Charlotte 56 82.4% Pre-Foreclosure (98.2%)
Huntersville 4 5.9% Pre-Foreclosure (100.0%)
Pineville 2 2.9% Pre-Foreclosure (100.0%)
Newton 1 1.5% Pre-Foreclosure (100.0%)
Cornelius 1 1.5% Pre-Foreclosure (100.0%)
Wilson 1 1.5% Pre-Foreclosure (100.0%)
Denver 1 1.5% Pre-Foreclosure (100.0%)
Davidson 1 1.5% Pre-Foreclosure (100.0%)
Matthews 1 1.5% Pre-Foreclosure (100.0%)

Top 9 of 9 municipalities with court filings. Data from 68 filings (0% of total). Municipality names from county assessor records.

Property Value Distribution

The median property value in distressed filings is $352,150, with the largest concentration (53.6%) in the $300K–$500K range. Divorce filings have the highest median value ($394,300) while Tax Sale filings are lowest ($98,600).

$352,150
Median value
$406,644
Average value
5,078
Properties valued
Price range Count Share Distribution
Under $50K 24 0.5%
$50K–$100K 46 0.9%
$100K–$150K 66 1.3%
$150K–$200K 203 4.0%
$200K–$300K 1,117 22.0%
$300K–$500K 2,722 53.6%
$500K+ 900 17.7%
Value by case type
Case type Median value Average value Properties
Lien $350,600 $398,761 3,618
Eviction $349,650 $411,448 742
Divorce $394,300 $482,710 460
Pre-Foreclosure $346,100 $388,314 177
Other $305,600 $362,262 25
Tax Sale $98,600 $129,827 20
Contract $361,100 $379,709 12

Assessed property values from county assessor records for 5,078 properties (16.6% of total filings). Values reflect tax-assessed amounts, not market price.

Repeat litigation patterns in Mecklenburg County

Of 27,141 unique property owners in court filings, 2,325 (8.6%) appear in multiple cases, including 462 with 3 or more filings. The most active repeat filer has 54 cases spanning 1 months. Pre-Foreclosure cases have the highest repeat rate at 48.8%.

27,141
Unique owners
2,325
Repeat filers (2+ cases)
8.6%
Repeat rate
462
Serial filers (3+ cases)

Repeat rate by case type

Case type Repeat owners Total owners Repeat rate
Lien 1009 13005 7.8%
Eviction 1155 10242 11.3%
Divorce 24 3010 0.8%
Pre-Foreclosure 260 533 48.8%
Other 13 160 8.1%
Contract 10 124 8.1%
Negligence 3 91 3.3%
Real Estate Dispute 4 23 17.4%

Analysis based on 27,141 unique owner names across court filings. Repeat filers are property owners appearing in 2 or more distinct cases.

Serial distressed properties in Mecklenburg County

Of 3,327 unique properties in court filings, 399 (12.0%) have multiple filings (averaging 2.3 filings per property). Average time between repeat filings: 3 months. Pre-Foreclosure properties have the highest repeat rate at 36.6%.

3,327
Unique properties
399
Repeat-filing properties
12.0%
Serial distress rate
3 mo
Avg time between filings

Serial distress rate by case type

Case type Serial properties Total properties Serial rate
Lien 334 2369 14.1%
Eviction 87 491 17.7%
Divorce 14 347 4.0%
Pre-Foreclosure 41 112 36.6%
Other 4 19 21.1%

Analysis based on 3,327 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, "Mecklenburg County North Carolina Court Filings Intelligence," 2026-08-03, https://keystonecourtdata.com/reports/mecklenburg-nc-court-filings-intelligence · Download data (CSV)