New Jersey Court Filings by County (2026)
1,804 court filings tracked across 7 counties
New Jersey's Superior Court system handles foreclosure, tax sale, divorce, and probate filings at the county level. Keystone tracks court filings across 7 NJ counties, with Ocean and Monmouth counties as the primary sources of filing activity.
NJ is a judicial foreclosure state — every foreclosure requires a court filing, making court-records monitoring the definitive source for pre-foreclosure leads.
County-by-County Filing Volume
Ocean County leads New Jersey with 1,216 filings (67% of the state total). Counties with active intelligence reports are linked below.
| County | Total Filings | % of State | Foreclosure | Divorce | Probate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ocean | 1,216 | 67.4% | 490 | 13 | 3 |
| Monmouth | 521 | 28.9% | 315 | 12 | 11 |
| Middlesex | 44 | 2.4% | 24 | 2 | 1 |
| Mercer | 9 | 0.5% | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| Atlantic | 6 | 0.3% | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Cape May | 4 | 0.2% | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Bergen | 4 | 0.2% | 4 | 0 | 0 |
Filing Type Distribution
Across all New Jersey counties, court filings break down by type:
| Case Type | Filings | % of Total |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-Foreclosure / Foreclosure | 851 | 47.2% |
| Divorce / Family | 27 | 1.5% |
| Probate / Guardianship | 15 | 0.8% |
| Equity Division / Partition | 0 | 0.0% |
| Inherited Property | 0 | 0.0% |
What This Means for Investors
Each filing represents a property owner facing a court-ordered real estate event. For investors, these are potential off-market acquisition opportunities — properties where the owner is motivated to sell before the court process concludes.
Pre-foreclosure filings identify owners who have defaulted on their mortgage and have a limited window before the property goes to auction. Divorce and probate filings often result in forced property sales as assets are divided or estates are settled.
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Start Your 7-Day Free TrialRelated Reports
- New Jersey State Overview
- Multi-State Filing Comparison
- How to Find Pre-Foreclosure Leads in New Jersey
Frequently Asked Questions
Which markets have the most distressed properties in 2026?
Distress concentration varies by county and changes quarterly. Keystone's intelligence reports show real-time filing volumes by county so you can identify the most active markets.
How do I find the best markets for distressed property investing?
Look for counties with high filing volume relative to population, favorable foreclosure timelines, and property values that support your investment strategy. Keystone's county intelligence reports provide per-county filing trends and comparisons.
Are foreclosure filings increasing in 2026?
Filing trends vary by state and county. Some markets are seeing increases as pandemic-era forbearances expire, while others remain stable. Check Keystone's county-level data for current trends in your market.
What causes foreclosure rates to rise or fall?
Key drivers include interest rate changes, unemployment, pandemic-era policy expirations, and local economic conditions. Court filing data is the most current indicator since it reflects actual legal actions, not predictions.