North Carolina Court Filings by County (2026)
3,911 court filings tracked across 9 counties
North Carolina's eCourts system centralizes civil filings statewide. Keystone tracks filings across 9 NC counties, with Wake County (Raleigh metro) generating the highest volume of court-filed real estate actions.
NC uses a power-of-sale foreclosure process (non-judicial), but special proceedings (SP cases) still appear in court records. Probate and guardianship filings are judicial and fully captured.
County-by-County Filing Volume
Wake County leads North Carolina with 2,599 filings (66% of the state total). Counties with active intelligence reports are linked below.
| County | Total Filings | % of State | Foreclosure | Divorce | Probate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wake | 2,599 | 66.5% | 499 | 0 | 2,088 |
| Alamance | 784 | 20.0% | 116 | 0 | 659 |
| Cumberland | 387 | 9.9% | 157 | 0 | 230 |
| Alexander | 64 | 1.6% | 15 | 0 | 49 |
| Demo Caldwell | 52 | 1.3% | 39 | 2 | 3 |
| Anson | 11 | 0.3% | 4 | 0 | 7 |
| Alleghany | 9 | 0.2% | 1 | 0 | 8 |
| Ashe | 4 | 0.1% | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Forsyth | 1 | 0.0% | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Filing Type Distribution
Across all North Carolina counties, court filings break down by type:
| Case Type | Filings | % of Total |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-Foreclosure / Foreclosure | 835 | 21.4% |
| Divorce / Family | 2 | 0.1% |
| Probate / Guardianship | 3,045 | 77.9% |
| 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
- North Carolina State Overview
- Multi-State Filing Comparison
- How to Find Pre-Foreclosure Leads in North Carolina
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.