Data updated October 12, 2026 · Santa Cruz County, California
Santa Cruz County Notice of Default (NOD) List
56 Santa Cruz County properties are currently at the notice of default stage — the recorded filing that opens a California foreclosure. That's #38 among the 58 counties and 0.4% of active NODs statewide. The NOD opens a roughly three-month reinstatement window before an auction can be scheduled, which makes this the earliest recorded moment an owner's trouble becomes public — and the stage where a sale can still solve it.
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The full foreclosure pipeline
Every notice of default and trustee sale, statewide. Auction date, time, location, opening bid, and the trustee's phone number.
True equity
Valuation minus every open loan on record, estimated balances included. Filter for the equity range your strategy needs.
The Full Santa Cruz County Distress Pipeline
Santa Cruz County Foreclosure Filings By Month
Notices of default and trustee-sale notices recorded in Santa Cruz County over the last 12 months, counted from the recorded documents. Over that period the county recorded 159 notices of default and 81 sale notices; July 2026 was the busiest month with 28 filings. Default filings over the last three months are up 52% against the three before, and sale notices are down 9%.
| Month | Notices Of Default | Sale Notices |
|---|---|---|
| September 2026 | 10 | 3 |
| August 2026 | 14 | 10 |
| July 2026 | 20 | 8 |
| June 2026 | 8 | 14 |
| May 2026 | 8 | 3 |
| April 2026 | 13 | 6 |
| March 2026 | 23 | 4 |
| February 2026 | 11 | 7 |
| January 2026 | 13 | 11 |
| December 2025 | 14 | 8 |
| November 2025 | 10 | 2 |
| October 2025 | 15 | 5 |
Recorded filings by recording month; the month in progress is shown in the text above, not the table. A filing is counted when it records, whether or not it is later cured or cancelled.
Santa Cruz County At A Glance
Santa Cruz County is home to about 266,021 people and is tracked parcel by parcel across every city and unincorporated community inside it. Across Santa Cruz County the platform is tracking 74 in pre-foreclosure, 56 under a notice of default and 18 with an auction date set.
The pressure is not spread evenly. Santa Cruz, Watsonville, Aptos, Boulder Creek and Felton carry 78% of it between them, out of 13 communities in the county.
By ZIP, 95076, 95006, 95060 and 95003 run heaviest. Pajaro Valley Joint Unified School District and San Lorenzo Valley Unified School District contain the largest shares.
What's on Every Property Record
Each NOD carries its recording date, the past-due amount from the filing, the foreclosing lender and trustee, the owner's record and mailing address, every open loan, and true equity — so owners with room to sell separate from owners who are underwater before you spend a stamp.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many active notices of default are there in Santa Cruz County?
Properant tracks 56 active notices of default in Santa Cruz County as of October 12, 2026 — ranked #38 of California's 58 counties — counted from recorded county documents with releases and cancellations removed.
How current is the Santa Cruz County NOD list?
Filings are processed as county recordings are ingested, and properties leave the list when a cure, cancellation, or sale records. A default that was reinstated last month is not in these numbers.
Can I download the Santa Cruz County list?
Yes. Inside Properant you can filter Santa Cruz County by city, equity, owner type, and every other signal, save the list, and export it — or upload your own list for matching and enrichment. The trial is free and requires no credit card.
More California Notice Of Default Lists
County and city lists people are reading right now, each one counted from recorded documents and refreshed daily.
Work Santa Cruz County Like You Live at the Recorder's Office
This page is one slice of it. Properant connects every parcel in California to its owner, open loans, liens and foreclosure stage — then scores and skip-traces the ones worth calling.
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