Court Eviction Data Standards

Court records generated from eviction lawsuits are the primary data source on formal, court-ordered evictions in the U.S. However, this data is not standardized across (and often within) court systems, resulting in information on evictions that is commonly incomplete, inaccurate, or inconsistent.

This not only creates undue burden on court systems responding to data requests, but also impedes the utility of this data for policymakers, researchers, and the general public using it to track evictions over time, compare eviction across jurisdictions, and develop effective local eviction prevention policies. For cities and counties putting in place tenant protections and eviction diversion programs, uniform data standards would facilitate evaluation of program outcomes and allow for comparisons with other jurisdictions.

Over the course of the last year, New America—in collaboration with a coalition of housing and data experts, court staff, and municipal leaders—developed a minimum set of data standards for a subset of civil case evictions.

These data standards are co-signed by:

• Arizona State University Knowledge for Exchange Resilience
• Princeton University's Eviction Lab
• Georgetown University’s Massive Data Institute
• January Advisors
• National Housing Law Project
• National League of Cities
• NYU Furman Center
• Pew Charitable Trusts
• Stanford Law School's Legal Design Lab
• UNC Greensboro Center for Housing and Community Studies
• Wildfire AZ

These standards include a recommended set of data elements and definitions for evictions and are intended to provide guidance for courts and non-court entities on what information related to eviction cases is critical to collect, store, and share. We believe that shared standards will help facilitate data sharing and consistency in interpretation, increase transparency, and reduce the burden on both courts who generate this data and non-court entities that use this data to understand evictions.

For more information on these standards and how they were developed, see the Court Eviction Data Standards FAQs.

These data standards are organized into four sections: initial filing, case events, case outcomes, and post-judgment information. Each section contains a table of data standards that includes the following columns:

• Data Element, reflecting the recommended name of the data field;
• Definition, reflecting the recommended definition of the data element;
• Data Format and/or Structured Values, reflecting the how the data element should be documented, and/or the structured values, if applicable; and
• Common Terms, reflecting other common terminology for this data element across court systems.

We also indicate whether a similar data element is reflected in National Open Court Data Standards civil court data collection framework, developed by the National Center for State Courts.

Given the variation in eviction terms and processes across the country, the data elements and definitions in these standards may not map neatly onto every court’s legal process. Application of any standards, including these, should begin by mapping data elements and definitions with the information currently collected within a specific court system.

It should also be noted that these standards apply to court systems that are able to identify eviction cases as a type of civil case, and also can differentiate between commercial and residential evictions.

These data standards relate to the initial eviction filing or complaint. Information collected from this stage of the eviction process provides crucial information on who is filing for eviction, where, and for what reason, as well as information on who is facing eviction.

This table also includes data elements to identify case records.

Data standards related to case events provides key details on the engagement of plaintiffs (landlords or property managers) and defendants (tenants) in an eviction court case, including whether they attended hearings and whether they have legal representation. These details can impact the outcome of the court case greatly but are often not consistently collected.

These data standards detail how an eviction court case concluded, including whether it resulted in a formal, court-ordered eviction. Case outcomes and the terminology, in particular, are specific to a court's legal process, and so these definitions should be mapped to current eviction laws.

Understanding the different outcomes of eviction court cases is critical for understanding not only the scope of displacement as a result of an eviction filing, but also for evaluating the impact of eviction prevention policies. Despite its importance, data on how a court case concludes is often incomplete or inconsistently documented in court records.

These data standards detail actions taken after a court has issued a decision in an eviction court case. While some information post-judgment would not be reflected in court records, there are several actions, such as filing an appeal, that occur post-judgment that are important for understanding eviction court cases.

The application of data standards to ensure the quality, completeness, and consistency of eviction court records will require alignment of data collection processes, technology, and incentives within and across court systems. This will require coordinated and sustained efforts from court and non-court entities over the short and long-term. The development of eviction data standards advances this work and provides an end goal to which a roadmap for better quality eviction data can lead.

New America would like to offer a special thank you to Natasha Khwaja, Casey Chiappetta, and Jacob Kepes—key collaborators on the development and refinement of the court eviction data standards.