Eviction Data Availability  

Eviction data refers to the datasets researchers construct from information about eviction cases stored in court records and case documents. To adjudicate eviction cases, courts produce court records and case documents that include basic information about the two parties named in the cases; steps in the eviction process that took place (i.e., paperwork that was filed and hearings that were held); dates on which the events took place; and the judicial outcomes of the case. Researchers collect this information and use it to construct datasets that consistently label (or ‘code’) the parties, steps, events, and outcomes so they can be analyzed. These datasets are referred to as eviction data.  

Two types of courts process evictions in Oregon, circuit courts and justice courts. In Oregon, eviction cases can be filed in two types of courts, circuit courts and justice courts. Circuit courts are general trial courts and are a part of the state’s unified judicial branch, called the Oregon Judicial Department. There are thirty-six circuit courts in Oregon, and all thirty-six process eviction cases. Justice courts are not part of the state’s judicial system, but are independently established by local county governments. Justice courts are limited-jurisdiction courts, meaning they can only process certain types of cases. All of the courts that process evictions in Oregon produce court records and case documents associated with those cases, but Evicted in Oregon only has access to the circuit courts’ information. 

Eviction data is easier to access in circuit courts than in justice courts in Oregon. Our research team has access to the case information and court documents for eviction cases filed in any of the circuit courts through the Oregon Judicial Department's online court records service, OJCIN OnLine. For eviction cases filed in circuit courts, we are able to report multiple data points including number of filings, cause of eviction listed on notices of termination, judicial outcomes, and rates of legal representation.

Court records and case documents for eviction cases filed in a justice court are harder to access. Each justice court maintains its own records and may require an in-person visit to view court records. Therefore, we are unable to include data about eviction cases filed in justice courts on the regular updates on our website.

Even without routine access to case information from justice court, Oregon’s circuit court data provides a clear picture of what is happening at a statewide level. At the beginning of each year, we contact the justice courts individually to request the number of eviction cases filed in the previous year. In 2022 and 2023, 90% of all eviction cases were filed in a circuit court. The remaining 10% of cases were filed in a justice court. Even though we know that circuit court data alone do not provide a full picture of evictions in Oregon, they do represent the vast majority of cases filed. Therefore, we use the circuit court data to present a picture of what is happening in eviction cases statewide. 

County-level reporting is more complicated, especially in counties where eviction cases can be filed in a justice court. In 22 counties in Oregon, eviction cases can only be filed in the local circuit court. The circuit court data we routinely collect provides full visibility of the eviction landscape in these 22 counties.  

In the remaining 14 counties, evictions can be filed in either the local circuit court or the local justice court. The circuit court data we routinely collect provides limited visibility of the eviction landscape in these 14 counties.  

Full Visibility Counties: Benton, Clatsop, Columbia, Coos, Crook, Curry, Deschutes, Hood River, Jackson, Jefferson, Josephine, Klamath, Lake, Lincoln, Multnomah, Polk, Umatilla, Union, Wallowa, Wasco, Washington, and Yamhill.

Limited Visibility Counties: Baker, Clackamas, Douglas, Gilliam, Grant, Harney, Lane, Linn, Malheur, Marion, Morrow, Sherman, Tillamook, and Wheeler.

In the limited visibility counties, the degree of visibility varies by county. Whether or not the data we collect from the circuit courts provides a clear picture of what is happening at a county level in the fourteen limited-visibility counties depends on what portion of each county's cases are filed in the circuit court. The table below displays the total number of eviction cases filed in each of these counties in 2022 and 2023 and, more importantly, what proportion of those cases were filed in the county’s circuit court. Knowing the proportion of cases filed in the circuit court enables us to determine our level of visibility on that county’s eviction caseload.

Based on the visibility provided by the circuit court data, we have determined that we can confidently display county-level data for twenty-six counties in Oregon, including four of the limited visibility counties. In Douglas, Lane, Linn and Marion counties, 75% or more of the eviction cases are filed in the local circuit court. In these counties, the circuit court data we routinely collect provides a clear picture of what is happening in the county. Therefore, we included county-level data for Douglas, Lane, Linn and Marion counties on our website. 

In the remaining ten limited-visibility counties, the circuit court data provides either no visibility, low visibility, or partial visibility of what is happening in that county. Therefore, we do not include county-level data for Baker, Clackamas, Gilliam, Grant, Harney, Malheur, Morrow, Sherman, Tillamook, and Wheeler counties on the website.

All told, we regularly report and update county-level data for 26 of Oregon’s 36 counties, including four of the dual-court counties and all 22 of the circuit court counties.

Remember, eviction court data only tells part of the story. Eviction issues have gained visibility in the past ten years, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, as housing security was recognized as a vital need threatened by income loss. Most eviction research is focused on examining eviction data produced from eviction court records. This information has long been used by landlords as a part of the tenant screening process, usually via commercial firms that collate court records for background checks. Eviction court data havebeen less accessible to tenants and tenant organizers, so there is value in making this data publicly available and usable.   

However, it is important to remember that eviction court records only tell us part of the story of landlord-tenant relations, housing insecurity, and displacement. Understanding what eviction court data does and does not capture is especially important in Oregon, where not all evictions are visible in judicial records. For example, in Oregon, court data can never count the number of tenants who are displaced by a notice of termination before receiving a court summons. Eviction court cases therefore represent a lower-bound estimate of displacement happening in the eviction process.