The home side had the best of the first-half chances as County, who had Jamal Campbell-Ryce sent off late on, failed to create a clear opening and neither side looked like breaking the deadlock in the second period.
Preston dominated the first half with Akpo Sodje heading wide from eight yards before Nicky Wroe twice forced Bartosz Bialkowski into smart saves inside 20 minutes.
County could consider themselves lucky to still have the full compliment at that stage as Jeff Hughes and Alan Sheehan escaped with yellow cards from rash first-half challenges.
The Lilywhites should have been ahead moments later, Stuart Beavon dispossessing Bialkowski before seeing his shot cleared by Gary Liddle's diving goal-line header.
In a feisty second half the closest either side came to scoring was North End's penalty appeal after Sodje appeared to have been pushed by Carl Regan, only for referee Tony Harrington to wave away the protests and as the match was petering out for a draw, Campbell-Ryce saw red for a nasty lunge on Scott Laird, who was taken away in an ambulance straight after.
