Adams County, Colorado

Which bankruptcy court hears a case from Adams County?

Adams County sits in the District of Colorado, and its cases are administered from the court's Denver seat. Colorado constitutes one judicial district, so there is no county-by-county division structure: cases are assigned to judges by random selection across the whole district rather than by where you live (28 U.S.C. § 85). Grand Junction and Pueblo are statutory places for holding court, meaning hearing locations, not separate divisions that claim counties.

Where you file is a venue question, not a county question. A case may be commenced in the district where your domicile, residence, principal place of business in the United States, or principal assets in the United States were located for the 180 days immediately before filing, or for the greater part of that period than anywhere else (28 U.S.C. § 1408). A recent move from another state, or a business or principal assets elsewhere, can change the answer — residence alone is not the whole rule.

What does this court require of someone filing without a lawyer?

The District of Colorado publishes a Guide for Debtors Filing Bankruptcy Without an Attorney, and it says plainly that any reference in the Colorado Local Bankruptcy Rules to "attorney" applies to you if you file your own case (COB official material — Guide for Debtors Filing Bankruptcy Without an Attorney). The same guide calls bankruptcy a complex process and recommends retaining counsel.

On mechanics, unrepresented parties may file in person with the Clerk's Office, through the approved filing tool on the court's website, by mail, or by facsimile; they may also request permission to e-file through CM/ECF by filing the Self-represented E-Filing Application, and joint debtors must both apply (COB GPO 2026-1). Every filed document must carry your name, address, telephone number and email address below the signature line, and you must notify the court of any change by filing a notice (D. Colo. L.B.R. 9011-4).

How does the meeting of creditors work in this district?

The meeting of creditors is a hearing every debtor must attend. The District of Colorado holds all § 341 meetings of creditors by Zoom in chapter 7, 12 and 13 cases, and tells debtors, counsel, creditors and parties in interest not to appear in person (COB official page — 341 Meetings of Creditors by Zoom). The court's page describes the meeting as held outside the presence of the judge, usually between 21 and 50 days after the filing of the petition, with the trustee assigned to the case conducting it in chapter 7 and chapter 13.

By statute the United States trustee convenes and presides, the court may not preside at or attend, and before the meeting concludes the trustee orally examines a chapter 7 debtor about the consequences of seeking a discharge, the effect of a discharge, and the effect of reaffirming a debt (11 U.S.C. § 341).

What local rules and orders change the process here?

Several Colorado-specific orders shape a consumer case. A chapter 13 debtor must file the district's own plan form, Local Bankruptcy Form 3015-1.1, rather than a generic plan (COB official page — Chapter 13 Voluntary Petition Packet). The court also sets a presumptively reasonable fee allowance for a chapter 13 debtor's attorney by general procedure order, covering costs incurred through confirmation, with a supplemental application required for extraordinary costs (COB GPO 2021-1) — useful context when you compare quotes.

Self-represented chapter 7 filers may prepare a petition through the court's eSR module, but submitting a package through eSR does not itself file the petition or commence the case; the case opens only after the court receives the hand-signed eSR signature and declaration form and your statement about your Social Security number (COB GPO 2025-1). Payment advices must also be filed, or a statement about them in substantial conformity with the local form (D. Colo. L.B.R. 1007-6).

What does it cost to file, and what if you cannot pay at once?

The statutory filing fee is $245 in chapter 7 and $235 in chapter 13, a $78 administrative fee is collected with either petition, and a chapter 7 petition also carries a $15 trustee payment. Colorado requires every voluntary petition to arrive with one of three things: full payment, an application to pay the fee in installments, or — in chapter 7 only — an application to have the fee waived. A paper petition with none of the three is returned and no case is opened (COB GPO 2014-4(a)).

A waiver application here must include your pay advices or the local statement about them, plus completed Schedules I and J, even if your other schedules are not ready (D. Colo. L.B.R. 1006-1). The court describes the waiver as available to a chapter 7 debtor with income under 150 percent of the official poverty line for the family size involved who is unable to pay in installments (COB official page — Chapter 7 Fee Waivers).

Which Colorado questions should you settle before filing?

Three Colorado questions usually matter more to the outcome than anything procedural. The first is which exemption list applies to you and what it covers, because exemptions decide what property you keep in chapter 7 and how much a chapter 13 plan has to pay. The second is the homestead: Colorado's protection for equity in a home comes with conditions, and those conditions, not just a headline amount, decide how much equity is sheltered. The third is wage protection, which is often what brings someone here in the first place, because a garnishment already running changes how urgent the decision feels.

We publish those answers on their own Colorado pages, each with its citation and the date the figure was verified, rather than restating them here — a stale number is worse than no number. Our Colorado garnishment page covers the limits on wage garnishment and what a bankruptcy filing commonly changes.

Where can an Adams County resident get help?

The court points self-represented filers to free and low-cost help. Its administrative order authorizing the Federal Pro Se Clinic lets clinic attorneys, staff and volunteers provide short-term limited legal services to self-represented litigants before the court, and amends the local rule so an attorney may give pro bono advice under a nonprofit or court-approved program without entering an appearance (COB Administrative Order of the Chief Judge 2020-3). The pro se guide also lists the Colorado Bar Association's Pro Se Bankruptcy Clinic, Colorado Legal Services, Metro Volunteer Lawyers, Southwest Bar Volunteer Legal Aid and Weld County Legal Services.

If you pay a non-attorney petition preparer, know that preparers are barred from giving legal advice, must sign what they prepare, and cannot take your court fees; the court publishes a list of preparers barred in this district (COB official page — Bankruptcy Petition Preparers). Arthur can turn your situation into a roadmap, and that roadmap is what an introduction to a firm would carry if you ask for one.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to travel to Denver to file my case?

Not necessarily. Unless the court orders otherwise, unrepresented parties may file documents in person with the Clerk's Office, through the approved filing tool on the court's website, by mail, or by facsimile, and may apply for permission to file electronically through CM/ECF (COB GPO 2026-1). Meetings of creditors in chapter 7, 12 and 13 cases are held by Zoom (COB official page — 341 Meetings of Creditors by Zoom).

Is my case open as soon as I submit a petition through the court's eSR tool?

No. Electronic submission of a petition package through eSR does not constitute the filing of a petition or the commencement of a chapter 7 case. The case is opened only after the court receives completed, hand-signed originals of the eSR signature and declaration form and your statement about your Social Security number, for both debtors in a joint case (COB GPO 2025-1).

Can I move my meeting of creditors to another date?

A request to continue the meeting must be in writing and served on the trustee appointed in your case, and the trustee must receive it no later than seven days before the scheduled meeting. The trustee, not the court, approves it, so the request is not filed with the court; if the trustee consents, you must immediately file a notice of the continued meeting and serve it (D. Colo. L.B.R. 2003-1).

What happens if I cannot pay the filing fee all at once?

You may apply to pay in installments, or in chapter 7 apply to have the fee waived, and one of those must accompany the petition (COB GPO 2014-4(a)). Installment payments can be made online by debit card, PayPal or ACH (COB official page — Online Payments). Where a trustee has filed a Notice of Possible Dividends, the court stays its automatic dismissal process for non-payment for 180 days (COB GPO 2015-1).

Do I need credit counseling before I file in Colorado?

Yes. The court warns that voluntary petitions will be rejected if credit counseling was not completed during the 180-day period ending on the date the individual voluntary petition is filed, unless a statutory exemption applies (COB official page — Credit Counseling & Debtor Education Courses). The certificate from the approved agency is part of what the court expects with a complete petition (COB official material — Requirements for a Complete Voluntary Petition).

Sources

• 28 U.S.C. § 85: "Colorado constitutes one judicial district." The District of Colorado is a single, undivided district administered from the sole clerk's office/divisional seat at Denver; cases are assigned to judges by random selection district-wide (L.B.R. 1073-1, "Cases are assigned to judges by random selection to the extent possible"), not by county. Grand Junction and Pueblo are statutory places for holding court (hearing locations) only, not county-assigning divisions.
• 28 U.S.C. § 1408 — Venue of cases under title 11
• 11 U.S.C. § 341 — Meetings of creditors and equity security holders · official source
• 28 U.S.C. § 1930(a)(1)(A), (f)(1) · official source
• 28 U.S.C. § 1930(a)(1)(B) · official source
• Bankruptcy Court Miscellaneous Fee Schedule, Item 8
• Bankruptcy Court Miscellaneous Fee Schedule, Item 9
• COB official material — Guide for Debtors Filing Bankruptcy Without an Attorney
• COB official page — 341 Meetings of Creditors by Zoom
• D. Colo. L.B.R. 2003-1 — Continuance of Meeting of Creditors and Equity Security Holders
• D. Colo. L.B.R. 9011-4 — Signatures and Contact Information
• D. Colo. L.B.R. 1006-1 — Installment Payments and Filing Fee Waivers
• D. Colo. L.B.R. 1007-6 — Employee Payment Advices
• COB GPO 2025-1
• COB GPO 2026-1
• COB GPO 2014-4(a)
• COB GPO 2015-1
• COB GPO 2021-1
• COB Administrative Order of the Chief Judge 2020-3
• COB official page — Chapter 7 Fee Waivers
• COB official page — Online Payments
• COB official page — Chapter 13 Voluntary Petition Packet
• COB official page — Bankruptcy Petition Preparers
• COB official page — Credit Counseling & Debtor Education Courses
• COB official material — Requirements for a Complete Voluntary Petition

Related

• Build your personalised roadmap
• Wage garnishment in Colorado
• Find your local bankruptcy court
• What actually happens at the 341 meeting
• Continuance of a 341 meeting

What it costs to file here

Chapter 7 — total court charges at filing

$338

28 U.S.C. § 1930(a)(1)(A), (f)(1); Bankruptcy Court Miscellaneous Fee Schedule, Item 8; Bankruptcy Court Miscellaneous Fee Schedule, Item 9

Chapter 13 — total court charges at filing

$313

28 U.S.C. § 1930(a)(1)(B); Bankruptcy Court Miscellaneous Fee Schedule, Item 8

Court charges only. What a lawyer charges is separate and varies by district and by case. Estimate the full cost →

Colorado median income

Median annual income, household of one

$87,940

USTP Median Family Income (2026-07-15 period)

The means test compares household income to the published median for the same household size. Being above it is not a bar to filing. Compare your household →