Baca County, Colorado

Which bankruptcy court hears a case from Baca County?

Your case goes to the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Colorado. Colorado constitutes one judicial district, administered from the single clerk's office and divisional seat at Denver, and cases are assigned to judges by random selection district-wide rather than by county. That means there is no "Baca County division" and no local judge tied to your corner of the state. Grand Junction and Pueblo are statutory places for holding court, meaning hearing locations only, not county-assigning divisions. Venue is a separate question from assignment: a case may be commenced in the district where your domicile, residence, principal place of business or principal assets in the United States were located for the greater part of the 180 days immediately before filing (28 U.S.C. § 1408). So residence alone is not the whole rule, and a recent move into or out of southeastern Colorado, or a business or main assets in another state, can change which district is proper for you.

• District: District of Colorado, administered from Denver
• Judge assignment: random selection district-wide, not by county
• Grand Junction and Pueblo: hearing locations only

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

The court publishes a Guide for Debtors Filing Bankruptcy Without an Attorney, and it states plainly that any reference in the Colorado Local Bankruptcy Rules to "attorney" applies to you if you are filing on your own. Its own recommendation is that you retain counsel, because bankruptcy is a complex process. Court staff are expressly prohibited from providing advice about your rights in a case before the court. The district's Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 petition packets list every required form, and the court separately publishes Requirements for a Complete Voluntary Petition, which sets the order documents should appear in. Local Bankruptcy Rule 9011-4 requires every filed document to carry your name, address, telephone number and email address below the signature line, and to be updated by notice if any of that changes. Under Administrative Order 2020-3, an attorney may give limited pro bono advice through a nonprofit or court-approved program without signing your documents or entering an appearance.

• Required forms: Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 petition packets on the court's site
• Document order: Requirements for a Complete Voluntary Petition
• Contact details below every signature line (L.B.R. 9011-4)

How do you file, and can you submit documents electronically?

Two general procedure orders govern this. GPO 2025-1 authorized the court's Electronic Self Representation module, eSR, exclusively for self-represented individual debtors preparing and submitting voluntary Chapter 7 cases. Read the limit carefully: electronic submission of an eSR petition package does not constitute the filing of a petition or the commencement of a case. The package is only filed, and a case only opened, after the court receives completed, hand-signed originals of the eSR Signature and Declaration Form and the Statement About Your Social Security Number (Official Form B121). GPO 2026-1 then amended L.B.R. 5005-4(b) so unrepresented parties may file in person with the clerk's office, through the approved filing tool on the court's website, or by mail. Unrepresented individual debtors, creditors and parties to adversary proceedings may also request CM/ECF permission by filing the Self-represented E-Filing Application; joint debtors must both apply.

• eSR: Chapter 7 self-represented petition preparation only
• Submission is not filing until hand-signed originals arrive
• Website filing tool, mail, in person, or an approved CM/ECF application

What does the court expect you to finish before you file?

Credit counseling comes first. The court's own notice to debtors says that if you have not completed the required United States Trustee approved pre-filing credit counseling course ending on the date your petition is filed, and you do not meet the requirements for an extension, your case will be dismissed and you will not receive a discharge. It adds that in some cases you may not be allowed to file another case for 180 days. Voluntary petitions are rejected if counseling was not completed during the 180-day period ending on the filing date and no statutory exemption is met. The certificate itself is a filing requirement for every individual debtor under the court's packets, and the Bankruptcy Code requires a certificate from the approved agency describing the services provided (11 U.S.C. § 521(b)). The court also directs filers to the Department of Justice list of approved agencies, and notes the course can be taken by computer or telephone.

• Counseling must END on or before your filing date
• Certificate from the approved agency is a required document
• Payment advices or an L.B.R. 1007-6 statement are also required

How does the meeting of creditors work in this district?

The meeting of creditors is a hearing every debtor must attend, held outside the presence of the judge, and the court's page states it usually occurs between 21 and 50 days after the petition is filed depending on the chapter. In Chapter 7, 12 and 13 cases the assigned trustee conducts it; in Chapter 11 a representative of the United States Trustee does. The format here is specific: all section 341 meetings of creditors in Chapter 7, 12 and 13 cases are held by Zoom, and the court instructs that debtors, counsel, creditors and parties in interest should not appear in person. By statute the court may not preside at or attend the meeting, and the trustee examines a Chapter 7 debtor about the consequences of seeking a discharge, the option of a different chapter, the effect of a discharge, and reaffirmation (11 U.S.C. § 341). Under Local Bankruptcy Rule 2003-1, a written continuance request goes to the trustee, not the court, at least seven days ahead.

• Zoom for Chapter 7, 12 and 13; do not appear in person
• The trustee, not a judge, conducts the meeting
• Continuance requests go to the trustee at least seven days ahead (L.B.R. 2003-1)

What do the filing fees cost, and what if you cannot pay?

The statutory fees are federal, not county-specific. A Chapter 7 individual or joint case carries a $245 filing fee (28 U.S.C. § 1930(a)(1)(A), (f)(1)), plus a $78 administrative fee and a $15 trustee surcharge. A Chapter 13 case carries a $235 filing fee (28 U.S.C. § 1930(a)(1)(B)) plus the same $78 administrative fee. What varies locally is the procedure. GPO 2014-4(a) requires every voluntary petition to arrive with full payment, an installment application, or a Chapter 7 fee waiver application, and a paper petition missing all three is returned with no case opened. The first installment is due no later than fourteen days from the petition date. L.B.R. 1006-1 sets what a waiver application must include: pay advices or L.B.F. 1007-6.1, plus completed Schedules I and J, even if the rest are not yet filed. Any waiver order is conditional and subject to further investigation.

What local rules and orders change the process here?

Several district-specific orders shape the mechanics. The current local rules, forms and appendices were adopted by Administrative Order 2021-2 effective December 1, 2021. GPO 2021-1 sets a presumptively reasonable fee allowance for a Chapter 13 debtor's attorney under L.B.R. 2016-3, covering all costs incurred through confirmation, with extraordinary costs handled by supplemental fee application. The district also uses its own Chapter 13 plan form, Local Bankruptcy Form 3015-1.1, listed in the Chapter 13 petition packet. GPO 2015-1 stays the court's automatic dismissal process for non-payment of filing fees for 180 days in any case where the trustee has filed a Notice of Possible Dividends. On petition preparers, the court publishes a presumptive reasonable fee and a public list of preparers barred in this district; preparers cannot give legal advice, cannot sign for you, and cannot take court fees from you.

• Local rules effective December 1, 2021 (Admin. Order 2021-2)
• District Chapter 13 plan form: L.B.F. 3015-1.1
• Petition preparers: barred list published; no legal advice permitted

Which Colorado questions should you settle before filing?

Three state-law questions decide most of what a Colorado filer actually keeps or pays, and none of them is answered by the federal rules above. First, which exemption list applies to you, which turns on state law and on how long you have lived in Colorado. Second, the conditions on the homestead exemption, which commonly depend on the nature of the property and on the circumstances of the people living in it. Third, how much of your wages a judgment creditor can reach, and what filing generally changes about an active garnishment. We publish those Colorado figures with their citations on dedicated pages rather than restating them here, because the amounts and conditions move independently of court procedure. Settling them before you file tends to matter more than the paperwork sequence, since they shape which chapter is worth exploring at all.

• Which exemption list applies, and the residency history behind it
• Homestead conditions, including any competing published amounts
• Wage protection and what a filing commonly changes

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to travel to Denver for my bankruptcy case?

Not for the meeting of creditors. The court states that all section 341 meetings of creditors in Chapter 7, 12 and 13 cases are held by Zoom, and that debtors, counsel and creditors should not appear in person. Denver is the district's clerk's office and divisional seat, and Grand Junction and Pueblo are statutory places for holding court, meaning hearing locations only.

Is there a Baca County bankruptcy division or a local judge?

No. Colorado constitutes one judicial district, administered from the sole clerk's office at Denver, and cases are assigned to judges by random selection district-wide rather than by county. So your case is not routed to a judge based on living in Baca County, and the district-level local rules and general procedure orders are the material that applies to you.

Can I prepare my Chapter 7 petition online as a self-represented filer?

Yes, through the court's eSR module, which GPO 2025-1 authorized exclusively for self-represented individual debtors preparing voluntary Chapter 7 cases. Read the limit: electronic submission does not constitute filing or commence a case. The package is filed and a case opened only after the court receives hand-signed originals of the eSR Signature and Declaration Form and Official Form B121.

What happens if I file before finishing credit counseling?

The court's own notice states that if you have not completed the required approved pre-filing credit counseling ending on your filing date, and you do not meet the requirements for an extension, your case will be dismissed and you will not receive a discharge. It also warns that in some cases you may not be allowed to file another case for 180 days.

Can I pay the filing fee in installments in this district?

An individual debtor may apply using Official Form 103A under L.B.R. 1006-1, and GPO 2014-4(a) requires the application to accompany the petition. The first installment is due no later than fourteen days from the petition filing date. The clerk may deny an installment application where official records show a prior case in this district dismissed with filing fees unpaid.

Can a non-attorney petition preparer help me file?

A bankruptcy petition preparer may type information onto bankruptcy forms, which are available free from the court. Preparers are barred by law from providing legal advice, cannot explain how to answer legal questions, cannot sign a document on your behalf, and cannot receive court fees from you. The court publishes a list of preparers barred from acting in this district.

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
• 11 U.S.C. § 521 — Debtor's duties · official source
• COB official page — 341 Meetings of Creditors by Zoom
• COB official material — Guide for Debtors Filing Bankruptcy Without an Attorney
• COB official material — Credit Counseling is required BEFORE you file for Bankruptcy
• COB official page — Credit Counseling & Debtor Education Courses
• 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 Administrative Order of the Chief Judge 2021-2
• D. Colo. L.B.R. 1006-1
• D. Colo. L.B.R. 1007-6
• D. Colo. L.B.R. 2003-1
• D. Colo. L.B.R. 9011-4
• COB official material — Requirements for a Complete Voluntary Petition
• COB official page — Chapter 7 Voluntary Petition Packet
• COB official page — Chapter 13 Voluntary Petition Packet
• COB official page — Bankruptcy Petition Preparers
• COB official page — Chapter 7 Fee Waivers
• Bankruptcy Court Miscellaneous Fee Schedule, Item 8
• Bankruptcy Court Miscellaneous Fee Schedule, Item 9
• 28 U.S.C. § 1930(a)(1)(A), (f)(1) · official source
• 28 U.S.C. § 1930(a)(1)(B) · official source

Related

• Colorado wage garnishment and what bankruptcy changes
• Build your personalised roadmap
• Find your local bankruptcy court
• The 341 meeting of creditors: what actually happens
• Continuance in bankruptcy: moving a meeting or hearing
• Find a bankruptcy lawyer by state

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 →