Chaffee County, Colorado

Which bankruptcy court hears a case from Chaffee County?

Chaffee County cases are filed in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Colorado, administered from the sole clerk's office at Denver. Colorado constitutes one judicial district, and the court assigns cases to judges by random selection to the extent possible rather than by the county you live in. Grand Junction and Pueblo are statutory places for holding court, meaning hearing locations, not county-assigning divisions.

Where a case may be filed is a separate question from which court administers it. Under 28 U.S.C. § 1408, a case may be commenced in the district where your domicile, residence, principal place of business, or principal assets have been located for the 180 days before filing, or for a longer portion of that period than anywhere else. A recent move into or out of Colorado, or a business based in another state, can therefore change the answer; current residence alone is not the whole rule.

• District: District of Colorado, administered from Denver (28 U.S.C. § 85; L.B.R. 1073-1).
• Judge assignment: random selection district-wide, not by county.
• Venue test: the greater part of the 180 days before filing (28 U.S.C. § 1408).

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 states plainly that any reference in the Colorado Local Bankruptcy Rules to "attorney" applies to you if you are filing without one. Court staff are prohibited from giving advice about your rights in a case before the court.

Since June 2, 2025, the court has authorized an Electronic Self Representation (eSR) module on its website, available exclusively to self-represented individual debtors preparing voluntary Chapter 7 petitions. Submitting a package through eSR does NOT by itself file a petition or commence a case; the case opens only after the court receives hand-signed originals of the eSR Signature and Declaration Form and Official Form B121.

Under GPO 2026-01, unrepresented parties may also file in person, by mail, or apply through the court's Self-represented E-Filing Application to use CM/ECF. Joint debtors must both apply.

• eSR is Chapter 7 only, and only for self-represented individuals (COB GPO 2025-1).
• A complete petition package and its order of documents are listed in the court's Requirements for a Complete Voluntary Petition.
• Contact details must appear below your signature line, and changes must be filed promptly (D. Colo. L.B.R. 9011-4).

How does the meeting of creditors work in this district?

Section 341 requires the United States trustee to convene and preside at a meeting of creditors within a reasonable time after the order for relief, and the bankruptcy judge may neither preside at nor attend it (11 U.S.C. § 341). In Chapter 7, 12, and 13 cases the trustee assigned to the case conducts the meeting; in Chapter 11 a representative of the United States Trustee does.

The District of Colorado states that all § 341 meetings of creditors in Chapter 7, 12, and 13 cases are held by Zoom, and that debtors, counsel, creditors and parties in interest should not appear in person. The court also publishes, per case chapter, that the meeting usually occurs between 21 and 50 days after the petition is filed.

Before the meeting concludes in a Chapter 7 case, the trustee must orally examine you about the consequences of a discharge, your ability to file under a different chapter, and the effect of reaffirming a debt.

• Zoom meeting IDs and passcodes are published per trustee on the court's 341 page.
• A continuance must be requested in writing and received by the trustee at least seven days before the scheduled meeting, and the trustee, not the court, approves it (D. Colo. L.B.R. 2003-1).
• A continuance does not automatically extend the § 523 or § 727 objection deadlines.

What local rules and orders change the process here?

Several District of Colorado orders affect what you file and when. Every petition must be accompanied by the filing fee, an application to pay in installments on Official Form 103A, or, in Chapter 7, an application to have the fee waived on Official Form 103B. A paper petition missing one of those three options is returned and no case is opened; an electronic case missing them is dismissed (COB GPO 2014-4(a)).

Under that same order, the first installment is due no later than fourteen days from the petition filing date, with later amounts and dates set by the court's published schedule. A fee waiver application in this district must also include your pay advices or the local statement in their place, plus completed Schedules I and J, even if your other schedules are not yet filed (D. Colo. L.B.R. 1006-1).

A district-wide Chapter 13 plan form, Local Bankruptcy Form 3015-1.1, is required in Chapter 13 cases.

What will filing cost at the clerk's office?

The federal fees are the same in every district, including yours. A Chapter 7 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 (Bankruptcy Court Miscellaneous Fee Schedule, Items 8 and 9, effective December 1, 2023). A Chapter 13 case carries a $235 filing fee (28 U.S.C. § 1930(a)(1)(B)) plus the same $78 administrative fee.

The District of Colorado does not accept personal checks or, from non-attorneys, credit cards; payment in person or by mail must be a cashier's check, money order, or exact cash, and the clerk's office makes no change. Since August 10, 2020, fees may be paid by web payment using a debit card, PayPal, or ACH.

The court may waive the Chapter 7 filing fee for an individual debtor whose income is less than 150 percent of the official poverty line for the applicable family size and who is unable to pay in installments. The debtor carries the burden of showing a waiver should be granted, and any order granting one is conditional and subject to further investigation.

• Chapter 7: $245 filing fee plus $78 administrative fee plus $15 trustee surcharge.
• Chapter 13: $235 filing fee plus $78 administrative fee.
• Checks and money orders are payable to "Clerk, USBC".

Which Colorado questions should you settle before filing?

Two or three state-law questions shape most outcomes, and they are worth settling before you file rather than after. First, which exemption list applies to you, which turns on state law and on how long you have been domiciled in Colorado. Second, the conditions attached to Colorado's homestead exemption, which commonly depend on the nature of the property and on the household. Third, how much of your wages Colorado law protects from garnishment, since that is often what pushed a filer toward bankruptcy in the first place.

We publish those Colorado figures and their conditions separately, with citations and verification dates, rather than restating them here. One step is federal and non-negotiable: credit counseling from a United States Trustee-approved agency must be completed during the 180-day period ending on the date your petition is filed. The court warns that most debtors cannot satisfy the narrow post-filing exception because counseling is readily available in this district, and that filing without it leads to dismissal.

• Exemption list and homestead conditions: see the Colorado exemptions page.
• Wage protection and what filing changes: see the Colorado garnishment page.
• Credit counseling certificate: required before filing (11 U.S.C. § 521(b); COB credit counseling warning).

Where can a Chaffee County resident get help?

The District of Colorado's own guide says bankruptcy is a complex process and highly recommends retaining an attorney, while listing free and lower-cost options based on income and assets. Those listed include Colorado Legal Services, Metro Volunteer Lawyers, Southwest Bar Volunteer Legal Aid, and Weld County Legal Services, with additional resources through the Colorado Bar Association.

The court also authorized the Federal Pro Se Clinic to provide short-term limited legal services to self-represented litigants before it, and amended Local Bankruptcy Rule 9010-1(c)(3) so an attorney may give pro bono advice through a nonprofit or court-approved program without signing a document or entering an appearance (Administrative Order 2020-3).

If you want a local firm instead, Arthur, our AI Navigator, can build you a free roadmap and, if you ask and consent, pass your details to a participating bankruptcy firm. Nothing is sent unless you request it.

• Non-attorney petition preparers may only type information on forms and are barred by law from giving legal advice.
• The court publishes a list of petition preparers barred in the District of Colorado.
• A preparer cannot sign for you or take your court fees.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to travel to Denver to file or to attend my meeting of creditors?

Not for the § 341 meeting. The District of Colorado holds all § 341 meetings of creditors in Chapter 7, 12, and 13 cases by Zoom and states that debtors should not appear in person. For filing, unrepresented parties may file in person with the clerk's office, by mail, or electronically if the court grants their Self-represented E-Filing Application. Court hearings are a separate matter and are set by the assigned judge.

Does using the court's eSR tool file my bankruptcy case?

No. General Procedure Order 2025-01 states that 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 (Official Form B121) for each debtor.

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

An individual debtor may apply to pay in installments using Official Form 103A, and a Chapter 7 debtor may instead apply for a waiver using Official Form 103B. One of those must accompany the petition. Under COB GPO 2014-4(a), the first installment is due no later than fourteen days from the petition filing date, and the clerk may deny an installment application where a prior case was dismissed with fees unpaid.

Can I get my § 341 meeting moved?

Sometimes, but the trustee decides, not the court. Under D. Colo. L.B.R. 2003-1, your written request must reach the appointed trustee no later than seven days before the scheduled meeting and should not be filed with the court. If the trustee consents, you must immediately file a notice of continued meeting, serve it on the trustee and creditors, and file a certificate of service.

Is credit counseling really required before I file?

Yes, for individual debtors. You must file a certificate from an approved budget and credit counseling agency describing the services provided (11 U.S.C. § 521(b)). The District of Colorado warns that voluntary petitions will be rejected if counseling was not completed during the 180-day period ending on the filing date, unless a narrow statutory exemption applies, and that most debtors will not meet it.

Is the law different in Chaffee County than elsewhere in Colorado?

The Bankruptcy Code is the same in every county. What varies is venue, the local rules and standing orders of the district your case is filed in, and Colorado state law on exemptions and wage protection. Because Colorado is one undivided judicial district, the district-level material described on this page is what applies to a Chaffee County filer; there is no separate county-level bankruptcy procedure.

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
• D. Colo. L.B.R. 2003-1 — Continuance of Meeting of Creditors and Equity Security Holders
• COB GPO 2025-1 — Implementing Electronic Self Representation (eSR) for Self-represented, Individual Chapter 7 Debtors
• COB GPO 2026-1 — Implementing Electronic Filing for Certain Self-represented Parties
• COB GPO 2014-4(a) — Installment Payment Requests and Additional Delegation to the Clerk of the Court
• D. Colo. L.B.R. 1006-1 — Installment Payments and Filing Fee Waivers
• D. Colo. L.B.R. 1007-6 — Employee Payment Advices
• D. Colo. L.B.R. 9011-4 — Signatures and Contact Information
• COB official page — Fees
• COB official page — Chapter 7 Fee Waivers
• COB official material — Credit Counseling is required BEFORE you file for Bankruptcy
• COB official page — Credit Counseling & Debtor Education Courses
• COB official material — Guide for Debtors Filing Bankruptcy Without an Attorney
• COB official material — Requirements for a Complete Voluntary Petition
• COB Administrative Order of the Chief Judge 2020-3 — In the Matter of Federal Pro Se Clinic Operations
• COB official page — Bankruptcy Petition Preparers
• COB official page — Chapter 13 Voluntary Petition Packet
• COB official page — Online Payments

Related

• Colorado exemptions: what you can protect
• Wage garnishment in Colorado and what bankruptcy changes
• Find your local bankruptcy court
• The 341 meeting of creditors: what actually happens
• Build your personalised roadmap
• 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 →