Cheyenne County, Colorado

Which bankruptcy court hears a case from Cheyenne County?

Cheyenne County falls within the District of Colorado, administered from the sole clerk's office at Denver. Under 28 U.S.C. § 85, Colorado constitutes one judicial district, so there is no separate county-by-county division structure. The court's own local rule on assignment states that "Cases are assigned to judges by random selection to the extent possible" (L.B.R. 1073-1), which means your judge is not determined by living on the eastern plains rather than the Front Range. Grand Junction and Pueblo are statutory places for holding court, not county-assigning divisions.

Where a case may be filed is a separate question from which judge hears it. Venue follows where your domicile, residence, principal place of business in the United States, 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 a recent move into or out of Colorado, or a business operating in another state, can change the answer; residence alone is not the whole rule.

• District: District of Colorado, administered from Denver (28 U.S.C. § 85)
• Judge assignment: random selection district-wide, not by county (L.B.R. 1073-1)
• 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. That matters because the local rules then bind you directly — including L.B.R. 9011-4(c), which requires every filed document to carry your name, address, telephone number and email address below the signature line, and requires you to notify the court promptly of any change by filing a notice of change of contact information.

Since June 2, 2025, the court has authorized its Electronic Self Representation module for self-represented individuals preparing a voluntary Chapter 7 petition (GPO 2025-1). Submitting a package through that module does not by itself file a petition or commence a case; the court opens the case only after it receives the hand-signed eSR Signature and Declaration Form and the signed statement about your Social Security number. Separately, GPO 2026-1 lets unrepresented individual debtors, creditors and adversary parties apply for permission to file electronically through CM/ECF.

• Local rules written for "attorney" apply to you when you file for yourself (Guide for Debtors Filing Bankruptcy Without an Attorney)
• Contact details must appear below your signature on every filing (L.B.R. 9011-4)
• eSR submission is not a filing until signed originals reach the clerk (GPO 2025-1)

What must you complete before the petition is accepted?

Two requirements stop more Colorado cases at the door than anything local. The first is credit counseling. The court's standing notice to debtors warns that if you have not completed a United States Trustee approved pre-filing credit counseling course, and you do not meet the requirements for an extension, your case will be dismissed and you will not receive a discharge. Its credit counseling page states that voluntary petitions will be rejected if counseling was not completed during the 180-day period ending on the date the individual voluntary petition is filed. The court says most debtors will not qualify for an exception, because counseling is readily available in this district.

The second is the fee. Every voluntary petition must arrive with full payment, an application to pay in installments (Official Form 103A), or — for Chapter 7 only — an application to have the fee waived (GPO 2014-4(a); L.B.R. 1006-1). Paper petitions missing all three are returned and no case is opened. Electronic petitions that select an option but do not file the supporting documents or fee the same day are dismissed.

• Credit counseling certificate from an approved agency, completed before filing
• Payment advices or the local statement under L.B.R. 1007-6
• A fee payment option designated at case opening

What are the filing fees, and can they be waived or paid over time?

The Chapter 7 filing fee is $245 (28 U.S.C. § 1930(a)(1)(A), (f)(1)), and the Chapter 13 filing fee is $235 (28 U.S.C. § 1930(a)(1)(B)). Chapter 7 cases also carry a $78 administrative fee and a $15 trustee payment, and Chapter 13 cases carry a $78 administrative fee (Bankruptcy Court Miscellaneous Fee Schedule, Items 8 and 9), which is why the clerk's published Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 totals are higher than the statutory figures alone.

An individual debtor may apply to pay in installments using Official Form 103A; the first installment is due no later than fourteen days from the petition date, with later payments on the court's published schedule (GPO 2014-4(a)). A Chapter 7 debtor may instead apply for a waiver on Official Form 103B, and the local rule requires pay advices or L.B.F. 1007-6.1 plus completed Schedules I and J with the request (L.B.R. 1006-1). Any waiver order is conditional and subject to further investigation.

How does the meeting of creditors work in this district?

After the order for relief, the United States trustee convenes and presides at a meeting of creditors (11 U.S.C. § 341(a)), and the judge may neither preside at nor attend it. The District of Colorado's official page states that all § 341 meetings of creditors are held by Zoom for Chapter 7, 12 and 13 cases, and that debtors, counsel, creditors and parties in interest should not appear in person. The same page says the meeting usually occurs between 21 and 50 days after the petition is filed, depending on the chapter, and that in Chapter 7, 12 and 13 cases the assigned trustee conducts it.

In a Chapter 7 case the trustee must orally examine you before the meeting concludes, to confirm you understand the consequences of seeking a discharge, your ability to file under a different chapter, the effect of a discharge, and the effect of reaffirming a debt (11 U.S.C. § 341(d)). If you need the meeting moved, the local rule routes the request to the trustee rather than the court: a written request must reach the appointed trustee no later than seven days before the scheduled meeting, and the trustee — not the judge — approves it (L.B.R. 2003-1).

• Held by Zoom; no in-person appearance (341 Meetings of Creditors by Zoom)
• Continuance requests go to the trustee, seven days ahead (L.B.R. 2003-1)
• A continuance does not automatically extend objection deadlines (L.B.R. 2003-1)

What local rules and orders change the process here?

Several District of Colorado orders shape the practical shape of a case. Chapter 13 filers use the court's own local plan form, Local Bankruptcy Form 3015-1.1, listed on the court's Chapter 13 petition packet as a required document. The court also sets a presumptively reasonable fee allowance for Chapter 13 debtor's counsel by general procedure order — currently a total figure including expenses, with costs above a stated threshold treated as extraordinary and requiring a supplemental application (GPO 2021-1).

The court has also expanded limited free help: attorneys, staff and volunteers associated with the Federal Pro Se Clinic may provide short-term limited legal services to self-represented litigants before the court, and the related amendment permits an attorney to give pro bono advice through a nonprofit or court-approved program without signing the document or entering an appearance (Administrative Order of the Chief Judge 2020-3). On fees, GPO 2015-1 stays the court's automatic dismissal process for non-payment for 180 days in any case where the trustee has filed a Notice of Possible Dividends.

• Local Chapter 13 plan form L.B.F. 3015-1.1 is required (Chapter 13 Voluntary Petition Packet)
• Non-attorney petition preparers may type forms only and cannot give legal advice (Bankruptcy Petition Preparers)
• Several named preparers are currently barred in this district (Bankruptcy Petition Preparers)

Which Colorado questions should you settle before filing?

Nothing on the court's local docket matters as much as a few Colorado-law questions, because those decide what you keep. The first is which exemption list applies to you — Colorado's own list or the federal one — since a state may bar its residents from electing the federal schedule, and the answer changes every figure downstream. The second is the homestead: Colorado publishes conditions alongside its homestead amount, and the condition you meet, not just the headline number, determines the protected equity. The third is wage protection, which governs how much of a paycheck a judgment creditor can reach before you file and what filing changes.

These are state-law questions, so this page does not restate the figures; the Colorado pages do, with citations and dates. Getting them wrong is expensive in a way a procedural misstep usually is not, because a mis-claimed exemption surfaces at the meeting of creditors after the case is already open.

• Which exemption list applies to a Colorado filer
• Homestead conditions, not just the headline amount
• What a creditor can garnish now, and what filing changes

Where can a Cheyenne County resident get help?

The court is explicit that its staff cannot help you decide anything. Its guide states that court staff are prohibited from providing advice to parties regarding their rights with respect to a case or proceeding before the court, and from ex parte communications with creditors, debtors and attorneys. The guide also says bankruptcy is a complex process and that the court highly recommends retaining an attorney, while listing free and lower-cost options based on income and assets, including Colorado Legal Services and several volunteer legal aid programs.

For self-represented filers specifically, the Colorado Bar Association's Pro Se Bankruptcy Clinic gives limited-scope legal advice by phone or video appointment on eligibility, drafting petitions and schedules, court procedures and forms, and preparation for meetings of creditors (Guide for Debtors Filing Bankruptcy Without an Attorney). Arthur, the Bankruptcy.law AI Navigator, can help you organise your situation and build a roadmap, and where a participating firm covers this district you can ask for an introduction. Arthur does not give legal advice.

• Court staff cannot advise you on your rights (Guide for Debtors Filing Bankruptcy Without an Attorney)
• Limited-scope clinic advice is available by phone or video
• The Federal Pro Se Clinic may provide short-term limited services (AO 2020-3)

Frequently asked questions

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

Not for the meeting of creditors. The court states that all § 341 meetings in Chapter 7, 12 and 13 cases are held by Zoom and that debtors and creditors should not appear in person. For filing, unrepresented parties may file in person with the clerk's office or by mail, and may apply for permission to file electronically through CM/ECF (GPO 2026-1).

Does living in Cheyenne County affect which judge I get?

No. Colorado is one undivided judicial district (28 U.S.C. § 85), and the court's local rule provides that cases are assigned to judges by random selection to the extent possible (L.B.R. 1073-1). Your county of residence matters for venue and for which state-law exemptions apply, not for judge assignment.

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

You may apply to pay in installments using Official Form 103A, with the first installment due no later than fourteen days after the petition date (GPO 2014-4(a)). Chapter 7 filers may instead apply for a waiver on Official Form 103B, which the local rule requires you to file with pay advices and completed Schedules I and J (L.B.R. 1006-1). A waiver order is conditional.

Can I skip credit counseling if my situation is urgent?

Rarely, and the court warns against assuming so. Its notice to debtors states that if counseling was not completed and you do not meet the requirements for an extension, the case will be dismissed without a discharge, and that most debtors will not be able to meet those conditions because counseling is readily available in this district. The clerk cannot predict how a judge will rule on a request.

Can a non-attorney prepare my petition for me?

A bankruptcy petition preparer may type information onto the official forms, which the court notes are available without charge. The court states preparers are barred by law from providing legal advice, cannot explain how to answer legal questions or assist in court proceedings, must sign what they prepare, and cannot receive your court fees. The court also publishes a list of preparers currently barred in this district.

If I move out of Colorado next month, where does my case belong?

It depends on the 180 days before you file, not on where you sleep the night you file. Venue lies where your domicile, residence, principal place of business in the United States, or principal assets in the United States were located for that period, or for a longer portion of it than any other district (28 U.S.C. § 1408). A recent move can therefore leave venue in Colorado.

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
• 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
• D. Colo. L.B.R. 9011-4
• D. Colo. L.B.R. 1006-1
• D. Colo. L.B.R. 1007-6
• 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 material — Credit Counseling is required BEFORE you file for Bankruptcy
• COB official page — Credit Counseling & Debtor Education Courses
• COB official page — Bankruptcy Petition Preparers
• COB official page — Chapter 13 Voluntary Petition Packet
• COB official page — Chapter 7 Voluntary Petition Packet
• COB official page — Chapter 7 Fee Waivers
• COB official page — Fees

Related

• Wage garnishment in Colorado 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
• Filing bankruptcy in Baca County, Colorado

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 →