Dolores County, Colorado

Which bankruptcy court hears a case from Dolores County?

A Dolores County case belongs to the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Colorado, administered from the sole clerk's office and divisional seat at Denver. Colorado is one judicial district with no county-based divisions, and the court assigns cases to judges by random selection district-wide rather than by where you live (28 U.S.C. § 85). Grand Junction and Pueblo are statutory places for holding court, meaning hearing locations only, not divisions that claim particular counties.

Residence is not the whole rule. Venue under 28 U.S.C. § 1408 looks to where your domicile, residence, principal place of business in the United States, or principal assets in the United States have been located for the 180 days immediately before filing, or for a longer portion of that period than any other district. A recent move across a state line, or a business or main asset elsewhere, can therefore change which district is correct even if your mailing address is in Dolores County today.

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 is blunt about one thing: any reference in the Colorado Local Bankruptcy Rules to "attorney" applies to you if you are filing on your own. The guide also says that while you may be able to prosecute your own case, bankruptcy is complex and the court highly recommends retaining counsel.

Since June 2, 2025, the court has authorized an Electronic Self Representation module (eSR) exclusively for self-represented individual debtors preparing voluntary Chapter 7 petitions (COB GPO 2025-1). Submitting a package through eSR does not file your 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.

Self-represented individual debtors, creditors and parties to adversary proceedings may also request permission to electronically file through CM/ECF by submitting the court's Self-represented E-Filing Application (COB GPO 2026-1). Joint debtors must both seek permission.

• Filing by mail or in person at the clerk's office remains available to unrepresented parties (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 changes (D. Colo. L.B.R. 9011-4).
• Required payment advices, or a statement concerning them, must be filed (D. Colo. L.B.R. 1007-6).

How does the meeting of creditors work in this district?

Federal law sets the frame: the United States trustee convenes and presides at a meeting of creditors within a reasonable time after the order for relief, and the judge may neither preside at nor attend it (11 U.S.C. § 341). In a Chapter 7 case the trustee orally examines you about 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.

The District of Colorado adds the format. The court 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. Its published page explains that the meeting is held outside the presence of the judge and, depending on the chapter, usually occurs between 21 and 50 days after the petition is filed, with the assigned trustee conducting it in Chapter 7, 12 and 13 cases.

That page also lists Zoom meeting details by trustee, so the connection information you need comes from the court rather than from us.

What local rules and orders change the process here?

Several District of Colorado rules shape the mechanics of a consumer case. On continuances, a debtor's written request to move a § 341 meeting goes to the appointed trustee, not the court, and must reach the trustee no later than seven days before the scheduled meeting; the trustee decides, and if the trustee consents the debtor must immediately file and serve a notice of continued meeting (D. Colo. L.B.R. 2003-1). A continuance does not automatically extend deadlines to object to discharge or dischargeability.

The court also maintains local forms that are not optional. A Chapter 13 filer must use the court's Chapter 13 Plan, Local Bankruptcy Form 3015-1.1, listed on the court's Chapter 13 petition packet page. The court separately issues a Chapter 13 fee order under L.B.R. 2016-3 setting a presumptively reasonable fee allowance for debtor's counsel (COB GPO 2021-1); the current figure is in that order, which we do not restate here.

An administrative order permits attorneys, staff and volunteers associated with the Federal Pro Se Clinic to provide short-term limited legal services to pro se litigants before the court (COB Administrative Order of the Chief Judge 2020-3).

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

The statutory fees are federal and identical in every county. 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)). On top of those, the Judiciary's fee schedule adds a $78 administrative fee for a Chapter 7 petition and a $78 administrative fee for a Chapter 13 petition, plus a $15 trustee payment in Chapter 7 (Bankruptcy Court Miscellaneous Fee Schedule, Items 8 and 9).

Every voluntary petition must be accompanied by full payment, an application to pay in installments using Official Form 103A, or, in Chapter 7 only, an application to have the fee waived using Official Form 103B (D. Colo. L.B.R. 1006-1; COB GPO 2014-4(a)). A waiver application must include pay advices or L.B.F. 1007-6.1 and completed Schedules I and J, and any order granting it is conditional.

The court's waiver page explains the standard: income below 150 percent of the official poverty line for your family size, and inability to pay in installments.

• A first installment is due no later than fourteen days after the petition date, on the schedule published on the court's website (COB GPO 2014-4(a)).
• Installment payments can be made online by debit card, PayPal or ACH (COB official page — Online Payments).
• Deficient paper petitions lacking a payment option are returned and no case is opened.

Which Colorado questions should you settle before filing?

Some of the decisions that matter most to a Colorado filer are not about procedure at all. Which exemption list applies to you, what conditions attach to a homestead claim, and how much of your wages a creditor can reach before you file are all worth settling early, because they shape what you keep and how urgent your timing is. This packet does not contain the Colorado statutes that answer them, so this page cannot answer them from the supplied sources. That is a limit of this page's evidence, not a statement that the law is silent.

We publish those answers separately, with citations and dates, on our Colorado exemptions and Colorado garnishment pages linked below.

One federal requirement does belong on the pre-filing list. The court warns that credit counseling from a United States trustee approved agency must be completed during the 180-day period ending on the date you file, and that filing without it, absent a statutory exemption, means dismissal without a discharge (COB official material — Credit Counseling is required BEFORE you file for Bankruptcy). The court's own page says voluntary petitions will be rejected if counseling was not completed in that window.

Where can a Dolores County resident get help?

The court's pro se guide lists free and lower-cost options by name, including the Colorado Bar Association's Pro Se Bankruptcy Clinic, which gives limited scope legal advice by phone or video appointment to individuals without lawyers on eligibility, drafting petitions and schedules, court procedures and preparing for meetings of creditors. The guide also names Colorado Legal Services, Metro Volunteer Lawyers, Southwest Bar Volunteer Legal Aid, and Weld County Legal Services, with contact numbers published there.

The guide is equally clear about limits: court staff cannot provide advice to parties about their rights in a case before the court.

If you want paid help, know what a non-attorney can and cannot do. Bankruptcy petition preparers must follow 11 U.S.C. § 110, and the court states that their role is solely to type information on bankruptcy forms. They are barred by law from giving legal advice, cannot explain how to answer legal questions, and cannot receive payment from you for court fees. The court publishes a list of preparers barred in this district.

Arthur, our AI Navigator, can walk you through your situation and build a roadmap, and where a participating local firm is available you can ask for an introduction.

Frequently asked questions

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

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, counsel and creditors should not appear in person. For filing, unrepresented parties may file in person at the clerk's office or by mail, and self-represented filers may apply for permission to file electronically through CM/ECF (COB GPO 2026-1).

Can I file a Chapter 7 petition using the court's online tool?

You can prepare one with it. The court's eSR module is authorized exclusively for self-represented individual debtors preparing and submitting voluntary Chapter 7 petitions. Electronic submission through eSR does not itself file the 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 (COB GPO 2025-1).

What happens if I do not pay the filing fee?

The court can dismiss. In electronically filed cases, when the documents or fee supporting your chosen payment option are not filed on the petition date, the case is dismissed for failing to meet the initial requirements of L.B.R. 1002-1 (COB GPO 2014-4(a)). One narrow protection exists: the court stays automatic dismissal for non-payment for 180 days where the trustee has filed a Notice of Possible Dividends (COB GPO 2015-1).

Is the meeting of creditors held in front of a judge?

No. The court may not preside at or attend any meeting under 11 U.S.C. § 341, including any final meeting of creditors. The United States trustee convenes and presides, and in Chapter 7, 12 and 13 cases in this district the assigned trustee conducts the meeting. A creditor holding a consumer debt may appear and participate with or without an attorney.

Can I move my 341 meeting if the date does not work?

You can ask the trustee, not the court. A debtor's request to continue the meeting must be in writing and served on the appointed trustee, who must receive it no later than seven days before the scheduled meeting; the trustee approves or declines (D. Colo. L.B.R. 2003-1). If the trustee consents, you must immediately file a notice of continued meeting, serve it, and file a certificate of service.

Does a Dolores County address make my case different from a Denver one?

Procedurally, no. Colorado is a single judicial district with no county-based divisions, and cases are assigned to judges by random selection district-wide. The same local rules, local forms and district orders apply to a Dolores County filer as to anyone else in Colorado. What varies is venue under 28 U.S.C. § 1408 and the Colorado-law questions about exemptions and wage protection.

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
• 11 U.S.C. § 341 · official source
• COB official page — 341 Meetings of Creditors by Zoom
• D. Colo. L.B.R. 2003-1
• COB GPO 2025-1
• COB GPO 2026-1
• COB official material — Guide for Debtors Filing Bankruptcy Without an Attorney
• COB official page — Filing Without an Attorney
• D. Colo. L.B.R. 9011-4
• D. Colo. L.B.R. 1006-1
• D. Colo. L.B.R. 1007-6
• COB GPO 2014-4(a)
• COB GPO 2015-1
• COB GPO 2021-1
• COB official page — Chapter 7 Fee Waivers
• COB official page — Online Payments
• COB official material — Credit Counseling is required BEFORE you file for Bankruptcy
• COB official page — Credit Counseling & Debtor Education Courses
• COB official page — Chapter 13 Voluntary Petition Packet
• COB official page — Chapter 7 Voluntary Petition Packet
• COB official page — Bankruptcy Petition Preparers
• COB Administrative Order of the Chief Judge 2020-3
• 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

• Build your personalised roadmap
• Find your local bankruptcy court
• Wage Garnishment in Colorado: What the Law Says and What Bankruptcy Changes
• 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 →