Fremont County, Colorado

Which bankruptcy court hears a case from Fremont County?

A consumer case from Fremont County is filed in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Colorado. Colorado constitutes one judicial district, administered from the sole clerk's office and divisional seat at Denver, and cases are assigned to judges by random selection across the district rather than by the county you live in. Grand Junction and Pueblo are statutory places for holding court, meaning hearing locations only, not divisions that assign cases by county.

Residence is not the whole rule. Venue follows 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 part of that period than any other district (28 U.S.C. § 1408). So a recent move into or out of Colorado, or a business or main assets in another state, can change the answer. The district courts have original and exclusive jurisdiction over cases under title 11 (28 U.S.C. § 1334).

• District: District of Colorado, administered from Denver
• Judge assignment: random selection district-wide, not by county
• Venue test: the greater part of the 180 days before filing

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 unless otherwise noted. The guide also recommends retaining an attorney, and notes that court staff are prohibited from providing advice to parties about their rights in a case.

Filing methods are addressed by General Procedure Order 2026-01, which amends Local Bankruptcy Rule 5005-4(b). 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 permission to file electronically through CM/ECF by submitting the court's Self-represented E-Filing Application; joint debtors must both seek permission. A document filed through the website tool or by facsimile is considered filed on the date the court receives it, though items received on a weekend, legal holiday, or a day the court is closed are docketed the next business day.

• L.B.R. 9011-4(c): filings must carry your name, address, telephone number and email below the signature line, and you must file a notice when that information changes.
• GPO 2025-01: the court's Electronic Self Representation (eSR) module is authorized only for self-represented individuals preparing voluntary Chapter 7 cases.

How does the Electronic Self Representation tool actually work?

The court installed a local version of the Electronic Self Representation module, eSR, on its website, and General Procedure Order 2025-01 authorized it for self-represented individual debtors preparing and submitting voluntary Chapter 7 cases effective June 2, 2025. It allows a one-time submission of a voluntary petition and related initial pleadings.

One point in that order matters more than any other, and reading past it causes real problems: 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 order provides that an eSR package will only be filed, and a case opened, after the court receives completed, hand-signed originals of the eSR Signature and Declaration Form and Your Statement About Your Social Security Number(s), Official Form B121, for the debtor and joint debtor if applicable. The module is governed by the Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure and the Local Bankruptcy Rules. Chapter 13 filers are outside the module's scope, and the court publishes a separate Chapter 13 petition packet and checklist.

• eSR is Chapter 7 and self-represented individuals only
• Submission is not commencement; signed originals must reach the clerk
• Required forms are listed on the court's Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 packet pages

How does the meeting of creditors work in this district?

Under federal law, the United States trustee convenes and presides at a meeting of creditors within a reasonable time after the order for relief, and the court may not preside at or attend it (11 U.S.C. § 341). Before the meeting concludes, the trustee orally examines a Chapter 7 debtor to confirm awareness of the consequences of seeking a discharge, the ability to file under a different chapter, the effect of a discharge, and the effect of reaffirming a debt.

The District of Colorado describes the practical format on its own page: the meeting is a hearing all debtors must attend, held outside the presence of the judge, and depending on the chapter it usually occurs between 21 and 50 days after the petition is filed. In Chapter 7, 12 and 13 cases the assigned trustee conducts it; in Chapter 11 a representative of the United States Trustee does. All section 341 meetings of creditors in Chapter 7, 12 and 13 cases are held by Zoom, and debtors, counsel, creditors and parties in interest should not appear in person. The court's page carries the joining instructions and the documents to provide the trustee beforehand.

• Zoom, not in person, for Chapter 7, 12 and 13 meetings
• Conducted by the assigned trustee, never by the judge

What local rules and orders change the process here?

Several District of Colorado rules shape the mechanics of a consumer case. A debtor's request to continue the section 341 meeting before the scheduled date must be in writing and served on the appointed trustee, who must receive it no later than seven days before the meeting; the trustee, not the court, approves it, so the request is not filed with the court. If the trustee consents, the debtor must immediately file a notice of continued meeting, serve it on the trustee, all creditors and parties in interest, and file a certificate of service. A continuance does not automatically extend the deadlines to object to discharge or dischargeability (L.B.R. 2003-1).

Two more are worth knowing. Local Bankruptcy Rule 1007-6 requires the debtor to file the required payment advices or other evidence of payment, or a conforming statement. And in Chapter 13, General Procedure Order 2021-01 sets a presumptively reasonable fee allowance for a debtor's attorney covering costs through confirmation, applicable to cases filed on or after May 1, 2021.

• L.B.R. 2003-1: continuance requests go to the trustee, seven days out, in writing
• L.B.R. 1007-6: file payment advices or the conforming statement
• GPO 2021-01: a presumptive Chapter 13 attorney fee allowance through confirmation

What are the filing fees, and what if you cannot pay them?

The statutory filing fee is $245 for a Chapter 7 individual or joint case (28 U.S.C. § 1930(a)(1)(A), (f)(1)) and $235 for Chapter 13 (28 U.S.C. § 1930(a)(1)(B)). Each carries an additional $78 administrative fee (Bankruptcy Court Miscellaneous Fee Schedule, Item 8), and Chapter 7 adds a $15 trustee payment (Bankruptcy Court Miscellaneous Fee Schedule, Item 9). Check the court's fee page before you file to confirm the total it collects.

The district's procedure is strict about timing. Every voluntary petition must be accompanied by full payment, an application to pay in installments (Official Form 103A), or, for Chapter 7, an application to have the fee waived (Official Form 103B). Paper petitions missing one of those options are returned and no case is opened; in electronic cases, failure to file the supporting documents or fee on the same date as the petition results in dismissal (GPO 2014-4(a)). A Chapter 7 waiver requires income below 150 percent of the official poverty line for your family size and inability to pay in installments, and any waiver order is conditional and subject to further investigation (L.B.R. 1006-1).

Which Colorado questions should you settle before filing?

Two things belong on your list before the petition. First, credit counseling: the court's own notice warns that a voluntary petition will be rejected if the required pre-filing counseling from a United States Trustee approved agency is not completed during the 180-day period ending on the date of filing, unless a statutory exemption is met. The court notes counseling is readily available in this district, so most debtors will not meet the narrow conditions for completing it afterward.

Second, the state-law questions. Colorado decides which exemption list you may use, the conditions attached to its homestead protection, and how much of your wages a creditor can reach. Those answers are not in this page's sources, so rather than restate them here, work through the Colorado pages below. A missing answer on this page is a limit of its evidence, not a statement that the law is silent.

If you paid a non-attorney, note that the court publishes petition preparer guidelines and a list of preparers barred in this district, and that preparers cannot give legal advice.

• Complete pre-filing credit counseling and keep the certificate
• Check Colorado's exemption-list choice, homestead conditions and wage protection
• Confirm any petition preparer is not on the court's barred list

Where can a Fremont County resident get help?

The district has an authorized clinic route. Administrative Order of the Chief Judge 2020-3 recorded that the Federal Pro Se Clinic, which operated under an agreement between the District Court and the Colorado Bar Association, expanded its services to pro se litigants before the bankruptcy court. That order authorizes clinic attorneys, staff and volunteers to provide short-term limited legal services, and it amended Local Bankruptcy Rule 9010-1(c)(3) so an attorney may provide pro bono services and advice under a nonprofit organization or court-approved program without signing a document, entering an appearance, or providing ongoing representation.

The court's self-represented guide also lists the Colorado Bar Association's Pro Se Bankruptcy Clinic, which gives limited-scope advice by phone or video appointment to individuals without lawyers, covering eligibility, drafting petitions and schedules, court procedures and forms, and preparation for meetings of creditors. The same guide lists Colorado Legal Services, Metro Volunteer Lawyers, Southwest Bar Volunteer Legal Aid, and Weld County Legal Services. Availability and intake change, so confirm current details with each organization directly.

On this site, Arthur can walk through your situation and build a roadmap, and where a participating firm covers your area we can offer an introduction with your consent.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a bankruptcy court in Cañon City or anywhere else in Fremont County?

No. Colorado is one judicial district with a single clerk's office and divisional seat at Denver, so there is no county-level bankruptcy court. Grand Junction and Pueblo are statutory places for holding court, meaning hearing locations, not county-assigning divisions. The court's own location page lists its hours and notes it is a secure government building requiring valid government-issued ID and security screening to enter.

Does living in Fremont County automatically mean Colorado is the right district?

Not automatically. Venue looks at 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 a longer portion of that period than any other district (28 U.S.C. § 1408). A recent move, or a business or main assets in another state, can point somewhere else. Long-settled residence in Fremont County typically makes Colorado straightforward.

Do I have to attend the 341 meeting in person?

No. The District of Colorado states that all section 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. Attendance itself is required of all debtors. The court's Zoom page carries joining instructions, troubleshooting tips, acceptable ID documents, and what to provide the trustee beforehand.

Can I use the court's online eSR tool to file a Chapter 13 case?

No. General Procedure Order 2025-01 authorizes the eSR module exclusively for self-represented individual debtors preparing and submitting voluntary Chapter 7 cases. Chapter 13 filers use the court's Chapter 13 Voluntary Petition Packet and checklist instead. Remember that an eSR submission does not commence a case until the court receives the hand-signed eSR Signature and Declaration Form and Official Form B121.

What happens if I file without the filing fee or a fee application?

Under GPO 2014-4(a), a paper petition that is not accompanied by full payment, an installment application, or a Chapter 7 waiver application is returned to the filer and no case is opened. In an electronic case, if the documents or fee supporting the selected payment option are not filed on the same date as the petition, the case is dismissed for failing to meet the initial requirements under Local Bankruptcy Rule 1002-1.

Does this page cover Colorado's exemptions and wage protection?

Not from the sources behind this page. Which exemption list applies, the conditions on Colorado's homestead protection, and how much of a paycheck a creditor can reach are state-law questions this page's evidence does not reach. That is a limit of this page, not a conclusion about the law. The Colorado pages linked below address those questions with their own cited sources.

Sources

• 28 U.S.C. § 1408 — Venue of cases under title 11
• 28 U.S.C. § 1334 — Bankruptcy cases and proceedings
• 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. § 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. § 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 — Filing Without an Attorney
• COB GPO 2025-1
• COB GPO 2026-1
• 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 2014-4(a)
• COB GPO 2021-1
• COB official page — Chapter 7 Fee Waivers
• COB official page — Fees
• COB official material — Credit Counseling is required BEFORE you file for Bankruptcy
• COB official page — Credit Counseling & Debtor Education Courses
• COB Administrative Order of the Chief Judge 2020-3
• COB official page — Court Location
• COB official page — Bankruptcy Petition Preparers
• COB official page — Chapter 7 Voluntary Petition Packet
• COB official page — Chapter 13 Voluntary Petition Packet

Related

• 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
• Bankruptcy tools and screeners
• Statutes and rules library

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 →