Garfield County, Colorado

Which bankruptcy court hears a case from Garfield County?

Garfield County sits in the District of Colorado, and so does every other Colorado county. 28 U.S.C. § 85 provides that "Colorado constitutes one judicial district," so there are no county-assigning divisions. The district is administered from a single clerk's office and divisional seat at Denver, and cases are assigned to judges by random selection district-wide rather than by where you live. Grand Junction and Pueblo are statutory places for holding court, meaning hearing locations rather than divisions that claim particular counties.

So the local rules and standing orders below are district-level material, and district-level material is what governs a Garfield County case. Where you may file remains a venue question under 28 U.S.C. § 1408, which looks to the district where your domicile, residence, principal place of business or principal assets were located for the greater part of the 180 days before filing.

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 says plainly that any reference in the Colorado Local Bankruptcy Rules to "attorney" applies to you if you file without one. It also notes that court staff cannot give you advice about your rights or predict how a judge will decide a request.

For Chapter 7, the court has installed an Electronic Self Representation (eSR) module on its website, authorized exclusively for self-represented individuals preparing a voluntary Chapter 7 petition. Submitting a package through eSR does not commence a case; it opens only after the court receives hand-signed originals of the eSR Signature and Declaration Form and Your Statement About Your Social Security Number(s), Official Form B121 (COB GPO 2025-1). Unrepresented parties may otherwise file in person with the Clerk's Office or by mail, or request CM/ECF access using the court's Self-represented E-Filing Application (COB GPO 2026-1).

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

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. A Chapter 13 case carries a $235 filing fee (28 U.S.C. § 1930(a)(1)(B)) and the same $78 administrative fee.

Every voluntary petition must arrive with one of three things: full payment, an application to pay in installments (Official Form 103A), or, in Chapter 7 only, an application to have the fee waived (Official Form 103B) (D. Colo. L.B.R. 1006-1; COB GPO 2014-4(a)). A paper petition missing all three is returned and no case is opened; in an electronic case, the supporting documents must be filed the same day as the petition. Where installments are approved, the first payment is due no later than fourteen days from the petition filing date. A waiver application must include copies of all pay advices or other evidence of income from the 60 days before filing, plus completed Schedules I and J.

How does the meeting of creditors work in this district?

Every debtor must attend the meeting of creditors. The United States trustee convenes and presides at it within a reasonable time after the order for relief, and the court may not preside at or attend it (11 U.S.C. § 341). In Chapter 7, 12 and 13 cases the trustee assigned to the case conducts the meeting, and the court's own guidance says it usually occurs between 21 and 50 days after the petition is filed.

The format here is specific: all § 341 meetings of creditors are held by Zoom in Chapter 7, 12 and 13 cases, and debtors, counsel, creditors and parties in interest should not appear in person (COB official page — 341 Meetings of Creditors by Zoom). Expect to be examined under oath by the trustee; § 341(d) requires the trustee to confirm a Chapter 7 debtor understands the consequences of seeking a discharge, the option of filing under a different chapter, and the effect of reaffirming a debt.

What local rules and orders change the process here?

Continuing the meeting of creditors is the trustee's decision, not the court's. A written request must reach the appointed trustee no later than seven days before the scheduled meeting, and if the trustee consents, you file a notice of the continued meeting, serve it on the trustee, creditors and parties in interest, and file a certificate of service (D. Colo. L.B.R. 2003-1). A continuance does not automatically extend the deadlines to object to your discharge or to the dischargeability of a particular debt.

Two filing-mechanics rules catch self-represented filers. Every document must show your name, address, telephone number and email address below the signature line, and you must promptly notify the court of changes (D. Colo. L.B.R. 9011-4). You must also file your employee payment advices, or a statement about them in substantial conformity with the local form the rule names (D. Colo. L.B.R. 1007-6). In Chapter 13, the court sets a presumptively reasonable attorney fee allowance by standing order (COB GPO 2021-1).

Which Colorado questions should you settle before filing?

Three Colorado-specific questions shape what you keep and what pressure stops, and they are worth settling before you file rather than after. First, which exemption list applies to you, since a state may require its own list or permit a choice. Second, how your home equity is treated, including any conditions attached to a homestead claim. Third, how much of your wages a creditor can reach now, which often sets the timing of a filing.

This page cannot answer those three from the sources supplied for it: the packet behind it holds the District of Colorado's own rules and orders plus federal provisions, not Colorado's exemption or wage statutes. That is a limit of this page's evidence, not a statement about what the law provides. Colorado's exemption and wage rules are published elsewhere on this site with their citations and dates, and the screeners under tools apply them.

Where can a Garfield County resident get help?

The court has formally opened a door for limited free help. Under Administrative Order of the Chief Judge 2020-3, attorneys, staff and volunteers associated with the Federal Pro Se Clinic may provide short-term limited legal services to self-represented litigants before the bankruptcy court, and the order amended the local rule on attorney assistance so an attorney may give pro bono advice through a nonprofit or court-approved program without signing documents or entering an appearance.

The court's guide for debtors filing without an attorney also lists organizations for free or lower-cost assistance based on income and assets, including the Colorado Bar Association's Pro Se Bankruptcy Clinic, Colorado Legal Services, Metro Volunteer Lawyers, Southwest Bar Volunteer Legal Aid and Weld County Legal Services. The same guide says bankruptcy is a complex process and recommends retaining an attorney. Arthur, the AI Navigator on this site, can organize your situation into a roadmap and, where a firm takes part in your district, offer an introduction.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to complete credit counseling before I file?

Yes. The court's own notice states that voluntary petitions will be rejected if credit counseling is not completed during the 180-day period ending on the date the individual voluntary petition is filed, unless a statutory exemption applies (COB official page — Credit Counseling & Debtor Education Courses). Separately, 11 U.S.C. § 521(b) requires an individual debtor to file the certificate from the approved agency describing the services it provided.

What has to be in the petition package on day one?

The court's requirements for a complete voluntary petition put the petition, statement of financial affairs, summary of assets and liabilities, the schedules, the schedules declaration and the creditor address mailing matrix in the petition PDF. Means-test forms, the statement of Social Security number, the statement of intention and any fee application are filed as separate entries (COB official material — Requirements for a Complete Voluntary Petition).

Can the Chapter 7 filing fee be waived?

Sometimes. The court states that a Chapter 7 filing fee may be waived for an individual debtor whose income is less than 150 percent of the official poverty line for the family size involved and who is unable to pay the fee in installments (COB official page — Chapter 7 Fee Waivers). The debtor carries the burden of showing the application should be granted, and any order granting it is conditional and subject to further investigation.

What happens if I fall behind on the installments?

Non-payment generally starts the court's automatic dismissal process, with two wrinkles here. The clerk may deny an installment application where the official records show a prior filing by the same debtor that was dismissed with filing fees unpaid (COB GPO 2014-4(a)). And where a trustee has filed a Notice of Possible Dividends, the court stays automatic dismissal for non-payment for 180 days (COB GPO 2015-1).

Can a non-attorney petition preparer advise me?

No. The court states that bankruptcy petition preparers are barred by law from providing legal advice, cannot explain how to answer legal questions, and cannot assist in bankruptcy court proceedings; their role is limited to typing information on bankruptcy forms. They must sign what they prepare, print their identifying information, furnish copies to you, and cannot sign for you or take your court fees (COB official page — Bankruptcy Petition Preparers).

Will my case be heard in Grand Junction because I live on the Western Slope?

Not as a matter of county assignment. Colorado is one judicial district with a single clerk's office and divisional seat at Denver, and cases are assigned to judges by random selection district-wide (28 U.S.C. § 85). Grand Junction and Pueblo are statutory places for holding court, so they function as hearing locations rather than divisions that claim particular counties. This page does not state where any given hearing will be held.

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. — Judicial district and judge assignment
• 28 U.S.C. § 1408 — Venue of cases under title 11
• 11 U.S.C. § 341 — Meetings of creditors · official source
• 11 U.S.C. § 521 — Debtor's duties · official source
• 28 U.S.C. § 1930(a)(1)(A), (f)(1) — Chapter 7 filing fee · official source
• 28 U.S.C. § 1930(a)(1)(B) — Chapter 13 filing fee · official source
• Bankruptcy Court Miscellaneous Fee Schedule, Item 8
• Bankruptcy Court Miscellaneous Fee Schedule, Item 9
• 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. 2003-1 — Continuance of meeting of creditors
• D. Colo. L.B.R. 9011-4 — Signatures and contact information
• COB GPO 2014-4(a) — Installment payment requests
• COB GPO 2015-1 — Staying dismissal for failure to pay filing fee
• COB GPO 2021-1 — Chapter 13 fee order
• COB GPO 2025-1 — Electronic Self Representation (eSR)
• COB GPO 2026-1 — Electronic filing for certain self-represented parties
• COB Administrative Order of the Chief Judge 2020-3 — Federal Pro Se Clinic operations
• COB official page — 341 Meetings of Creditors by Zoom
• COB official material — Guide for Debtors Filing Bankruptcy Without an Attorney
• COB official material — Requirements for a Complete Voluntary Petition
• COB official page — Chapter 7 Fee Waivers
• COB official page — Bankruptcy Petition Preparers
• COB official page — Credit Counseling & Debtor Education Courses

Related

• Find your local bankruptcy court
• Build your personalised roadmap
• The 341 Meeting of Creditors: What Actually Happens
• Bankruptcy tools and screeners
• 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 →