Gilpin County, Colorado

Which bankruptcy court hears a case from Gilpin County?

A Gilpin County case 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 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, not county-assigning divisions. So there is no separate Gilpin County court and no county-specific local rule set; the district-level rules and general procedure orders are what apply to you.

Where your case may be commenced is a separate question from which court is nearest. Under 28 U.S.C. § 1408, a case may be commenced in the district 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 before filing, or for a longer portion of that period than in any other district. A recent move or a business elsewhere can change the answer, so residence alone is not the whole rule.

What does this court expect of someone filing without a lawyer?

The District of Colorado publishes a Guide for Debtors Filing Bankruptcy Without an Attorney, and it states that any reference in the Colorado Local Bankruptcy Rules to "attorney" applies to you if you file without one. The same guide says bankruptcy is a complex process and the court highly recommends retaining an attorney, while listing free and lower-cost options based on income and assets. It also notes that court staff are prohibited from providing advice to parties about their rights in a case.

Two access routes exist for self-represented filers. Under General Procedure Order 2025-01, the court's Electronic Self Representation (eSR) module is authorized exclusively for self-represented individuals preparing and submitting voluntary Chapter 7 petitions; submission through eSR does not by itself file a petition or commence a case, which happens only after the clerk receives hand-signed originals of the eSR Signature and Declaration Form and Official Form B121. Separately, General Procedure Order 2026-01 lets unrepresented individual debtors, creditors and adversary parties request permission to e-file by submitting the court's Self-represented E-Filing Application.

How does the meeting of creditors work in this district?

Within a reasonable time after the order for relief, the United States trustee convenes and presides at a meeting of creditors, and the court may not preside at or attend it (11 U.S.C. § 341). The District of Colorado states that the meeting is a hearing all debtors must attend, is held outside the presence of the judge, and usually occurs between 21 and 50 days after the petition is filed. In Chapter 7, 12 and 13 cases the trustee assigned to your case conducts it; in Chapter 11 a representative of the United States Trustee does.

Format matters here. The court's official page 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. Before the meeting ends, the trustee orally examines a Chapter 7 debtor about the consequences of seeking a discharge, the option of a different chapter, the effect of a discharge, and the effect of reaffirming a debt (11 U.S.C. § 341).

What local rules and orders change the process here?

Several district-level rules shape the mechanics of a Colorado case. Local Bankruptcy Rule 2003-1 governs continuing the § 341 meeting: a debtor's written request must be served on the appointed trustee and received no later than seven days before the scheduled meeting, and it is the trustee, not the court, who approves it, so the request should not be filed with the court. The same rule warns that continuing the meeting does not automatically extend the deadlines to object to discharge or dischargeability.

Other requirements worth knowing before you file:

• Signatures and contact details: filed documents must carry your name, address, telephone number, email address and bar number if applicable below the signature line, with prompt notice of any change (L.B.R. 9011-4).
• Pay advices: the debtor must file the required payment advices or other evidence of payment, or a statement in substantial conformity with L.B.F. 1007-6.1 (L.B.R. 1007-6).
• Chapter 13 attorney fees: the court sets a presumptively reasonable fee allowance by general procedure order (COB GPO 2021-1).
• Limited pro bono help: attorneys may assist through a court-approved program without signing documents or entering an appearance (COB Administrative Order 2020-3).

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

A Chapter 7 case carries a $245 filing fee (28 U.S.C. § 1930(a)(1)(A), (f)(1)), 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 a $78 administrative fee. Confirm current amounts on the court's published fee schedule before you file.

The district requires every voluntary petition to arrive with one of three things: full payment, an application to pay in installments on Official Form 103A, or a Chapter 7 fee waiver application on Official Form 103B (COB GPO 2014-4(a)). Paper petitions lacking one of those are returned and no case is opened; electronic ones are dismissed if the supporting document or fee is not filed the same day. A waiver application must include pay advices or L.B.F. 1007-6.1 plus completed Schedules I and J, and any order granting it is conditional and subject to further investigation (L.B.R. 1006-1). The court also publishes the income and family-size criteria it applies to waiver requests.

What has to be done before the petition is filed?

Credit counseling comes first. The court's own warning notice states that if you have not completed the United States Trustee approved pre-filing credit counseling course ending on the date your petition is filed, and you do not meet the requirements for an extension, your case will be dismissed and you will not receive a discharge of your debts. It adds that most debtors will not be able to meet the exception conditions because counseling is readily available in this district. Voluntary petitions are rejected when counseling was not completed in the required period before an individual petition is filed.

The forms side is also unforgiving. A debtor must file a list of creditors and, unless the court orders otherwise, schedules of assets and liabilities, income and expenditures, a statement of financial affairs, pay advices from the 60 days before filing, and a statement of monthly net income (11 U.S.C. § 521). The court publishes chapter-specific voluntary petition packets and checklists, plus a list of documents that must be filed separately rather than inside the petition PDF.

Which Colorado questions should you settle first?

Three Colorado-specific questions tend to drive the shape of a consumer case, and each has its own page on this site rather than an answer we can give from the court's filing rules. The first is which exemption list applies to you, which determines the framework for everything you are claiming as exempt on Schedule C. The second is how Colorado treats equity in a home, including any conditions attached to the homestead amount. The third is how much of your wages a creditor can reach outside bankruptcy, which often decides whether filing is urgent or can wait.

This page cannot answer those from the sources supplied for it, which are the district's filing rules and the federal provisions above; that is a limit of this page's evidence, not a statement that the law is silent. Start with the Colorado exemptions, homestead and garnishment pages linked below, and bring whatever you settle there into the schedules the court requires.

Where can a Gilpin County resident get help?

The court's pro se guide names free and lower-cost options by income and assets, including Colorado Legal Services, Metro Volunteer Lawyers, Southwest Bar Volunteer Legal Aid, and Weld County Legal Services, and points to further resources through the Colorado Bar Association. It also describes a free Pro Se Bankruptcy Clinic giving limited-scope legal advice by phone or video on eligibility, drafting petitions and schedules, court procedures and preparing for the meeting of creditors. Administrative Order 2020-3 authorizes Federal Pro Se Clinic attorneys, staff and volunteers to provide short-term limited legal services to self-represented litigants before the court.

Be careful with non-attorney help. Petition preparers must follow 11 U.S.C. § 110, 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 the District of Colorado. You can also use Arthur, the Bankruptcy.law AI Navigator, to build a roadmap, and ask for an introduction to a local firm if you decide you want one.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a bankruptcy court in Gilpin County?

No. Colorado constitutes one judicial district, administered from the single clerk's office at Denver, so there is no Gilpin County bankruptcy court and no county-level division. Cases are assigned to judges by random selection across the district rather than by county. Grand Junction and Pueblo are statutory places for holding court, meaning hearing locations only.

Do I have to travel to Denver for the meeting of creditors?

Not for the § 341 meeting itself. The court 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 meeting is still mandatory, and the trustee assigned to your case conducts it in those chapters.

Can I file electronically without a lawyer?

The district offers two routes. Self-represented individual Chapter 7 debtors may prepare and submit a petition package through the court's eSR module, though submission alone does not commence a case until hand-signed originals reach the clerk. Separately, unrepresented individual debtors, creditors and adversary parties may request CM/ECF e-filing permission using the Self-represented E-Filing Application; joint debtors must both apply.

What happens if I cannot pay the filing fee up front?

Your petition must still arrive with an application to pay the fee in installments (Official Form 103A) or, in Chapter 7, an application to have the fee waived (Official Form 103B). A paper petition without full payment or an accepted application is returned and no case is opened; an electronic one is dismissed if the document or fee is not filed the same day.

Can I skip credit counseling and do it after filing?

The court's notice warns that if the required United States Trustee approved pre-filing counseling is not completed by the petition date, and you do not meet the requirements for an extension, your case will be dismissed and you will not receive a discharge. It also states that most debtors cannot meet the exception conditions because counseling is readily available in this district.

Can a petition preparer advise me on my case?

No. Petition preparers must follow 11 U.S.C. § 110 and are barred by law from providing legal advice; they cannot explain how to answer legal questions or assist in court proceedings. Their role is to type information onto bankruptcy forms, which the courts publish free of charge. They also cannot sign for you or take payment from you for court fees.

Sources

• 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 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 — Continuance of Meeting of Creditors and Equity Security Holders
• D. Colo. L.B.R. 9011-4 — Signatures and Contact Information
• D. Colo. L.B.R. 1007-6 — Employee Payment Advices
• D. Colo. L.B.R. 1006-1 — Installment Payments and Filing Fee Waivers
• 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
• COB GPO 2021-1 — Chapter 13 Fee General Procedure Order
• COB Administrative Order of the Chief Judge 2020-3 — In the Matter of Federal Pro Se Clinic Operations
• COB official material — Credit Counseling is required BEFORE you file for Bankruptcy
• COB official page — Credit Counseling & Debtor Education Courses
• COB official page — Chapter 7 Fee Waivers
• COB official page — Fees
• COB official page — Chapter 7 Voluntary Petition Packet
• COB official page — Chapter 13 Voluntary Petition Packet
• COB official material — Requirements for a Complete Voluntary Petition
• COB official page — Bankruptcy Petition Preparers
• COB official page — Filing Without an Attorney
• 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.

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
• Filing bankruptcy in Arapahoe County, Colorado
• 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 →