Jackson County, Colorado

Which bankruptcy court hears a case from Jackson County?

Jackson County is served by the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Colorado. Under 28 U.S.C. § 85, Colorado constitutes one judicial district, and that district is undivided — administered from the single clerk's office and divisional seat at Denver. Cases are not routed by county. Under Local Bankruptcy Rule 1073-1, cases are assigned to judges by random selection to the extent possible, district-wide. Grand Junction and Pueblo appear in the statute as places for holding court, meaning hearing locations, not divisions that claim counties.

Filing in the right district is a separate question from which judge you draw. Venue is set by 28 U.S.C. § 1408, which 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 before you file, or for a longer portion of that period than any other district — so a recent move out of state, or a business or assets elsewhere, can change the answer, and residence today 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 says plainly that while you may be able to prosecute your own case, bankruptcy is a complex process and the court highly recommends retaining an attorney. The guide also notes that any reference in the Colorado Local Bankruptcy Rules to "attorney" applies to you unless otherwise noted, and that court staff are prohibited from providing advice about your rights.

The court lists free or low-cost options, including the Colorado Bar Association's Pro Se Bankruptcy Clinic, which gives limited-scope legal advice by phone or video appointment 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 before this court, and amended L.B.R. 9010-1(c)(3) so an attorney may give pro bono advice through a nonprofit or court-approved program without signing documents or entering an appearance.

• Guide for Debtors Filing Bankruptcy Without an Attorney — the court's own orientation document
• Colorado Bar Association Pro Se Bankruptcy Clinic — limited-scope advice by phone or video
• Administrative Order 2020-3 — limited legal services permitted before this court

How do you actually get your petition and later documents filed?

Two orders matter here. General Procedure Order 2025-1 authorizes an Electronic Self Representation (eSR) module, installed on the court's website, exclusively for self-represented individual debtors preparing and submitting voluntary Chapter 7 cases. The order is explicit that submitting a petition package through eSR does not constitute filing or commence a case: the case opens only after the court receives completed, hand-signed originals of the eSR Signature and Declaration Form and Official Form B121 for each debtor.

General Procedure Order 2026-1 amends L.B.R. 5005-4(b) so unrepresented parties may file in person with the clerk's office or by mail, and may request permission to file electronically through CM/ECF by submitting the Self-represented E-Filing Application on the court's website. Joint debtors must both seek permission. L.B.R. 9011-4 requires every filed document to carry your name, address, telephone number and email address below the signature line, and prompt notice of any change.

• eSR: Chapter 7 individual petitions only; hand-signed forms still required to open the case
• Unrepresented filing methods: in person, by mail, or CM/ECF with approved application
• Contact information and updates are mandatory under L.B.R. 9011-4

How does the meeting of creditors work in this district?

Section 341 of the Bankruptcy Code requires the United States trustee to convene and preside at a meeting of creditors within a reasonable time after the order for relief, and the court may not preside at or attend it. In Chapter 7 cases the trustee orally examines the debtor before the meeting concludes, covering the consequences of seeking a discharge, the effect of a discharge, the option of a different chapter, and the effect of reaffirming a debt.

This district's own page states that the meeting is a hearing all debtors must attend, is held outside the judge's presence, and usually occurs between 21 and 50 days after the petition is filed depending on the chapter. In Chapter 7, 12 and 13 cases the assigned trustee conducts it. The court states that all section 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.

What do the filing fees cost, and what if you cannot pay?

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)). A Chapter 7 case also carries a $78 administrative fee and a $15 trustee payment under the Judiciary's miscellaneous fee schedule; Chapter 13 carries the same $78 administrative fee. The court's own Fees page is the place to confirm current totals and accepted payment methods before you file.

General Procedure Order 2014-4(a) requires every voluntary petition to arrive with full payment, an application to pay in installments, or a fee waiver application, and paper petitions missing all three are returned without a case being opened. L.B.R. 1006-1 sets out both applications. The court's fee-waiver page explains that a Chapter 7 filing fee may be waived for an individual debtor with income below 150 percent of the official poverty line for the applicable family size who is unable to pay in installments, with the burden on the debtor.

• Installments: Official Form 103A, with the first payment due within 14 days of filing (GPO 2014-4(a))
• Chapter 7 waiver: Official Form 103B plus pay advices and completed Schedules I and J (L.B.R. 1006-1)
• Any waiver order is conditional and subject to further investigation (L.B.R. 1006-1)

What local rules and orders change the process here?

Credit counseling is the first gate. The court's warning notice states that a debtor who has not completed an approved pre-filing credit counseling course ending on the filing date, and who does not meet the narrow exception conditions, will have the case dismissed without a discharge. The court adds that voluntary petitions will be rejected if counseling was not completed in the period ending on the filing date and no statutory exemption applies.

L.B.R. 2003-1 governs continuing a 341 meeting: the request must be in writing, served on the trustee, and received no later than seven days before the scheduled meeting, and it is the trustee — not the court — who approves it. The rule warns that continuing the meeting does not automatically extend objection deadlines. Chapter 13 filers use a district-wide plan form, Local Bankruptcy Form 3015-1.1, and GPO 2021-1 sets a presumptively reasonable fee allowance for a Chapter 13 debtor's attorney in cases filed on or after May 1, 2021.

• Credit counseling certificate is required before filing, not after
• 341 continuance requests go to the trustee in writing, seven days out (L.B.R. 2003-1)
• Chapter 13 plans use L.B.F. 3015-1.1; L.B.R. 1007-6 governs payment advices

Which Colorado questions should you settle before filing?

Several questions in a Colorado case are decided by material this page does not carry. Which exemption list applies to you, the conditions attached to Colorado's homestead protection, and how much of your wages a creditor can reach are the big ones, and each has its own page on this site built from the canonical sources for that question. Settle those before you commit to a chapter, because what you can keep often drives the choice.

Treat that as a limit of this page's evidence, not a statement about the law. The packet behind this page is the District of Colorado's local rules and orders plus federal provisions, so it cannot answer those exemption and wage questions from the supplied sources — and an absent answer here is not a conclusion that no answer exists. Note too that 11 U.S.C. § 521 requires you to file a list of creditors, schedules of assets, liabilities, income and expenditures, a statement of financial affairs, and pay advices received in the 60 days before filing.

• Which exemption list applies, and on what conditions
• How Colorado's homestead protection works for your situation
• What portion of wages a judgment creditor can reach while you decide

Where can a Jackson County resident get help?

The court's own materials are the first stop and they are free: the Guide for Debtors Filing Bankruptcy Without an Attorney, the Filing Without an Attorney page with its required-forms list, the Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 voluntary petition packets with their checklists, and the Requirements for a Complete Voluntary Petition document that lists what belongs in the petition PDF and what must be filed separately.

If you are considering a non-attorney typing service, read the court's Bankruptcy Petition Preparers page carefully. It states that preparers are barred by law from giving legal advice, cannot explain how to answer legal questions or assist in court proceedings, must sign and disclose, cannot sign for you, and cannot take court fees from you; the page also names preparers barred in this district. You can also build a free roadmap on this site, or ask Arthur, our AI Navigator, to walk you through what applies — and if you want a local firm, we can pass your details to a participating bankruptcy firm with your consent.

• Court packets and checklists for Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 individual filers
• Pro Se Bankruptcy Clinic and the legal-aid organizations the court's guide lists
• This site's roadmap and Arthur, plus a consent-based introduction to a participating firm

Frequently asked questions

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

Not necessarily for either. Unrepresented parties may file in person with the clerk's office, by mail, or electronically through CM/ECF after an approved Self-represented E-Filing Application (GPO 2026-1). And the court states that all section 341 meetings of creditors in Chapter 7, 12 and 13 cases are held by Zoom, with debtors, counsel and creditors told not to appear in person.

Does Jackson County belong to a Grand Junction or Pueblo division?

No. Colorado constitutes one judicial district under 28 U.S.C. § 85, and that district is undivided and administered from Denver. Grand Junction and Pueblo are statutory places for holding court — hearing locations — not divisions that claim particular counties. Cases are assigned to judges by random selection district-wide under L.B.R. 1073-1, so your county does not determine your judge.

What happens if I file before finishing credit counseling?

The court's own warning is direct: if you have not completed the approved pre-filing counseling 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. The court also states that voluntary petitions will be rejected where counseling was not completed in the required period and no statutory exemption applies.

Can I pay the filing fee over time?

The District of Colorado accepts an application to pay the filing fee in installments on Official Form 103A (L.B.R. 1006-1), and GPO 2014-4(a) requires the first installment no later than 14 days after the petition date, with later payments on the court's published schedule. The court also offers online installment payments by debit card, PayPal or ACH. The Chapter 13 filing fee is $235.

Is a petition preparer the same as a lawyer?

No. The court states that bankruptcy petition preparers are barred by law from providing legal advice — they cannot explain how to answer legal questions or assist in bankruptcy court proceedings — and that their role is solely to type information on official forms, which are available free. They must sign what they prepare, disclose their compensation, and cannot receive court fees from you.

Can I use the court's eSR tool instead of filling out the forms myself?

eSR is an online module on the court's website authorized exclusively for self-represented individual debtors preparing and submitting voluntary Chapter 7 petitions (GPO 2025-1). Submitting a package through eSR does not 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 for each debtor.

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 — Filing Without an Attorney
• COB official page — 341 Meetings of Creditors by Zoom
• COB Administrative Order of the Chief Judge 2020-3
• COB GPO 2025-1
• COB GPO 2026-1
• D. Colo. L.B.R. 9011-4
• D. Colo. L.B.R. 2003-1
• 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 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 material — Requirements for a Complete Voluntary Petition
• COB official material — What forms are required?
• 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
• Statutes and rules library
• 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 →