Las Animas County, Colorado

Which bankruptcy court hears a case from Las Animas County?

Cases from Las Animas County go to the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Colorado, which operates as a single undivided district administered from Denver. The court's own location page lists one courthouse with a clerk's office, intake and records hours of 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, phone hours until 5:00 p.m., and a drop box available from 6:30 a.m. to 5:45 p.m.; it notes the building is secure and that a valid government-issued ID and security screening are required to enter (COB official page — Court Location). Because assignment is district-wide and random under L.B.R. 1073-1, there is no Las Animas County judge, and nothing about your county determines which of the court's judges takes the case. Grand Junction and Pueblo function as places for holding court rather than as divisions that assign cases by county.

• Filing a voluntary petition with the bankruptcy court commences the case and itself constitutes the order for relief (11 U.S.C. § 301).
• The district court has original and exclusive jurisdiction over cases under title 11 (28 U.S.C. § 1334).

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, which states plainly 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 in a case. The guide also says bankruptcy is a complex process and recommends retaining an attorney, while listing free and lower-cost options, 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. By Administrative Order 2020-3, attorneys, staff and volunteers with the Federal Pro Se Clinic may provide short-term limited legal services to self-represented litigants before the court, and L.B.R. 9010-1(c)(3) was amended so an attorney providing pro bono advice through a nonprofit or court-approved program need not sign documents or enter an appearance.

• Unrepresented parties may file in person with the clerk's office or by mail, and may apply to e-file through CM/ECF using the Self-represented E-Filing Application (COB GPO 2026-1).
• Self-represented individual Chapter 7 debtors may prepare a petition through the court's eSR module, but electronic submission via eSR does not itself commence a case (COB GPO 2025-1).
• Every filer must include name, address, telephone number and email below the signature line and notify the court of changes (D. Colo. L.B.R. 9011-4).

How does the meeting of creditors work in this district?

The meeting of creditors is a hearing every debtor must attend. The court states it 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; in Chapter 7, 12 and 13 cases the assigned trustee conducts it, and in Chapter 11 a representative of the United States Trustee does (COB official page — 341 Meetings of Creditors by Zoom). That page also 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. Under the Code, the United States trustee convenes and presides, the court may not preside at or attend, and the trustee orally examines a Chapter 7 debtor about the consequences of a discharge, the option of a different chapter, and reaffirmation (11 U.S.C. § 341).

• A request to continue the meeting must be in writing, served on the trustee, and received at least seven days before the scheduled meeting; the trustee, not the court, approves it (D. Colo. L.B.R. 2003-1).
• A continuance does not automatically extend the deadlines to object to discharge or dischargeability (D. Colo. L.B.R. 2003-1).
• You must give the trustee a copy or transcript of your most recent required federal income tax return no later than seven days before the first scheduled meeting (11 U.S.C. § 521).

What local rules and orders change the process here?

Several District of Colorado orders shape what a complete filing looks like. The court's Requirements for a Complete Voluntary Petition lists the documents that belong in the petition PDF and in what order, and separately lists items — including the means-test forms, the statement of Social Security number, the statement of intention, and fee installment or waiver applications — that must be filed as separate transactions rather than bundled in. Credit counseling is required before filing: the court's warning notice states that if you have not completed counseling ending on the date your petition is filed and do not meet the narrow § 109(h)(3) conditions, your case will be dismissed and you will not receive a discharge. For Chapter 13, GPO 2021-1 sets a presumptively reasonable fee allowance for debtor's counsel, covering costs through confirmation, and the court supplies a Chapter 13 Plan local form (L.B.F. 3015-1.1).

• Required payment advices or evidence of payment must be filed, or a statement in substantial conformity with L.B.F. 1007-6.1 (D. Colo. L.B.R. 1007-6).
• Non-attorney petition preparers may only type information on forms, are barred from legal advice, and several named preparers are barred in this district (COB official page — Bankruptcy Petition Preparers).
• Where a trustee has filed a Notice of Possible Dividends, the court stays automatic dismissal for non-payment of the filing fee for 180 days (COB GPO 2015-1).

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

The federal filing fee is $245 for a Chapter 7 case (28 U.S.C. § 1930(a)(1)(A), (f)(1)) and $235 for a Chapter 13 case (28 U.S.C. § 1930(a)(1)(B)). Each carries an additional administrative fee of $78 (Bankruptcy Court Miscellaneous Fee Schedule, Item 8, effective December 1, 2023), and a Chapter 7 petition also carries a $15 trustee payment (Bankruptcy Court Miscellaneous Fee Schedule, Item 9). For the complete current schedule, including fees not listed here, see the court's Fees page. Every petition must be accompanied by 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)). A paper petition that includes none of the three is returned and no case is opened; an electronic one filed without the supporting document or payment on the same date is dismissed.

• A Chapter 7 waiver is available to an individual with income under 150 percent of the official poverty line for their family size who is also unable to pay in installments; the debtor bears the burden (COB official page — Chapter 7 Fee Waivers).
• 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 (D. Colo. L.B.R. 1006-1).
• Installment payments for Chapter 7, 11 and 13 filing fees can be made by debit card, PayPal or ACH through the court's online payment form (COB official page — Online Payments).

Which Colorado questions should you settle before filing?

Some of the questions that matter most to a Las Animas County filer turn on Colorado law rather than on the court's local rules, and this page cannot answer them from the sources supplied here. Three are worth settling before you file: whether you will claim Colorado's exemption list or the federal one, what conditions attach to the Colorado homestead exemption, and how much of your wages state law shields from garnishment. Our Colorado pages address each of those separately. A fourth question is federal and procedural: the Code's venue rule looks at the greater part of the 180 days before filing, so if you moved into or out of Las Animas County recently, or run a business or hold your main assets elsewhere, confirm where the case belongs before you prepare forms (28 U.S.C. § 1408). Residence alone is not the whole test.

• Exemption choices and amounts: see our Colorado exemptions page.
• Homestead conditions: see our Colorado homestead page.
• Wage protection: see our Colorado garnishment page.

Where can a Las Animas County resident get help?

The court's own Filing Without an Attorney page collects the resources it considers relevant to self-represented filers: what bankruptcy is, the credit counseling warning, the Pro Se clinic, the Bankruptcy Basics materials and video series published by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, which forms are required, the risks of paying a non-attorney, petition preparer guidelines, and the Colorado Legal Help Center maintained by the Colorado Supreme Court. The Guide for Debtors Filing Bankruptcy Without an Attorney lists the legal aid organizations named above with their phone numbers. If you want help thinking through your own situation before you commit to anything, Arthur, the Bankruptcy.law AI Navigator, can walk through your circumstances and build a personalised roadmap, and can offer to introduce you to a local firm if you ask for one. Arthur provides information, not legal advice, and no transcript is shared with any firm.

• The court's glossary of legal terms and local forms are published on its website (COB official page — Local Forms).
• PACER fee exemptions are available to indigent persons and certain organizations on application to the clerk's office (COB official page — PACER Fee Exemptions).

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to travel to Denver to file in Las Animas County?

Not necessarily. Unrepresented parties may file documents in person with the clerk's office or by mail, and may also apply for permission to file electronically through CM/ECF using the Self-represented E-Filing Application on the court's website (COB GPO 2026-1). Self-represented individual Chapter 7 debtors may additionally prepare a petition through the court's eSR module, though that submission alone does not commence a case (COB GPO 2025-1).

Will my 341 meeting be in person?

No. 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 (COB official page — 341 Meetings of Creditors by Zoom). The meeting is held outside the presence of the judge and is conducted by the trustee assigned to your case, usually between 21 and 50 days after filing.

What happens if I skip credit counseling before filing?

The court warns that if you have not completed the required United States Trustee approved pre-filing counseling ending on the date your petition is filed, and you do not meet the conditions for completing it afterward, your case will be dismissed and you will not receive a discharge (COB official material — Credit Counseling is required BEFORE you file for Bankruptcy). The court adds that most debtors cannot meet those conditions because counseling is readily available in this district.

Can I pay the filing fee over time?

An individual debtor may apply to pay the filing fee in installments using Official Form 103A, and every petition must arrive with full payment, an installment application, or a Chapter 7 waiver application (COB GPO 2014-4(a)). Installment amounts and timing follow the schedule published on the court's website, and installment payments can be made by debit card, PayPal or ACH through the court's online payment form.

Can a non-attorney prepare my bankruptcy papers?

A bankruptcy petition preparer may type information onto bankruptcy forms, but the court states preparers are barred by law from giving legal advice, cannot explain how to answer legal questions, and cannot assist in court proceedings (COB official page — Bankruptcy Petition Preparers). They must sign what they prepare, disclose their identifying information, and cannot receive your court fees. Several named preparers are currently barred in this district.

Does my county decide which judge gets my case?

No. Colorado constitutes one judicial district, and cases are assigned to judges by random selection district-wide to the extent possible under L.B.R. 1073-1 rather than by county. Grand Junction and Pueblo are statutory places for holding court — hearing locations — not divisions that assign cases geographically. That means the division-level rules and orders described on this page are what apply to a Las Animas County filing.

Sources

• 28 U.S.C. § 1408
• 28 U.S.C. § 1334
• 11 U.S.C. § 301
• 11 U.S.C. § 341 · official source
• 11 U.S.C. § 521 · 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.
• COB official page — Court Location
• COB official page — 341 Meetings of Creditors by Zoom
• COB official material — Guide for Debtors Filing Bankruptcy Without an Attorney
• COB official page — Filing Without an Attorney
• COB Administrative Order of the Chief Judge 2020-3
• COB GPO 2025-1
• COB GPO 2026-1
• 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 2015-1
• COB GPO 2021-1
• COB official page — Chapter 7 Fee Waivers
• COB official page — Fees
• COB official page — Online Payments
• COB official page — PACER Fee Exemptions
• COB official material — Credit Counseling is required BEFORE you file for Bankruptcy
• COB official material — Requirements for a Complete Voluntary Petition
• COB official page — Bankruptcy Petition Preparers
• COB official page — Chapter 13 Voluntary Petition Packet
• COB official page — Local Forms
• 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
• 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 →