Mesa County, Colorado

Which bankruptcy court hears a case from Mesa County?

Mesa County cases go to the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Colorado. Colorado constitutes one judicial district (28 U.S.C. § 85), so there is no county-by-county division structure. The district is administered from the sole clerk's office at Denver, and cases are assigned to judges by random selection district-wide, not by where you live. Grand Junction and Pueblo are statutory places for holding court — hearing locations — rather than divisions that assign cases.

Where you file is a venue question, not only a residence question. A case may be commenced in the district in which 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 portion of that period than any other district (28 U.S.C. § 1408). A recent move from another state, or a business elsewhere, can change the answer.

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 states that any reference in the Colorado Local Bankruptcy Rules to "attorney" applies to you unless otherwise noted (COB official material — Guide for Debtors Filing Bankruptcy Without an Attorney). Credit counseling must be completed before the petition is filed; the court's own notice warns that a case filed without it will be dismissed unless narrow conditions are met (COB official material — Credit Counseling is required BEFORE you file for Bankruptcy).

The court also runs its own tools. An Electronic Self Representation module lets self-represented individual Chapter 7 debtors prepare a petition online, but submitting a package through it does not commence a case — the court opens the case only after receiving hand-signed originals of the eSR Signature and Declaration Form and Official Form 121 (COB GPO 2025-1). Self-represented parties may also apply to e-file through CM/ECF (COB GPO 2026-1).

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 judge may not preside at or attend it (11 U.S.C. § 341). The court's own page says the meeting is one 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, with the assigned trustee conducting it in Chapter 7, 12 and 13 cases. All Section 341 meetings in those chapters are held by Zoom, and debtors, counsel and creditors should not appear in person (COB official page — 341 Meetings of Creditors by Zoom).

Before the meeting ends, the trustee examines you orally about the consequences of seeking a discharge, your ability to file under a different chapter, and the effect of reaffirming a debt (11 U.S.C. § 341).

What local rules and orders change the process here?

Several local rules shape day-to-day practice here. A request to continue the meeting of creditors must be in writing and served on the trustee at least seven days before the scheduled meeting, and it is the trustee — not the court — who approves it, so the request is not filed with the court (D. Colo. L.B.R. 2003-1). A continuance does not automatically extend the deadline to object to a discharge or to the dischargeability of a particular debt.

Every filed document must carry your name, address, telephone number and email address below the signature line, and you must notify the court of changes (D. Colo. L.B.R. 9011-4). You must file your payment advices or a statement in substantial conformity with the local form (D. Colo. L.B.R. 1007-6). Chapter 13 filers use the court's own local plan form, listed in the court's Chapter 13 packet (COB official page — Chapter 13 Voluntary Petition Packet).

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

The statutory filing fee is $245 for a Chapter 7 case and $235 for a Chapter 13 case (28 U.S.C. § 1930(a)(1)(A), (f)(1); 28 U.S.C. § 1930(a)(1)(B)). Each carries an additional $78 administrative fee, and a Chapter 7 petition also carries a $15 trustee payment (Bankruptcy Court Miscellaneous Fee Schedule, Item 8; Bankruptcy Court Miscellaneous Fee Schedule, Item 9).

Every voluntary petition must arrive with one of three things: full payment, an application to pay in installments on Official Form 103A, or — in Chapter 7 only — an application to have the fee waived on Official Form 103B (COB GPO 2014-4(a); D. Colo. L.B.R. 1006-1). A waiver application must include copies of pay advices or the local statement, plus completed Schedules I and J. The first installment is due no later than fourteen days from the petition filing date (COB GPO 2014-4(a)). The court also accepts installment payments online by debit card, PayPal or ACH (COB official page — Online Payments).

Which Colorado questions should you settle before filing?

Three Colorado questions do more than almost anything else to shape a consumer case: which exemption list you may use, what conditions attach to the homestead exemption, and how much of your wages state law shields from garnishment. This page does not answer them, because the sources supplied for it are the District of Colorado's own filing materials and the federal provisions cited above. That is a limit of this page's evidence, not a statement about what the law provides.

Two things you can settle now are factual rather than legal. Gather the documents the court expects — the forms listed in its Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 packets, your credit counseling certificate, your pay advices from the 60 days before filing, and a complete list of creditors (COB official material — What forms are required?). And confirm which district your 180-day history actually points to before you prepare anything (28 U.S.C. § 1408).

Where can a Mesa County resident get help?

Court staff are prohibited from providing advice to parties about their rights in a case before the court, and the court's own guide says so plainly (COB official material — Guide for Debtors Filing Bankruptcy Without an Attorney). That guide also lists 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, clinic attorneys and volunteers may provide short-term limited legal services to self-represented litigants before this court (COB Administrative Order of the Chief Judge 2020-3).

A non-attorney petition preparer may type your information onto the forms and is barred by law from giving legal advice; the court publishes a list of preparers barred in this district (COB official page — Bankruptcy Petition Preparers). If you would rather speak with a Colorado bankruptcy lawyer, Arthur can pass your details to a participating firm only after you agree on the consent card.

Frequently asked questions

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

No in-person appearance is expected: all Section 341 meetings in Chapter 7, 12 and 13 cases in this district are held by Zoom, and the court's page says debtors, counsel, creditors and parties in interest should not appear in person (COB official page — 341 Meetings of Creditors by Zoom). The meeting itself is still mandatory, and the assigned trustee conducts it.

Can I file in Colorado if I moved here recently?

Venue turns on the 180 days immediately before filing. A case may be commenced where your domicile, residence, principal place of business or principal assets have been located for that period, or for a longer portion of it than any other district (28 U.S.C. § 1408). A recent move can therefore point to your former district, and this page cannot resolve that for your facts.

What happens if I file before completing credit counseling?

The court's notice is direct: if you have not completed the required pre-filing credit counseling and 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). 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 on Official Form 103A, and in Chapter 7 may instead apply to have the fee waived on Official Form 103B (D. Colo. L.B.R. 1006-1). Every petition must arrive with full payment or one of those applications, and the first installment is due no later than fourteen days from the filing date (COB GPO 2014-4(a)).

Is a judge assigned based on where I live in Colorado?

No. Cases are assigned to judges by random selection district-wide, to the extent possible, rather than by county, because Colorado constitutes one judicial district administered from the sole clerk's office at Denver (28 U.S.C. § 85). Grand Junction and Pueblo are statutory places for holding court, so a hearing location is a separate question from case assignment.

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
• COB official page — 341 Meetings of Creditors by Zoom
• COB official material — Guide for Debtors Filing Bankruptcy Without an Attorney
• COB official material — Credit Counseling is required BEFORE you file for Bankruptcy
• 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. 1007-6
• D. Colo. L.B.R. 1006-1
• COB GPO 2014-4(a)
• COB official page — Online Payments
• COB official page — Chapter 13 Voluntary Petition Packet
• COB official material — What forms are required?
• COB official page — Bankruptcy Petition Preparers
• COB Administrative Order of the Chief Judge 2020-3
• 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

Related

• Find your local bankruptcy court
• The 341 meeting of creditors: what actually happens
• Continuance in bankruptcy: moving a meeting or hearing
• Build your personalised roadmap
• Filing bankruptcy in Delta County, Colorado

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 →