Montezuma County, Colorado

Which bankruptcy court hears a case from Montezuma County?

Montezuma County sits in the District of Colorado. Colorado constitutes one judicial district, and the district is administered from the sole clerk's office at Denver. There is no separate southwestern division that claims your case by county: under Local Bankruptcy Rule 1073-1, cases are assigned to judges by random selection to the extent possible. Grand Junction and Pueblo are statutory places for holding court — locations where hearings may be held — not county-assigning divisions.

Venue itself is a federal question, and county of residence is not the whole rule. 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 immediately preceding filing, or for a longer portion of that period than any other district. A recent move across a state line, or a business or principal assets elsewhere, can change the correct district.

• Court: United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Colorado
• Judge assignment: random selection district-wide (L.B.R. 1073-1), not by county
• 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 any reference in the Colorado Local Bankruptcy Rules to "attorney" applies to you if you are filing without one. The guide also states that bankruptcy is a complex process and the court highly recommends retaining an attorney's services, while noting that court staff are prohibited from providing advice about your rights in a case before the court.

The court has built tooling for self-represented filers. General Procedure Order 2025-01 authorized an Electronic Self Representation (eSR) module, effective June 2, 2025, exclusively for self-represented individual debtors preparing voluntary Chapter 7 petitions. Critically, that order states electronic submission through eSR does not itself 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. General Procedure Order 2026-01 separately lets unrepresented individual debtors, creditors and adversary parties request permission to e-file through CM/ECF by filing the Self-represented E-Filing Application.

• Local rule references to "attorney" apply to you when self-represented (Guide for Debtors Filing Bankruptcy Without an Attorney)
• eSR is Chapter 7, self-represented, individual only — and submission is not filing (GPO 2025-1)
• Joint debtors must both seek permission to e-file, and both register for PACER and CM/ECF (GPO 2026-1)
• L.B.R. 9011-4 requires your name, address, telephone number, email address and bar number if applicable below the signature line, with prompt notice of changes

How does the meeting of creditors work in this district?

The meeting of creditors is convened under 11 U.S.C. § 341, where the United States trustee convenes and presides, and the statute bars the court from presiding at or attending it. Before the meeting concludes, the trustee orally examines a Chapter 7 debtor to confirm awareness of the consequences of seeking a discharge, the ability to file under a different chapter, the effect of a discharge, and the effect of reaffirming a debt.

In this district the format is remote. The court's published 341 page 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. That page also states the meeting is held outside the judge's presence and, depending on chapter, 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.

• Zoom for Chapter 7, 12 and 13; do not appear in person (COB 341 Meetings of Creditors by Zoom)
• Usually between 21 and 50 days after filing, depending on chapter
• A creditor holding a consumer debt may appear and participate without an attorney (11 U.S.C. § 341(c))

What local rules and orders change the process here?

Several District of Colorado rules shape the practical steps. A continuance of the § 341 meeting runs through the trustee, not the court: under L.B.R. 2003-1, the request must be in writing, served on the appointed trustee, received no later than seven days before the scheduled meeting, and approved by the trustee rather than the judge — and the rule says not to file it with the court. If the trustee consents, you must immediately file a notice of continued meeting, serve it, and file a certificate of service. The same rule warns that a continuance does not automatically extend deadlines to object to discharge or dischargeability.

Local rule L.B.R. 1007-6 requires filing the payment advices or other evidence of payment under 11 U.S.C. § 521(a)(1)(B)(iv), or a conforming statement. Administrative Order 2020-3 amended L.B.R. 9010-1(c)(3) so an attorney may provide pro bono services and advice through a nonprofit or court-approved program without signing a document or entering an appearance. For Chapter 13, General Procedure Order 2021-01 sets a presumptively reasonable fee allowance for debtor's counsel, with costs above a stated threshold treated as extraordinary.

• § 341 continuances: trustee approves, seven days' notice, do not file with the court (L.B.R. 2003-1)
• Chapter 13 plan filed on Local Bankruptcy Form 3015-1.1 (Chapter 13 Voluntary Petition Packet)
• Electronically filed documents need the filer's electronic signature; original debtor signatures retained in paper (L.B.R. 9011-4)

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

The Chapter 7 filing fee is $245 (28 U.S.C. § 1930(a)(1)(A), (f)(1)), with an additional $78 administrative fee and a $15 trustee surcharge (Bankruptcy Court Miscellaneous Fee Schedule, Items 8 and 9, effective December 1, 2023). The Chapter 13 filing fee is $235 (28 U.S.C. § 1930(a)(1)(B)), with the same $78 administrative fee. Confirm current totals against the court's published fees page before you file.

Timing is strict here. General Procedure Order 2014-4(a) requires every voluntary petition to be accompanied by full payment, an application to pay in installments (Official Form 103A), or a Chapter 7 fee waiver application (Official Form 103B). Paper petitions missing one of those are returned and no case is opened; in electronic cases, if the supporting documents or fee are not filed the same day as the petition, the case is dismissed. The first installment is due no later than fourteen days from the petition date. Under L.B.R. 1006-1, a waiver application must include pay advices or L.B.F. 1007-6.1 plus completed Schedules I and J, and any waiver order is conditional and subject to further investigation.

Which Colorado questions should you settle before filing?

Two sets of questions sit outside this page's evidence. The first is documentary and this court is explicit about it: credit counseling must be completed during the 180-day period ending on the date the individual voluntary petition is filed, and the court's warning notice states that if you have not completed it and do not meet the requirements for a post-filing extension, your case will be dismissed and you will not receive a discharge. The notice adds that most debtors will not meet those narrow conditions because counseling is readily available in this district.

The second set is about property and income — which exemption list applies in Colorado, how homestead conditions work, and how much of a paycheck a creditor can reach. The supplied sources for this page do not establish those Colorado figures, so this page cannot answer them from its evidence; that is a limit of what was supplied here, not a statement about the law. Work those through on the Colorado pages before you commit to a filing date, because the answers often change which chapter is worth exploring.

• Credit counseling completed in the 180-day period ending on the filing date (COB credit counseling notice)
• Which exemption list applies, and the conditions attached to homestead
• How much of your wages a judgment creditor can currently reach
• Whether a prior filing affects the automatic stay in a new case (noted in the court's pro se guide)

Where can a Montezuma County resident get help?

The court points to several no-cost and low-cost options, and names them itself. Administrative Order 2020-3 authorizes attorneys, staff and volunteers associated with the Federal Pro Se Clinic to provide short-term limited legal services to self-represented litigants before the bankruptcy court. The court's pro se guide describes a Colorado Bar Association Pro Se Bankruptcy Clinic offering limited-scope legal advice by phone or video appointment, and lists Colorado Legal Services, Metro Volunteer Lawyers, Southwest Bar Volunteer Legal Aid, Inc., and Weld County Legal Services. Availability and intake change, so check with each organization directly.

If you pay a non-attorney, know the limits. The court states that in the District of Colorado the presumptive reasonable fee chargeable by a bankruptcy petition preparer is set at a published amount, that preparers are barred by law from providing legal advice, and that they cannot sign a document on your behalf or receive payment from you for court fees. The court also publishes a list of petition preparers barred in this district.

• Federal Pro Se Clinic: short-term limited legal services before this court (Admin. Order 2020-3)
• Colorado Bar Association Pro Se Bankruptcy Clinic: limited-scope advice by phone or video
• Southwest Bar Volunteer Legal Aid, Inc. is among the organizations the court's guide lists
• Petition preparers may type forms only — no legal advice, no signing for you (COB Bankruptcy Petition Preparers)

Frequently asked questions

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

Not for the § 341 meeting. The court states that all § 341 meetings 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. For filing, the court's orders describe in-person, mail, website-tool and CM/ECF methods, with electronic filing available to unrepresented parties who apply and are approved.

Does using the court's eSR tool mean my case has been filed?

No. General Procedure Order 2025-01 states that electronic submission of a petition package through eSR does not constitute the filing of a petition or the commencement of a Chapter 7 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 the debtor and joint debtor, if applicable.

What happens if I cannot pay the filing fee all at once?

An individual debtor may apply to pay in installments using Official Form 103A, and a Chapter 7 debtor may apply for a waiver using Official Form 103B. The application must accompany the petition — General Procedure Order 2014-4(a) directs that paper petitions without one be returned and electronic cases be dismissed when the documents or fee are not filed the same day. The first installment is due within fourteen days of the petition date.

Can I move my meeting of creditors if the date does not work?

Under L.B.R. 2003-1, a debtor's request to continue the § 341 meeting must be in writing and served on the appointed trustee, who must receive it no later than seven days before the scheduled meeting. The trustee, not the court, approves it, and the rule says not to file the request with the court. If the trustee consents, you must immediately file and serve a notice of the continued meeting.

Is credit counseling really required before I file?

The court's own notice says yes for individual debtors, and that counseling must be completed during the 180-day period ending on the filing date. It warns that if you have not completed it and do not meet the conditions for a post-filing extension, your case will be dismissed and no discharge will be entered. The notice also states most debtors will not meet those narrow conditions.

Which judge will hear my case?

That is not determined by where you live. Colorado is one judicial district, and under Local Bankruptcy Rule 1073-1 cases are assigned to judges by random selection to the extent possible. Grand Junction and Pueblo are statutory places for holding court rather than divisions that assign cases by county, so the Denver-administered district handles Montezuma County cases.

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
• 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. 1006-1 — Installment Payments and Filing Fee Waivers
• D. Colo. L.B.R. 1007-6 — Employee Payment Advices
• D. Colo. L.B.R. 9011-4 — Signatures and Contact Information
• 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 — Guide for Debtors Filing Bankruptcy Without an Attorney
• COB official material — Credit Counseling is required BEFORE you file for Bankruptcy
• COB official page — Credit Counseling & Debtor Education Courses
• COB official page — Bankruptcy Petition Preparers
• COB official page — Chapter 13 Voluntary Petition Packet
• COB official page — Chapter 7 Voluntary Petition Packet
• COB official page — Fees
• COB official page — Chapter 7 Fee Waivers
• 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

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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 →