Morgan County, Colorado

Which bankruptcy court hears a case from Morgan County?

Colorado constitutes one judicial district, so there is no county-by-county division structure: a Morgan County filing goes to the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Colorado, administered from the sole clerk's office and divisional seat at Denver (28 U.S.C. § 85). Cases are assigned to judges by random selection across the district, not by where you live. Grand Junction and Pueblo are statutory places for holding court — hearing locations — not divisions that claim counties.

Venue is a separate question. 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 were located for the 180 days immediately before filing, or for a longer part of that period than any other district. A recent move, or a business based elsewhere, can change the answer — residence alone is not the whole rule.

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 states a rule worth absorbing first: any reference in the Colorado Local Bankruptcy Rules to "attorney" applies to you if you file your own case. Court staff are prohibited from giving advice about your rights.

The court's Electronic Self Representation (eSR) module is authorized for self-represented individuals preparing voluntary Chapter 7 petitions, but submitting a package through eSR does not file anything — a case opens only after the court receives hand-signed originals of the eSR Signature and Declaration Form and Official Form B121 (COB GPO 2025-1).

Unrepresented parties may file in person, by mail, or by requesting permission to e-file through the Self-represented E-Filing Application; joint debtors must both apply (COB GPO 2026-1). Every filed document must carry your name, address, telephone number and email address below the signature line (D. Colo. L.B.R. 9011-4).

How does the meeting of creditors work in this district?

Section 341(a) 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 neither preside at nor attend it (11 U.S.C. § 341). In Chapter 7 the trustee must orally examine you about the consequences of a discharge, your ability to file under a different chapter, and the effect of reaffirming a debt.

In the District of Colorado all § 341 meetings in Chapter 7, 12 and 13 cases are held by Zoom (COB official page — 341 Meetings of Creditors by Zoom); the court's page states that debtors, counsel, creditors and parties in interest should not appear in person, that the trustee assigned to the case conducts the meeting, and that it usually occurs between 21 and 50 days after the petition is filed. Expect to send documents to the trustee beforehand and to present acceptable photo identification.

What local rules and orders change the process here?

Most of what makes a Colorado filing different is local procedure rather than different law. The court's own warning states that voluntary petitions will be rejected if credit counseling is not completed during the 180 day period ending on the date the individual voluntary petition is filed (COB official page — Credit Counseling & Debtor Education Courses). A Chapter 13 case must use the district's local plan form (COB official page — Chapter 13 Voluntary Petition Packet). You must file your employer payment advices, or a statement in substantial conformity with the local form, under D. Colo. L.B.R. 1007-6. A continuance of the § 341 meeting is approved by the trustee, not the court, and the written request must reach the trustee no later than seven days before the scheduled meeting; the continuance does not automatically extend the deadlines to object to discharge or dischargeability (D. Colo. L.B.R. 2003-1).

• Chapter 13 attorney compensation runs through a district-wide fee order that sets a presumptively reasonable total fee, issued under L.B.R. 2016-3 (COB GPO 2021-1).
• Non-attorney petition preparers are subject to a presumptive reasonable fee and may not give legal advice; the court publishes a list of preparers barred in the district (COB official page — Bankruptcy Petition Preparers).
• The documents that make up a complete voluntary petition, and the order they appear in, are specified by the court (COB official material — Requirements for a Complete Voluntary Petition).

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

The filing fee is federal, not local. A Chapter 7 case carries a $245 filing fee (28 U.S.C. § 1930(a)(1)(A), (f)(1)), plus a $78 administrative fee (Bankruptcy Court Miscellaneous Fee Schedule, Item 8) and a $15 trustee surcharge (Bankruptcy Court Miscellaneous Fee Schedule, Item 9). A Chapter 13 case carries a $235 filing fee (28 U.S.C. § 1930(a)(1)(B)) and a $78 administrative fee (Bankruptcy Court Miscellaneous Fee Schedule, Item 8).

How you pay is local. Every voluntary petition must come with full payment, an application to pay in installments, or — in Chapter 7 only — an application to have the fee waived; a paper petition missing all three is returned and no case is opened (COB GPO 2014-4(a)). A waiver application must include your pay advices or the local statement plus completed Schedules I and J (D. Colo. L.B.R. 1006-1), and the court weighs income against 150 percent of the federal poverty guidelines (COB official page — Chapter 7 Fee Waivers).

Which Colorado questions should you settle before filing?

Three questions decide a great deal about a Colorado case, and none of them is answered by the documents this page is built from. The first is which exemption list applies to you and what it covers. The second is how Colorado's homestead protection works and what conditions attach to it. The third is how much of your wages a creditor can reach before and after a filing.

We will not guess at those figures here. The sources behind this page are the District of Colorado's local rules, general procedure orders and official pages, plus the federal provisions cited above; they do not supply verified Colorado exemption or wage-protection amounts, so this page does not state any. That is a limit of this page's evidence, not a statement about the law. Our Colorado tools and glossary are the right next stop, and a roadmap will tell you which of the three matters most in your situation.

Where can a Morgan County resident get help?

The court's own guide for debtors filing without an attorney points to free and lower-cost help: a Colorado Bar Association pro se bankruptcy clinic offering limited-scope advice to people without lawyers, and legal-aid organizations including Colorado Legal Services, Metro Volunteer Lawyers, Southwest Bar Volunteer Legal Aid and Weld County Legal Services (COB official material — Guide for Debtors Filing Bankruptcy Without an Attorney). A separate administrative order permits Federal Pro Se Clinic attorneys and volunteers to provide short-term limited legal services to self-represented litigants before the court (COB Administrative Order of the Chief Judge 2020-3). Check each organization's current intake rules directly; we do not track their availability.

You can also start with Arthur, the Bankruptcy.law AI Navigator, to build a roadmap of your own situation. If you ask, and only if you ask, he can pass your details to a local bankruptcy firm admitted in this district — nothing is sent unless you request it.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to go to Denver in person to file?

Not necessarily. Under the district's current order, unrepresented parties may file documents in person at the clerk's office, by mail, or by requesting permission to file electronically through the Self-represented E-Filing Application; joint debtors must both apply (COB GPO 2026-1). Meetings of creditors in Chapter 7, 12 and 13 cases are held by Zoom rather than in person.

Is my judge decided by the county I live in?

No. Colorado is one judicial district, administered from the sole clerk's office and divisional seat at Denver, and cases are assigned to judges by random selection across the district rather than by county (28 U.S.C. § 85). Grand Junction and Pueblo are statutory places for holding court, not divisions that claim particular counties.

Does using the court's eSR tool file my Chapter 7 case?

No. Electronic submission of a petition package through eSR does not constitute the filing of a petition or the commencement of a case. The court opens a Chapter 7 case only after it receives completed, hand-signed originals of the eSR Signature and Declaration Form and Official Form B121 for the debtor and joint debtor, if applicable (COB GPO 2025-1).

Can the meeting of creditors be moved?

It can be continued, but the trustee decides, not the court. A debtor's request must be in writing, served on the appointed trustee, and received no later than seven days before the scheduled meeting; if the trustee consents, you file and serve a notice of continued meeting. A continuance does not automatically extend deadlines to object to discharge or dischargeability (D. Colo. L.B.R. 2003-1).

What if I cannot pay the filing fee when I file?

An individual debtor may apply to pay the fee in installments on Official Form 103A, or — in a Chapter 7 case — apply to have it waived on Official Form 103B, which in this district must include pay advices or the local statement plus completed Schedules I and J (D. Colo. L.B.R. 1006-1). Any fee-waiver order is conditional and subject to further investigation.

Can a non-attorney petition preparer prepare my forms?

A bankruptcy petition preparer may type information onto bankruptcy forms, which the court publishes without charge, but is barred by law from giving legal advice, cannot explain how to answer legal questions, must sign the documents they prepare and furnish copies to you, and cannot receive your court fees. The court also publishes a list of preparers barred in this district (COB official page — Bankruptcy Petition Preparers).

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. — Judicial district and judge assignment, District of Colorado
• 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 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
• D. Colo. L.B.R. 9011-4 — Signatures and Contact Information
• 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
• COB official page — Credit Counseling & Debtor Education Courses
• COB official page — Chapter 13 Voluntary Petition Packet
• D. Colo. L.B.R. 1007-6 — Employee Payment Advices
• COB GPO 2021-1 — Chapter 13 Fee General Procedure Order
• COB official page — Bankruptcy Petition Preparers
• COB official material — Requirements for a Complete Voluntary Petition
• COB GPO 2014-4(a) — Installment Payment Requests and Additional Delegation to the Clerk of the Court
• D. Colo. L.B.R. 1006-1 — Installment Payments and Filing Fee Waivers
• COB official page — Chapter 7 Fee Waivers
• COB official material — Guide for Debtors Filing Bankruptcy Without an Attorney
• COB Administrative Order of the Chief Judge 2020-3 — In the Matter of Federal Pro Se Clinic Operations
• 28 U.S.C. § 1930(a)(1)(A), (f)(1) — Chapter 7 filing fee · official source
• 28 U.S.C. § 1930(a)(1)(B) — Chapter 13 filing fee · official source
• Bankruptcy Court Miscellaneous Fee Schedule, Item 8 — Administrative fee
• Bankruptcy Court Miscellaneous Fee Schedule, Item 9 — Chapter 7 trustee surcharge

Related

• Find your local bankruptcy court
• The 341 Meeting of Creditors: what actually happens
• Build your personalised roadmap
• Bankruptcy tools and screeners
• Bankruptcy glossary
• 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 →