Park County, Colorado

Which bankruptcy court hears a case from Park County?

Park County cases go to the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Colorado. Colorado constitutes one judicial district, and the district is administered from the sole clerk's office and divisional seat at Denver. Cases are assigned to judges by random selection district-wide under Local Bankruptcy Rule 1073-1, not by the county you live in, so there is no separate Park County judge or Park County division. Grand Junction and Pueblo are statutory places for holding court — hearing locations — rather than divisions that assign cases by county.

Venue is a separate question from geography today. 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 the greater part of that period than anywhere else. A recent move into or out of Colorado, or a business based in another state, can change that answer; residence alone is not the whole rule.

• District: District of Colorado, administered from Denver
• Judge assignment: random selection district-wide (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 states plainly that any reference in the Colorado Local Bankruptcy Rules to "attorney" applies to you if you are filing on your own. The court's own guide also says bankruptcy is a complex process and recommends retaining an attorney, and it lists free and low-cost options including the Colorado Bar Association's Pro Se Bankruptcy Clinic and several legal services organizations.

Since June 2, 2025, General Procedure Order 2025-1 authorizes an Electronic Self Representation (eSR) module on the court's website, used only by self-represented individuals preparing a voluntary Chapter 7 petition. Submitting a package through eSR does not itself file the petition or commence a case — the court opens the case only after it receives hand-signed originals of the eSR Signature and Declaration Form and Official Form B121. Under GPO 2026-1, unrepresented individual debtors may also apply for permission to file electronically through CM/ECF, and joint debtors must both apply.

• Local rules that say "attorney" apply to you when you file for yourself
• eSR prepares a Chapter 7 petition; hand-signed originals still have to reach the clerk
• Court staff cannot give legal advice or predict how a judge will rule

How does the meeting of creditors work in this district?

Every debtor attends a meeting of creditors. Under 11 U.S.C. § 341, the United States trustee convenes and presides at the meeting, and the court may neither preside at nor attend it. The trustee examines you before the meeting concludes, and in a Chapter 7 case that examination covers the consequences of seeking a discharge, your ability to file under a different chapter, the effect of a discharge, and the effect of reaffirming a debt.

The District of Colorado 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. The court also explains that the meeting 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.

• Convened and presided over by the United States trustee (11 U.S.C. § 341)
• Held by Zoom in Chapter 7, 12 and 13 cases — no in-person appearance
• Usually 21 to 50 days after filing, depending on the chapter

What local rules and orders change the process here?

Several District of Colorado rules shape the mechanics in ways the Code alone does not. Local Bankruptcy Rule 2003-1 governs continuing a Section 341 meeting: a request before the scheduled date must be in writing, served on the appointed trustee, and received at least seven days ahead — and it is the trustee, not the court, who approves it, so the request is not filed with the court. If the trustee consents, you then file and serve a notice of the continued meeting. A continuance does not automatically extend the deadlines to object to discharge or dischargeability.

Local Bankruptcy Rule 9011-4 requires every filed document to carry your name, address, telephone number, email address and bar number if applicable below the signature line, and to notify the court promptly of changes. Local Bankruptcy Rule 1007-6 requires payment advices or a conforming statement. Chapter 13 filers use the court's own plan form, Local Bankruptcy Form 3015-1.1, listed in the court's Chapter 13 petition packet.

• Continuance of a 341 meeting: trustee approval, seven days ahead (L.B.R. 2003-1)
• Contact information below every signature line (L.B.R. 9011-4)
• Chapter 13 plan on Local Bankruptcy Form 3015-1.1

What does it cost to file, and can the fee be waived?

The Chapter 7 filing fee is $245 (28 U.S.C. § 1930(a)(1)(A), (f)(1)), with a $78 administrative fee and a $15 trustee surcharge collected on top. The Chapter 13 filing fee is $235 (28 U.S.C. § 1930(a)(1)(B)), with the same $78 administrative fee. Under General Procedure Order 2014-4(a), every voluntary petition must arrive with one of three things: full payment, an application to pay in installments on Official Form 103A, or an application to waive the Chapter 7 fee on Official Form 103B. If the supporting documents or payment are not filed the same day as an electronic petition, the case is dismissed for failing the initial requirements of Local Bankruptcy Rule 1002-1.

Local Bankruptcy Rule 1006-1 adds that a waiver application must include pay advices or L.B.F. 1007-6.1 plus completed Schedules I and J, and that any fee-waiver order is conditional and subject to further investigation.

Which Colorado questions should you settle before filing?

Two things are worth finishing before the petition goes in. First, credit counseling. The court's own warning notice states that if you have not completed a United States Trustee approved pre-filing credit counseling course ending on the date the petition is filed, and you do not meet the narrow conditions for completing it afterward, the case will be dismissed and no discharge will issue. The court adds that most debtors cannot meet those conditions because counseling is readily available in this district.

Second, the property questions. Which exemption list applies in Colorado, what conditions attach to the homestead, and how much of your wages state law protects are the questions that shape what a filing actually does for you. This page cannot answer them from the sources supplied here — the District of Colorado documents in the packet govern procedure, not state exemption amounts. The Colorado pages linked below cover those rules, and the court's guide explains that exempt property is what you keep while nonexempt assets are a possible means of paying creditors.

• Complete credit counseling before filing — not after
• Gather payment advices from the 60 days before filing (11 U.S.C. § 521(a)(1)(B)(iv))
• Read the Colorado exemption and wage pages before choosing a chapter

Where can a Park County resident get help?

The court's Guide for Debtors Filing Bankruptcy Without an Attorney lists free and lower-cost options based on income and assets, including Colorado Legal Services, Metro Volunteer Lawyers, Southwest Bar Volunteer Legal Aid, and Weld County Legal Services, with more resources through the Colorado Bar Association. Administrative Order 2020-3 extended the Federal Pro Se Clinic to litigants before the bankruptcy court and amended Local Bankruptcy Rule 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.

If you are considering a non-attorney typing service, read the court's Bankruptcy Petition Preparers page first: the presumptive reasonable fee for a preparer in this district is capped, preparers are barred by law from giving legal advice, and the court maintains a public list of preparers barred from working in the District of Colorado.

Arthur, our AI Navigator, can walk you through the Roadmap and, if you want one, we can ask a local firm to reach out.

• Court-listed legal aid organizations and the Colorado Bar Association
• Federal Pro Se Clinic services extended to bankruptcy litigants (AO 2020-3)
• Petition preparers may type forms only — never advise

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to travel to Denver to file or attend hearings?

Not necessarily. The district states that all Section 341 meetings of creditors in Chapter 7, 12 and 13 cases are held by Zoom and that debtors should not appear in person. For filing, General Procedure Order 2026-1 allows unrepresented parties to file in person, by mail, through the court's website filing tool, or — with permission — electronically through CM/ECF.

Does living in Park County rather than Denver change which judge I get?

No. Cases in the District of Colorado are assigned to judges by random selection district-wide to the extent possible under Local Bankruptcy Rule 1073-1, not by county. Colorado is a single, undivided judicial district administered from Denver, so a Park County filer is in the same assignment pool as a filer from anywhere else in the state.

What happens if I file before finishing credit counseling?

The court's notice is blunt: if the required pre-filing counseling was not completed ending on the date the petition is filed, and you do not meet the statutory conditions to complete it afterward, the case will be dismissed and no discharge will issue. In some cases a debtor may be barred from filing again for 180 days, and protection in a later case can be limited.

Can I pay the filing fee over time?

An individual debtor may apply to pay in installments using Official Form 103A. Under General Procedure Order 2014-4(a), the application must accompany the petition, and the court has set out how the clerk handles denials where a prior case was dismissed with fees unpaid. Chapter 7 filers may instead apply for a waiver on Official Form 103B.

Is using the eSR module the same as filing my case?

No. General Procedure Order 2025-1 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 each debtor.

Can a non-attorney petition preparer advise me on my case?

No. The District of Colorado states that petition preparers are barred by law from providing legal advice — they cannot explain how to answer legal questions or assist in court proceedings, and their role is solely to type information on bankruptcy forms. They must sign what they prepare, furnish copies to you, and may not sign on your behalf.

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
• COB official material — Guide for Debtors Filing Bankruptcy Without an Attorney
• COB GPO 2025-1
• COB GPO 2026-1
• COB GPO 2014-4(a)
• D. Colo. L.B.R. 1006-1
• D. Colo. L.B.R. 1007-6
• D. Colo. L.B.R. 2003-1
• D. Colo. L.B.R. 9011-4
• COB Administrative Order of the Chief Judge 2020-3
• COB official material — Credit Counseling is required BEFORE you file for Bankruptcy
• COB official page — Bankruptcy Petition Preparers
• COB official page — Chapter 13 Voluntary Petition Packet
• COB official page — Chapter 7 Fee Waivers
• 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

• 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
• 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 →