Pitkin County, Colorado

Which bankruptcy court hears a bankruptcy case from Pitkin County?

Your case goes to the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Colorado. Under 28 U.S.C. § 85, "Colorado constitutes one judicial district," and the district is administered from the single clerk's office and divisional seat at Denver. That means there is no Pitkin County division and no county-based assignment: under L.B.R. 1073-1, "Cases are assigned to judges by random selection to the extent possible." Grand Junction and Pueblo are statutory places for holding court, not county-assigning divisions.

Venue is separate from where the court sits. 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 portion of that period than any other district (28 U.S.C. § 1408). A recent move from another state, or a business based elsewhere, can change the answer. Residence alone is not the whole rule.

• Court: U.S. Bankruptcy Court, District of Colorado, 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 court publishes a Guide for Debtors Filing Bankruptcy Without an Attorney, and it states a rule that surprises people: any reference in the Colorado Local Bankruptcy Rules to "attorney" applies to you unless otherwise noted. The guide also says court staff are prohibited from giving advice about your rights in a case, and that the court highly recommends retaining an attorney.

Since June 2, 2025, the court's Electronic Self Representation (eSR) module is authorized exclusively for self-represented individuals preparing voluntary Chapter 7 petitions (GPO 2025-1). Read the order carefully on one point: electronic submission through eSR does not constitute filing or commence a case. The package is filed only after the court receives hand-signed originals of the eSR Signature and Declaration Form and Official Form B121.

Unrepresented parties may also file in person, by mail, or through the approved filing tool on the court's website, and may apply to e-file through CM/ECF using the Self-represented E-Filing Application (GPO 2026-1).

• Local rules that say "attorney" apply to you as a self-represented filer
• eSR is Chapter 7 and self-represented only; submission is not filing
• Joint filers must both apply for permission to e-file

How does the meeting of creditors work in this district?

A meeting of creditors is convened after the order for relief, and the United States trustee convenes and presides at it (11 U.S.C. § 341(a)). The judge may not preside at or attend it. In a Chapter 7 case the trustee must orally examine you before the meeting concludes, covering matters including 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 (§ 341(d)).

The District of Colorado describes the format directly: the meeting is a hearing all debtors must attend, held outside the presence of the judge, and usually occurring between 21 and 50 days after the petition is filed. In Chapter 7, 12 and 13 cases the trustee assigned to the case conducts it. All § 341 meetings in those chapters are held by Zoom, and the court states that debtors, counsel, creditors and parties in interest should not appear in person.

• Convened and presided over by the U.S. trustee; the judge does not attend
• Usually held between 21 and 50 days after the petition is filed
• Chapter 7, 12 and 13 meetings are by Zoom, not in person

What local rules and orders change the process here?

Several District of Colorado rules shape the mechanics of a consumer case. Credit counseling is the one that most often sinks a filing: the court's own warning states that if you have not completed the required U.S. Trustee-approved pre-filing course ending on the date your petition is filed, and you do not meet the narrow conditions for an extension, your case will be dismissed and you will not receive a discharge. Voluntary petitions are rejected when counseling was not completed in the 180-day period ending on the filing date.

Other local requirements worth knowing before you file:

• Payment advices: file the required pay advices, other evidence of payment, or a statement in substantial conformity with L.B.F. 1007-6.1 (L.B.R. 1007-6).
• Continuing a 341 meeting: the written request goes to the trustee, not the court, and must reach the trustee at least seven days before the meeting; the trustee approves it (L.B.R. 2003-1).
• Contact information: every filed document must carry your name, address, telephone number and email below the signature line, and changes must be reported promptly (L.B.R. 9011-4).
• Chapter 13 plan: the district uses its own plan form, Local Bankruptcy Form 3015-1.1 (COB Chapter 13 Voluntary Petition Packet).
• Chapter 13 attorney fees: the court sets a presumptively reasonable fee allowance by general procedure order (GPO 2021-1).

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

The federal fees are the same in Pitkin County as everywhere else. 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)) plus the same $78 administrative fee.

Every voluntary petition must be accompanied by one of three things: full payment, an application to pay in installments (Official Form 103A), or, in Chapter 7 only, an application to have the fee waived (Official Form 103B). GPO 2014-4(a) authorizes the clerk to reject a paper petition that includes none of them, and electronically filed cases that do not supply the chosen option on the same date as the petition are dismissed. A fee-waiver application must include pay advices or L.B.F. 1007-6.1 plus completed Schedules I and J (L.B.R. 1006-1), and any waiver order is conditional and subject to further investigation.

Which Colorado questions should you settle before filing?

Three Colorado questions are worth resolving before you sign a petition, because they determine what you keep and what pressure stops. First, which exemption list applies to you and whether Colorado permits a federal election. Second, what conditions attach to the homestead exemption, since several states publish more than one amount depending on age or disability. Third, how Colorado treats wage garnishment while a case is pending.

This page cannot answer those three from the sources supplied for it, which are the District of Colorado's own rules and orders plus the federal provisions above. That is a limit of this page's evidence, not a statement that the law is silent or that only state law speaks to these questions. Our Colorado pages carry the verified figures and their conditions with citations, and the exemption checker walks the categories.

One federal requirement does bear on your preparation: § 521 lists the debtor's duties, including schedules, a statement of financial affairs, pay advices from the 60 days before filing, and, for individuals, the credit counseling certificate.

• Exemption list choice and whether a federal election is available to Colorado filers
• Homestead conditions, including any age or disability variant
• Wage garnishment treatment under Colorado law

Where can a Pitkin County resident get help?

The court points self-represented filers to specific resources rather than leaving them to guess. Administrative Order 2020-3 expanded the Federal Pro Se Clinic to pro se litigants before the bankruptcy court and amended L.B.R. 9010-1(c)(3) so an attorney may provide pro bono services and advice through a nonprofit organization or court-approved program without signing a document, entering an appearance, or taking on ongoing representation.

The court's pro se guide lists free or 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, and describes the Colorado Bar Association's Pro Se Bankruptcy Clinic, which gives limited-scope advice by phone or video appointment on eligibility, drafting petitions and schedules, court procedures and preparation for meetings of creditors.

Non-attorney petition preparers are a narrower option than they appear. The court states their role is solely to type information on bankruptcy forms, that they are barred by law from giving legal advice, and it publishes a list of preparers barred in this district.

• Federal Pro Se Clinic serves bankruptcy pro se litigants (AO 2020-3)
• Colorado Bar Association Pro Se Bankruptcy Clinic: limited-scope advice by appointment
• Petition preparers may type forms only and cannot give legal advice

How does Arthur help, and how does a firm introduction work?

Arthur, the Bankruptcy.law AI Navigator, is built to organize what you already know about your situation and show you what the published rules and figures say, with the citation and the date attached. He does not compute a legal outcome from memory. The screeners and the Roadmap run deterministic engines against canonical data, so a figure you see comes from a verified source rather than from a model's recollection.

If you want a local firm involved, the introduction happens through a consent form, not through conversation. You choose it, you see the disclosure before you agree, and telephone or email contact is handled separately from any agreement about automated calls or texts. Declining the automated-contact option changes only which channels a firm may use; it never gates the introduction, the Roadmap, or your ability to keep using the site.

Your conversation transcript is never shared with a firm. Only your contact details, your Roadmap and an intake summary are passed along.

• Arthur reports engine output and cited canonical figures, not remembered law
• Introductions run through a versioned consent form you read first
• Transcripts are never shared with a firm

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to travel to Denver to file or to attend my 341 meeting?

Not necessarily for either. The District of Colorado holds all § 341 meetings of creditors in Chapter 7, 12 and 13 cases by Zoom and states that debtors should not appear in person. For filing, unrepresented parties may file in person with the Clerk's Office, by mail, through the approved filing tool on the court's website, or by applying to e-file through CM/ECF (GPO 2026-1).

Does living in Pitkin County put my case in front of a particular judge?

No. Colorado is one undivided judicial district, and under 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, meaning hearing locations, rather than divisions that assign cases based on where you live.

What happens if I file before finishing credit counseling?

The court's own warning is blunt: if the required pre-filing counseling was not completed ending on the date your petition is filed and you do not meet the conditions for an extension, your case will be dismissed and you will not receive a discharge. In some cases you may not be allowed to file another case for 180 days. Voluntary petitions are rejected when counseling falls outside the 180-day window.

Can I pay the filing fee over time?

An individual debtor may apply to pay the filing fee in installments using Official Form 103A (L.B.R. 1006-1). GPO 2014-4(a) requires every voluntary petition to arrive with full payment, an installment application, or a Chapter 7 waiver application. The clerk may reject a paper petition lacking all three, and electronic cases that do not supply the selected option on the petition date are dismissed.

Can I use the court's eSR tool to file a Chapter 13 case?

No. GPO 2025-1 authorizes eSR exclusively for self-represented individual debtors preparing and submitting voluntary Chapter 7 cases. It is also worth reading the order's second point: electronic submission through eSR does not constitute filing a petition or commencing a case. The case opens only after the court receives hand-signed originals of the eSR Signature and Declaration Form and Official Form B121.

What if I need to move my meeting of creditors?

Before the scheduled meeting, your request must be in writing and served on the trustee appointed in your case, and the trustee must receive it no later than seven days before the meeting. The trustee, not the court, approves it, so do not file the request with the court. If the trustee consents, you must immediately file a notice of the continued meeting, serve it, and file a certificate of service (L.B.R. 2003-1).

Sources

• 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
• 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 material — Guide for Debtors Filing Bankruptcy Without an Attorney
• COB official page — Filing Without an Attorney
• 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 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 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 official material — Credit Counseling is required BEFORE you file for Bankruptcy
• COB official page — Credit Counseling & Debtor Education Courses
• COB Administrative Order of the Chief Judge 2020-3 — In the Matter of Federal Pro Se Clinic Operations
• COB official page — Bankruptcy Petition Preparers
• COB official page — Chapter 13 Voluntary Petition Packet
• COB official page — Chapter 7 Voluntary Petition Packet

Related

• Build your personalised roadmap
• Find your local bankruptcy court
• Bankruptcy tools and screeners
• The 341 Meeting of Creditors: what actually happens
• Continuance in bankruptcy: moving a meeting or hearing
• 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 →