Rio Grande County, Colorado

Which bankruptcy court hears a case from Rio Grande County?

A Rio Grande County case is heard in the District of Colorado. Colorado constitutes one judicial district, and that district is administered from the sole clerk's office and divisional seat at Denver. Cases are assigned to judges by random selection across the whole district, not by the county you live in, so your county does not route you to a particular judge or division. Grand Junction and Pueblo are statutory places for holding court, meaning hearing locations, rather than divisions that assign cases by county.

Venue itself is set by statute: 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 before filing, or for a longer part of that period than any other district (28 U.S.C. § 1408). A recent move or a business or assets in another state can therefore change the answer. Residence alone is not the whole rule.

What does this court require of someone filing without a lawyer?

The court publishes a Guide for Debtors Filing Bankruptcy Without an Attorney, which states plainly that any reference in the Colorado Local Bankruptcy Rules to "attorney" applies to you if you file without one. It also notes that court staff are prohibited from giving advice about your rights in a case.

Two filing routes exist for self-represented people. Under General Procedure Order 2025-01, the court's Electronic Self Representation (eSR) module is authorized exclusively for self-represented individual debtors preparing voluntary Chapter 7 petitions; submitting a package through eSR does not itself commence a case, and the case opens only once the clerk receives hand-signed originals of the eSR Signature and Declaration Form and Official Form B121. Separately, General Procedure Order 2026-01 amends Local Bankruptcy Rule 5005-4(b) so unrepresented parties may file in person, through the approved filing tool on the court's website, or by mail, and may apply to e-file through CM/ECF using the Self-represented E-Filing Application. Joint debtors must both apply.

• Contact details must appear below your signature on every filed document, and changes must be reported promptly (D. Colo. L.B.R. 9011-4).
• The court's checklists identify the forms required for a complete Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 petition package.
• Payment advices or a conforming statement must be filed (D. Colo. L.B.R. 1007-6).

How does the meeting of creditors work in this district?

Federal law 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 judge may neither preside at nor attend it (11 U.S.C. § 341). Before the meeting ends, the trustee examines a Chapter 7 debtor orally about the consequences of seeking a discharge, the option of a different chapter, the effect of a discharge, and the effect of reaffirming a debt.

This district's practice is specific and current: all § 341 meetings of creditors are held by Zoom for Chapter 7, 12 and 13 cases, and the court's official page instructs debtors, counsel, creditors and parties in interest not to appear in person. The court states the meeting is held outside the judge's presence 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. Rescheduling is governed by local rule rather than informal agreement.

• A request to continue the meeting before the scheduled date must be in writing and received by the trustee at least seven days ahead; the trustee, not the court, approves it (D. Colo. L.B.R. 2003-1).
• If the meeting is continued at the scheduled meeting, the trustee files notice of the new date within seven days.
• A continuance does not automatically extend objection deadlines to discharge or dischargeability.

What local rules and orders change the process here?

Several District of Colorado orders shape what happens after you file, and they are district-wide, so they apply to a Rio Grande County filer exactly as to a Denver one.

Filing fees are governed locally as well as federally. General Procedure Order 2014-4(a) requires every voluntary petition to arrive with full payment, an application to pay in installments (Official Form 103A), or an application to waive the Chapter 7 fee (Official Form 103B), and authorizes the clerk to reject a paper petition that includes none of the three. The order also sets that the first installment is due no later than fourteen days after the petition date, with later amounts following the schedule published on the court's website. Local Bankruptcy Rule 1006-1 adds that a Chapter 7 waiver application must include pay advices or the local substitute form and completed Schedules I and J, and that any waiver order is conditional and subject to further investigation.

In Chapter 13, General Procedure Order 2021-01 sets a presumptively reasonable fee allowance for a debtor's attorney, and the court publishes a required local Chapter 13 Plan form.

What do credit counseling and the filing fee actually cost and require?

The court's own warning notice is blunt: if you have not completed United States Trustee approved pre-filing credit counseling ending on the date your petition is filed, and you do not meet the requirements for an extension, your case will be dismissed and you will not receive a discharge. The court adds that most debtors will not meet those conditions because counseling is readily available in this district, and that voluntary petitions are rejected when counseling was not completed during the 180-day period ending on the filing date.

The federal fees are fixed. A Chapter 7 petition carries a $245 filing fee (28 U.S.C. § 1930(a)(1)(A), (f)(1)), plus a $78 administrative fee and a $15 trustee surcharge. A Chapter 13 petition carries a $235 filing fee (28 U.S.C. § 1930(a)(1)(B)) plus the same $78 administrative fee. The court accepts installment payments online by debit card, PayPal or ACH, and publishes its full fee list; other amounts appear on that schedule, which you should confirm directly rather than rely on a figure quoted elsewhere.

Which Colorado questions should you settle before filing?

Some of the decisions that most affect what you keep are state-specific, and they are worth working out before the petition goes in rather than after. Which exemption list applies to you, what conditions attach to a homestead claim, and how much of your wages a creditor can reach are the usual three. We publish separate Colorado pages on exemption choices, homestead conditions and wage protection, and those are the right places to read the figures and conditions in detail.

This page cannot answer those questions from the sources supplied for it, and that is a limit of this page's evidence rather than a statement about what the law says. The federal provisions in the packet here address venue, the creditors' meeting, debtor duties and fees, not Colorado property rules.

The court itself frames the decision carefully. Its guide notes that depending on your financial condition and your reasons for filing, the consequences of filing may outweigh the benefits, and that timing may matter a great deal.

• Your exemption choices and their conditions — read these before you complete Schedule C.
• Wage protection and what a judgment creditor can currently reach.
• Whether Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 fits your facts, which is a comparison to work through rather than a verdict.

Where can a Rio Grande County resident get help?

Free and lower-cost help exists, and the court names it. Administrative Order of the Chief Judge 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 provide pro bono services and advice through a nonprofit organization or court-approved program without signing a document or entering an appearance. The court's guide describes the Colorado Bar Association's Pro Se Bankruptcy Clinic as giving limited scope legal advice by phone or video appointment on eligibility, drafting petitions and schedules, court procedures and preparation for meetings of creditors, and lists Colorado Legal Services, Metro Volunteer Lawyers, Southwest Bar Volunteer Legal Aid and Weld County Legal Services.

The same guide says that while you may be able to prosecute your own case, bankruptcy is a complex process and the court highly recommends retaining an attorney. Non-attorney petition preparers are a different thing: they may only type information onto forms and are barred by law from giving legal advice, and the court maintains a public list of preparers barred in this district.

If you would rather talk it through first, Arthur, our AI Navigator, can walk you through your situation and build a roadmap, and can pass your details to a local firm only if you ask and consent.

• Federal Pro Se Clinic and the Colorado Bar Association's Pro Se Bankruptcy Clinic (limited scope advice).
• Colorado Legal Services and other volunteer legal aid organizations named in the court's guide.
• PACER fee exemptions may be available to indigent persons and certain organizations on application to the clerk.

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 of creditors in Chapter 7, 12 and 13 cases are held by Zoom and that debtors should not appear in person. For filing, unrepresented parties may file in person with the clerk's office, through the approved filing tool on the court's website, or by mail, and may apply to e-file through CM/ECF (GPO 2026-01).

Does living in the San Luis Valley put my case before a particular judge?

No. Colorado is a single judicial district, and cases are assigned to judges by random selection to the extent possible, district-wide, rather than by county. Grand Junction and Pueblo are statutory places for holding court, meaning hearing locations, not divisions that assign cases geographically. Your county does not determine your judge.

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

Two routes exist. An individual debtor may apply to pay the fee in installments using Official Form 103A, and a Chapter 7 debtor may apply to have the fee waived using Official Form 103B (D. Colo. L.B.R. 1006-1). A petition must arrive with full payment or one of those applications, or the clerk may reject it (GPO 2014-4(a)). The first installment is due within fourteen days of the petition date.

Can I file first and take the credit counseling course afterward?

Generally no. The court's notice states that if you have not completed the required United States Trustee approved pre-filing counseling ending on your filing date, and you do not meet the requirements for an extension, your case will be dismissed and you will not receive a discharge. The court also warns that most debtors will not meet those extension conditions because counseling is readily available in this district.

Is a non-attorney petition preparer a substitute for a lawyer?

No. The court states that the role of a non-attorney petition preparer is solely to type information onto bankruptcy forms, which are available free, and that preparers are barred by law from providing legal advice, explaining how to answer legal questions, or assisting in court proceedings. They must sign documents they prepare and cannot sign on your behalf or take payment for court fees.

How long does a bankruptcy stay on a credit report?

Federal law limits reporting. A consumer reporting agency generally may not include a case under title 11 that, from the date of entry of the order for relief or the date of adjudication, antedates the report by more than 10 years (15 U.S.C. § 1681c(a)(1)). The agency must also identify the chapter when the source provides it, and note a withdrawn filing on receipt of documentation.

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
• 15 U.S.C. § 1681c — Requirements relating to information contained in consumer reports
• 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 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 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 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
• D. Colo. L.B.R. 1007-6 — Employee Payment Advices
• D. Colo. L.B.R. 9011-4 — Signatures and Contact Information
• 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 — Credit Counseling is required BEFORE you file for Bankruptcy
• COB official page — Credit Counseling & Debtor Education Courses
• COB official page — Chapter 7 Fee Waivers
• COB official page — Fees
• COB official page — Online Payments
• COB official page — PACER Fee Exemptions
• COB official page — Bankruptcy Petition Preparers
• COB official page — Chapter 7 Voluntary Petition Packet
• COB official page — Chapter 13 Voluntary Petition Packet
• 11 U.S.C. § 521 — Debtor's duties · official source

Related

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