Routt County, Colorado

Which bankruptcy court hears a case from Routt County?

A Routt County case is filed in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Colorado. Colorado constitutes one judicial district, administered from the single clerk's office and divisional seat at Denver, so your county does not route you to a separate division. Cases are assigned to judges by random selection district-wide under the court's local assignment rule, not by where you live. Grand Junction and Pueblo are statutory places for holding court — hearing locations — rather than county-assigning divisions.

Where you file is a venue question, and residence alone is not the whole rule. 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 before filing, or for a longer part of that period than any other district (28 U.S.C. § 1408). A recent move into or out of Colorado, or a business or main assets in another state, can change the answer.

• District: District of Colorado, administered from Denver
• Judge assignment: random selection district-wide, 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 a "Filing Without an Attorney" page listing the forms required to start a case. The guide states plainly that any reference in the Colorado Local Bankruptcy Rules to "attorney" applies to you if you are filing without one, and that court staff are prohibited from giving advice about your rights in a case.

The court's local rules add requirements that are easy to miss. Every filed document must carry your name, address, telephone number, and email address below the signature line, and you must notify the court of changes by filing a notice of change of contact information (D. Colo. L.B.R. 9011-4). You must also file the required payment advices or other evidence of payment, or a statement in substantial conformity with the court's local form (D. Colo. L.B.R. 1007-6). The court's "Requirements for a Complete Voluntary Petition" lists which documents belong inside the petition PDF and which must be filed as separate entries.

• Local rules referring to "attorney" apply to you when you file for yourself
• Contact information must appear below your signature on every document
• Pay advices, or the local substitute statement, are a separate filing requirement

Can a Routt County filer submit documents electronically?

Yes, in two different ways, and the court treats them differently. The Electronic Self Representation module (eSR) is an online tool on the court's website that lets a self-represented individual prepare a voluntary chapter 7 petition package. The court authorized it for that use effective June 2, 2025 — and the order is explicit that electronic submission through eSR does not constitute the filing of a petition or the commencement of a case. A chapter 7 case opens only after the court receives completed, hand-signed originals of the eSR Signature and Declaration Form and Official Form B121 (COB GPO 2025-1).

Separately, the court amended its electronic filing rule so that unrepresented individual debtors, creditors, and parties to adversary proceedings may request permission to file through CM/ECF by submitting the Self-represented E-Filing Application on the court's website; joint debtors must both apply (COB GPO 2026-1). Unrepresented parties who do not e-file may file in person with the Clerk's Office or by mail.

• eSR prepares a chapter 7 package; it does not open the case by itself
• Hand-signed originals of the declaration and Form B121 are required to open an eSR case
• CM/ECF access for self-represented parties requires an application, and both joint debtors must apply

How does the meeting of creditors work in this district?

After your case is filed, the United States trustee convenes and presides at a meeting of creditors, and the judge may not preside at or attend it (11 U.S.C. § 341). Before the meeting ends, the trustee examines a chapter 7 debtor to confirm you understand 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 describes the meeting as a hearing every debtor must attend, held outside the judge's presence, and states that it usually occurs between 21 and 50 days after the petition is filed depending on the chapter. In chapter 7, 12, and 13 cases the assigned trustee conducts it; in chapter 11 a representative of the United States trustee does. All § 341 meetings in Colorado chapter 7, 12, and 13 cases are held by Zoom, and the court instructs debtors, counsel, creditors, and parties in interest not to appear in person.

• Convened and presided over by the United States trustee; the judge does not attend
• Usually 21 to 50 days after filing, per the court's own description
• Held by Zoom in chapter 7, 12, and 13 cases — no in-person appearance

What local rules and orders change the process here?

Several District of Colorado rules shape the mechanics of a consumer case. A request to continue the § 341 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, so the request is not filed with the court. If the trustee consents, you must immediately file a notice of continued meeting, serve it on the trustee and creditors, and file a certificate of service. A continuance does not automatically extend the deadlines to object to discharge or dischargeability (D. Colo. L.B.R. 2003-1).

Two other orders matter. The court has set a presumptively reasonable fee allowance for a chapter 13 debtor's attorney at a stated total amount, including expenses, for cases filed on or after May 1, 2021 (COB GPO 2021-1). And attorneys, staff, and volunteers associated with the Federal Pro Se Clinic may provide short-term limited legal services to self-represented litigants before the court without signing documents or entering an appearance (COB Administrative Order of the Chief Judge 2020-3).

• Continuance of the 341 meeting: trustee approval, seven days' notice, then a filed notice
• Deadlines to object to discharge are not extended automatically
• Limited-scope pro bono help through a court-approved program is expressly permitted

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

The federal filing fee for an individual or joint chapter 7 case is $245 (28 U.S.C. § 1930(a)(1)(A), (f)(1)), plus a $78 administrative fee and a $15 trustee surcharge (Bankruptcy Court Miscellaneous Fee Schedule, Items 8 and 9, effective December 1, 2023). A chapter 13 case carries a $235 filing fee (28 U.S.C. § 1930(a)(1)(B)) plus the same $78 administrative fee.

Every 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). A paper petition without one of those is returned and no case is opened (COB GPO 2014-4(a)). A chapter 7 waiver application must include pay advices or the local substitute statement plus completed Schedules I and J, and any order granting it is conditional and subject to further investigation (D. Colo. L.B.R. 1006-1). The court's Chapter 7 Fee Waivers page sets out the income comparison and family-size definitions; confirm current installment amounts on the court's Fees and Online Payments pages.

Which Colorado questions should you settle before filing?

Two sets of questions sit outside the court's procedural rules and are worth working through first. The credit counseling requirement is one: the court's warning notice states that voluntary petitions will be rejected if counseling is not completed during the 180-day period ending on the date of filing, unless a statutory exemption applies, and the court's Credit Counseling page points to the Department of Justice list of approved agencies. The certificate of credit counseling is listed as required for all individual debtors in both the chapter 7 and chapter 13 petition packets.

The second set is Colorado property and income law — which exemption list you may use, what conditions attach to the homestead, and how much of a paycheck a creditor can reach. This packet does not carry the Colorado statutes that answer those questions, so this page cannot answer them from the supplied sources; that is a limit of this page's evidence, not a statement about what the law provides. Our Colorado pages address them separately.

• Complete credit counseling before filing, within the window the court's notice describes
• Gather the certificate — it is on both the chapter 7 and chapter 13 required-document lists
• Work through Colorado exemption, homestead, and wage questions on their own pages

Where can a Routt County resident get help?

The court's own guide lists free and lower-cost options rather than leaving you to search. It describes a Colorado Bar Association Pro Se Bankruptcy Clinic giving limited-scope legal advice by phone or video appointment to individuals without lawyers, covering eligibility, drafting petitions and schedules, court procedures and forms, and preparation for the meeting of creditors. The guide also names Colorado Legal Services, Metro Volunteer Lawyers, Southwest Bar Volunteer Legal Aid, and Weld County Legal Services as income-based options, and states that the court highly recommends retaining an attorney because bankruptcy is a complex process.

If you pay a non-attorney to prepare documents, the court's page on bankruptcy petition preparers explains that preparers may only type information onto forms, are barred by law from giving legal advice, must sign what they prepare, and cannot take your court fees. The court publishes a list of preparers barred in the District of Colorado.

Arthur, our AI Navigator, can walk you through what applies to your situation and build a roadmap. If you want a local firm, we can pass your details to a participating bankruptcy firm with your consent.

• A court-described bar association clinic offers limited-scope advice by phone or video
• Legal aid options are listed in the court's pro se guide
• Petition preparers may type forms only — never give legal advice or collect court fees

Frequently asked questions

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

Not for the meeting of creditors. The District of Colorado holds all § 341 meetings in chapter 7, 12, and 13 cases by Zoom and instructs debtors not to appear in person. For filing, unrepresented parties may file in person with the Clerk's Office, by mail, or — with an approved application — electronically through CM/ECF (COB GPO 2026-1).

Does Routt County get assigned to Grand Junction because it is on the Western Slope?

No. Colorado is one undivided judicial district administered from Denver, and cases are assigned to judges by random selection district-wide rather than by county. Grand Junction and Pueblo are statutory places for holding court — that is, hearing locations — not divisions that assign cases based on where a debtor lives.

If I use the court's eSR tool, is my case filed?

No. The court's order is explicit: 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 (COB GPO 2025-1).

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

Every petition must arrive with full payment, an installment application (Official Form 103A), or a chapter 7 waiver application (Official Form 103B). A paper petition without one of the three is returned and no case is opened (COB GPO 2014-4(a)). Current installment amounts and payment methods are published on the court's Fees and Online Payments pages.

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

A written request must reach the appointed trustee no later than seven days before the scheduled meeting, and the trustee — not the court — decides. Do not file the request with the court. If the trustee consents, you must immediately file and serve a notice of the continued meeting and file a certificate of service (D. Colo. L.B.R. 2003-1).

Does this page tell me what property I can keep in Colorado?

No. The sources supplied for this page are the District of Colorado's procedural rules and federal provisions, which do not carry Colorado's exemption statutes. This page cannot answer exemption, homestead, or wage-protection questions from those sources. Those questions are covered on our Colorado pages, where each figure carries its own citation.

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
• 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
• COB GPO 2025-1
• COB GPO 2026-1
• COB official material — Guide for Debtors Filing Bankruptcy Without an Attorney
• COB official page — Filing Without an Attorney
• D. Colo. L.B.R. 2003-1
• D. Colo. L.B.R. 9011-4
• D. Colo. L.B.R. 1006-1
• D. Colo. L.B.R. 1007-6
• COB GPO 2014-4(a)
• COB GPO 2021-1
• COB Administrative Order of the Chief Judge 2020-3
• COB official page — Chapter 7 Fee Waivers
• COB official page — Fees
• COB official page — Online Payments
• 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 7 Voluntary Petition Packet
• COB official page — Chapter 13 Voluntary Petition Packet
• COB official material — Requirements for a Complete Voluntary Petition

Related

• Build your personalised roadmap
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• Statutes and rules library

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 →