San Juan County, Colorado

Which bankruptcy court hears a case from San Juan County?

A San Juan County case is filed in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Colorado. Colorado constitutes one judicial district, administered from the sole clerk's office and divisional seat at Denver, so there is no county-based division to sort filers into. Under Local Bankruptcy Rule 1073-1, cases are assigned to judges by random selection to the extent possible. Grand Junction and Pueblo appear in the statute as places for holding court — hearing locations — not as divisions that claim particular counties.

That means the division-level material is what applies to you. There is no San Juan County-specific standing order, and nothing in this court's published rules turns on which county you live in.

Venue, though, is not purely about where you sleep tonight: a case may be commenced where your domicile, residence, principal place of business in the United States, or principal assets in the United States were located for the greater part of the 180 days immediately before filing (28 U.S.C. § 1408), so a recent move or a business elsewhere can change the answer.

• District: District of Colorado, administered from the clerk's office at Denver
• Judge assignment: random selection district-wide (L.B.R. 1073-1), not by county
• Grand Junction and Pueblo: statutory places for holding court only

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 says plainly that any reference in the Colorado Local Bankruptcy Rules to "attorney" applies to you unless otherwise noted. The court also states that bankruptcy is a complex process and that it highly recommends retaining an attorney, while listing free and lower-cost options.

Two local mechanisms are worth knowing. General Procedure Order 2025-01 authorizes the court's Electronic Self Representation (eSR) module exclusively for self-represented individual debtors preparing voluntary Chapter 7 cases — and is explicit that submitting a package through eSR does not itself file a petition or commence a case. A case opens only after the court receives completed, hand-signed originals of the eSR Signature and Declaration Form and Official Form B121.

General Procedure Order 2026-01 separately lets unrepresented individual debtors, creditors and adversary-proceeding parties request permission to file electronically through CM/ECF by submitting the Self-represented E-Filing Application.

• eSR is for self-represented individual Chapter 7 petitions only (GPO 2025-1)
• An eSR submission is not a filing until signed originals reach the clerk
• Unrepresented parties may apply for CM/ECF e-filing access; joint debtors must both apply (GPO 2026-1)
• Court staff are prohibited from giving advice about your rights in a case

How does the meeting of creditors work in this district?

The meeting of creditors is a hearing every debtor must attend. Under 11 U.S.C. § 341(a), the United States trustee convenes and presides at a meeting of creditors within a reasonable time after the order for relief, and the court may not preside at or attend it. In a Chapter 7 or 13 case, the trustee assigned to the case conducts the meeting; in a Chapter 11 case, a representative of the United States Trustee does.

The District of Colorado states that all § 341 meetings of creditors are held by Zoom for Chapter 7, 12 and 13 cases, and that debtors, counsel, creditors and parties in interest should not appear in person. The court's page also says the meeting usually occurs between 21 and 50 days after the petition is filed, depending on the chapter.

At the meeting, the trustee must orally examine a Chapter 7 debtor 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 (11 U.S.C. § 341(d)).

What local rules and orders change the process here?

Several published local items shape a Colorado case. Credit counseling comes first: the court warns that if you have not completed the required United States Trustee-approved pre-filing counseling ending on the date your petition is filed, and you do not meet the narrow post-filing exception, your case will be dismissed and you will not receive a discharge. The court adds that most debtors will not meet that exception because counseling is readily available in this district.

Continuances of the meeting of creditors go through the trustee, not the court: a written request must reach the appointed trustee no later than seven days before the scheduled meeting, and it is the trustee who approves it (L.B.R. 2003-1(a)). A continuance does not automatically extend deadlines to object to discharge or dischargeability (L.B.R. 2003-1(c)).

Chapter 13 cases use a district-wide local plan form, Local Bankruptcy Form 3015-1.1. Payment advices are also governed locally under L.B.R. 1007-6.

• Credit counseling must end on or before the petition date (COB credit-counseling warning)
• 341 continuance requests go to the trustee, seven days out (L.B.R. 2003-1)
• Chapter 13 filers use Local Bankruptcy Form 3015-1.1 as the plan
• Filed documents must carry your name, address, phone, email and bar number if applicable (L.B.R. 9011-4(c))

What are the filing fees and how does this court handle payment?

The federal statutory filing fee is $245 for a Chapter 7 case (28 U.S.C. § 1930(a)(1)(A), (f)(1)) and $235 for a Chapter 13 case (28 U.S.C. § 1930(a)(1)(B)). Each carries an additional administrative fee of $78 under Item 8 of the Bankruptcy Court Miscellaneous Fee Schedule, and a Chapter 7 petition also carries a $15 trustee payment under Item 9.

The District of Colorado requires every paper voluntary petition to arrive with one of three things: full payment, an application to pay in installments (Official Form 103A), or — for Chapter 7 only — an application to waive the fee (Official Form 103B). Electronic filers designate the option at case opening, and the court states a case will be dismissed if the supporting documents or fee are not filed the same day as the petition (GPO 2014-4(a)).

Installment amounts and timing come from the schedule published on the court's website, with the first payment due no later than fourteen days after filing.

Which Colorado questions should you settle before filing?

Three Colorado questions commonly shape what a filing actually accomplishes, and they are worth resolving before you commit to a chapter or a date. The first is which exemption list applies to you and what it covers. The second is how home equity is treated and on what conditions. The third is how much of your wages a creditor can reach while you are deciding what to do.

This page does not restate those rules, because the supplied sources for it are the District of Colorado's own local materials and the federal provisions above. That is a limit of this page's evidence, not a statement that the law has no answer — the Bankruptcy Code and Colorado law both speak to exemptions and property, and the pages linked below cover the Colorado side in detail.

What the court does require of you here is disclosure. Under 11 U.S.C. § 521(a), a debtor files a list of creditors, schedules of assets and liabilities, a schedule of income and expenditures, a statement of financial affairs, payment advices from the 60 days before filing, and a statement of monthly net income.

• Which exemption list applies, and what each category covers
• How homestead equity is treated and under what conditions
• What portion of wages a creditor can reach before anything is filed
• Whether your schedules and payment advices are complete enough to file (11 U.S.C. § 521(a))

Where can a San Juan County resident get help?

The court's own published channels are the honest starting point. The District of Colorado operates a Federal Pro Se Clinic: under Administrative Order of the Chief Judge 2020-3, attorneys, staff and volunteers associated with the clinic may provide short-term limited legal services to self-represented litigants before the court, and the order amended Local Bankruptcy Rule 9010-1(c)(3) so an attorney may give such pro bono advice through a nonprofit or court-approved program without signing documents or entering an appearance. The court's Guide also lists Colorado Legal Services and several regional volunteer legal aid organizations.

If you pay a non-attorney to type your forms, know the limits: the court states that petition preparers are barred by law from providing legal advice, cannot explain how to answer legal questions, must sign what they prepare, and cannot receive payment from you for court fees. The court publishes a list of preparers barred in this district.

We are not a law firm and do not give legal advice. Arthur, our AI Navigator, can organise your situation and build a roadmap; where a participating firm covers your area, you can ask for an introduction.

• Federal Pro Se Clinic: short-term limited legal services (AO 2020-3)
• Petition preparers may not give legal advice or take court-fee money
• The court publishes which petition preparers are barred in the district

Frequently asked questions

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

Not for the meeting of creditors. The District of Colorado states that all § 341 meetings in Chapter 7, 12 and 13 cases are held by Zoom and that debtors should not appear in person. For filing itself, the court's orders describe filing in person with the clerk's office, by mail, through the website filing tool, or electronically once an unrepresented party is approved for CM/ECF access.

Does it matter that I live in San Juan County rather than the Front Range?

Not for judge assignment. Colorado is a single judicial district, and Local Bankruptcy Rule 1073-1 provides that cases are assigned to judges by random selection to the extent possible. Grand Junction and Pueblo are statutory places for holding court, not divisions that claim counties. What can matter is venue, which follows where you were located over the greater part of the 180 days before filing.

What happens if I file before completing credit counseling?

The court states that your case will be dismissed and you will not receive a discharge unless you meet a narrow exception. That exception requires that you tried to get counseling from an approved agency within at least a five-day period ending on the filing date and it could not be provided, that exigent circumstances made immediate filing necessary, and that you file a certification of those facts with your petition.

Can I pay the filing fee over time?

The court's procedure allows it for individual debtors. A paper petition must arrive with full payment, an application to pay in installments on Official Form 103A, or a Chapter 7 fee-waiver application on Official Form 103B. Electronic filers designate the option at case opening. Installment amounts follow the schedule published on the court's website, with the first payment due within fourteen days of the petition date.

Can a non-attorney prepare my bankruptcy papers in Colorado?

A bankruptcy petition preparer may type information onto the forms, which the court notes are available without charge. The court states that preparers are barred by law from giving legal advice, cannot explain how to answer legal questions or assist in court proceedings, must sign and identify themselves on documents they prepare, and cannot accept money from you for court fees. The court also publishes a list of preparers barred in the district.

How long after filing is the meeting of creditors?

The court's own page says the meeting of creditors usually occurs between 21 and 50 days after the petition is filed, depending on the chapter. Under 11 U.S.C. § 341(a), the United States trustee convenes it within a reasonable time after the order for relief. If you need it moved, Local Bankruptcy Rule 2003-1 requires a written request to reach the trustee at least seven days before the scheduled date.

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 — 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
• COB official material — Credit Counseling is required BEFORE you file for Bankruptcy
• 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 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
• COB official page — Chapter 7 Fee Waivers
• COB official page — Fees

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 →