Sedgwick County, Colorado

Which bankruptcy court hears a case from Sedgwick County?

Sedgwick County, Colorado is served by the Denver Division, 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, not by the county you live in, so a Sedgwick County filer and a Denver filer draw from the same pool of judges. Grand Junction and Pueblo are statutory places for holding court — hearing locations — and do not assign cases by county.

Venue is a separate question from which district serves your address. 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 immediately preceding filing, or for a longer portion of that period than any other district (28 U.S.C. § 1408). A recent move across a state line, or a business or main assets in another state, can change the answer. Residence alone is not the whole rule.

• 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 that any reference in the Colorado Local Bankruptcy Rules to "attorney" applies to you if you are filing without one, and that any reference to "debtor" includes both debtors in a joint case. It also records that court staff are prohibited from providing advice to parties about their rights in a case before the court.

Since June 2, 2025, the court's Electronic Self Representation module (eSR) is authorized exclusively for self-represented individual debtors preparing and submitting voluntary Chapter 7 cases (COB GPO 2025-1). That order is explicit that electronic submission of a petition package through eSR does not by itself constitute filing the petition or commencing the case: the case opens only after the court receives completed, hand-signed originals of the eSR Signature and Declaration Form and Official Form B121.

• eSR covers self-represented individual Chapter 7 only (COB GPO 2025-1)
• Hand-signed originals are required before the case opens
• Court staff cannot advise you on your rights (Guide for Debtors Filing Bankruptcy Without an Attorney)

How do you file documents and sign them in this district?

Unrepresented parties have more than one route. Under COB GPO 2026-1, which amends Local Bankruptcy Rule 5005-4(b), unrepresented parties may file documents in person with the Clerk's Office, through the approved filing tool available on the court's website, or by mail. A document filed through the website filing tool or by facsimile is considered filed on the date the court receives it, but a document received on a Saturday, Sunday, legal holiday or day the court is closed is not entered on the docket until the next business day.

That same order lets unrepresented individual debtors, creditors and parties to adversary proceedings request permission to file electronically through CM/ECF by submitting the Self-represented E-Filing Application on the court's website. Joint debtors must both seek permission. The application commits you to e-file all further documents, to redact protected information under Federal Rule of Bankruptcy Procedure 9037, and to pay filing fees in CM/ECF within 24 hours. Local Bankruptcy Rule 9011-4 requires every filed document to carry your name, address, telephone number and email address below the signature line, and prompt notice of any change.

• In person, by mail, or through the court's website filing tool (COB GPO 2026-1)
• CM/ECF access by application; joint debtors must both apply
• Contact details must appear below your signature (D. Colo. L.B.R. 9011-4)

How does the meeting of creditors work in this district?

The meeting of creditors is a hearing every debtor must attend. 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 (11 U.S.C. § 341). Before the meeting concludes, the trustee orally examines a Chapter 7 debtor about the consequences of seeking a discharge, the 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 § 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 states that the meeting is held outside the presence of the judge 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. Each trustee publishes a Zoom meeting ID, passcode and dedicated phone number on that page, so confirm yours against your case notice.

• Convened and presided over by the United States trustee (11 U.S.C. § 341)
• Held by Zoom in Chapter 7, 12 and 13 cases; do not appear in person
• Usually between 21 and 50 days after the petition is filed

What local rules and orders change the process here?

Several District of Colorado rules shape the mechanics of a consumer case. Credit counseling comes first: the court's warning notice states that voluntary petitions will be rejected if credit counseling is not completed during the 180-day period ending on the date the individual voluntary petition is filed, unless a statutory exemption is met, and the court's required-forms list treats the certificate as a filing-day document that must otherwise be filed no later than 14 days after the petition.

Continuing a 341 meeting is handled by the trustee, not the judge. Under Local Bankruptcy Rule 2003-1, a request to continue must be in writing, served on the appointed trustee, and received at least seven days before the scheduled meeting; the trustee approves it, so you should not file the request with the court. If the trustee consents, you must immediately file a notice of continued meeting, serve it, and file a certificate of service. A continuance does not automatically extend the deadlines to object to discharge or dischargeability.

Local Bankruptcy Rule 1007-6 requires you to file the payment advices evidence of payment, or a statement in conformity with L.B.F. 1007-6.1.

• Credit counseling must be completed before filing (COB credit-counseling notice)
• Continuance requests go to the trustee, seven days ahead (D. Colo. L.B.R. 2003-1)
• Pay advices or a substitute statement are required (D. Colo. L.B.R. 1007-6)

What does it cost, and can the fee be waived or paid over time?

The federal filing fees are the same in every district. A Chapter 7 case carries a filing fee of $245 (28 U.S.C. § 1930(a)(1)(A), (f)(1)) plus an administrative fee of $78 (Bankruptcy Court Miscellaneous Fee Schedule, Item 8) and a trustee surcharge of $15 (Bankruptcy Court Miscellaneous Fee Schedule, Item 9). A Chapter 13 case carries a filing fee of $235 (28 U.S.C. § 1930(a)(1)(B)) plus the same $78 administrative fee.

The District of Colorado requires every voluntary petition to arrive with one of three things: full payment, an application to pay in installments (Official Form 103A), or an application to waive the Chapter 7 fee (Official Form 103B). A paper petition without one of those is returned and no case is opened; in an electronic case, missing the selected payment option on the petition date results in dismissal (COB GPO 2014-4(a)). Under Local Bankruptcy Rule 1006-1, a waiver application must include pay advices or L.B.F. 1007-6.1 and completed Schedules I and J, and any order granting a waiver is conditional and subject to further investigation. The court's Chapter 7 Fee Waivers page explains the income test against the published poverty guidelines; check it for current amounts.

Which Colorado questions should you settle before filing?

Some of the questions that most affect a consumer outcome are not answered by the court's local rules at all, and this page does not try to answer them from the sources above. Which exemption list applies to you, what conditions attach to a Colorado homestead claim, and how much of your wages a creditor can reach are each governed by their own authorities, and the material in this packet does not reach them. That is a limit of this page's evidence, not a statement that the law is silent.

Work through those on the dedicated Colorado pages before you commit to a chapter or a filing date, because they change what you keep. Two procedural points from this district are worth settling in the same sitting. First, credit counseling has to be completed in the window ending on your filing date, so it is a task for this week rather than a formality. Second, if you are considering a non-attorney preparer, the court states that the presumptive reasonable fee chargeable by a petition preparer in the District of Colorado is set by rule, that preparers are barred by law from giving legal advice, and that they cannot receive payment from you for court fees.

• Exemption-list choice and homestead conditions — see the Colorado exemptions page
• Wage protection — see the Colorado garnishment page
• Petition preparers cannot give legal advice or take your court fees (COB official page — Bankruptcy Petition Preparers)

Where can a Sedgwick County resident get help?

The district's own Guide for Debtors Filing Bankruptcy Without an Attorney says bankruptcy is a complex process and recommends retaining an attorney, while listing lower-cost options. It names the Colorado Bar Association's Pro Se Bankruptcy Clinic, which gives limited-scope legal advice by phone or video appointment to individuals without lawyers, counseling on eligibility, drafting petitions and schedules, court procedures and preparation for meetings of creditors. The Guide also lists Colorado Legal Services, Metro Volunteer Lawyers, Southwest Bar Volunteer Legal Aid and Weld County Legal Services, with more resources through the Colorado Bar Association.

The Federal Pro Se Clinic is authorized to assist litigants before the bankruptcy court: attorneys, staff and volunteers associated with it may provide short-term limited legal services to pro se litigants before the court, and Local Bankruptcy Rule 9010-1(c)(3) was amended so an attorney may provide pro bono services and advice under a nonprofit or court-approved program without signing a document or entering an appearance (COB Administrative Order of the Chief Judge 2020-3). Availability and intake are set by those organizations, not by this site. Arthur, our AI Navigator, can walk you through what is still unsettled and, if you ask, pass your details to a participating local firm.

• Colorado Bar Association Pro Se Bankruptcy Clinic — limited-scope advice by phone or video
• Legal aid organizations listed in the court's own Guide
• Federal Pro Se Clinic short-term limited services (COB AO 2020-3)

Frequently asked questions

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

Not necessarily. The District of Colorado permits unrepresented parties to file in person, by mail, or through the approved filing tool on the court's website (COB GPO 2026-1), and it holds all § 341 meetings of creditors in Chapter 7, 12 and 13 cases by Zoom, directing that debtors and creditors not appear in person. Hearings before a judge are a separate matter and are set case by case.

Does living in Sedgwick County put my case in a particular division?

No. Colorado constitutes one judicial district, administered from the sole clerk's office at 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, not county-assigning divisions. Your county does not determine your judge.

What happens if I file before finishing the credit counseling course?

The District of Colorado's notice states that voluntary petitions will be rejected if credit counseling is not completed during the 180-day period ending on the date an individual voluntary petition is filed, unless a statutory exemption is met. The court adds that most debtors will not meet the conditions for completing it after filing, because counseling is readily available in this district.

Can I pay the filing fee in installments?

An individual debtor may apply to pay the filing fee in installments using Official Form 103A, and a Chapter 7 debtor may instead apply for a waiver using Official Form 103B (D. Colo. L.B.R. 1006-1). COB GPO 2014-4(a) requires one of those applications, or full payment, to accompany the petition. The court also offers online installment payments by debit card, PayPal or ACH.

Is using the court's eSR tool the same as filing my case?

No. COB GPO 2025-1 states that electronic submission of a petition package through eSR does not constitute filing a petition or commencing a Chapter 7 case. The case opens only after the court receives completed, hand-signed originals of the eSR Signature and Declaration Form and the Statement About Your Social Security Number (Official Form B121).

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

No. The District of Colorado states that petition preparers are barred by law from providing legal advice, cannot explain how to answer legal questions or assist in court proceedings, cannot sign a document on your behalf, and cannot receive payment from you for court fees. They must sign what they prepare and give you copies. The court also lists preparers barred in this district.

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 material — Guide for Debtors Filing Bankruptcy Without an Attorney
• COB official page — Filing Without an Attorney
• COB GPO 2025-1
• COB GPO 2026-1
• D. Colo. L.B.R. 9011-4
• COB official page — 341 Meetings of Creditors by Zoom
• D. Colo. L.B.R. 2003-1
• D. Colo. L.B.R. 1007-6
• COB official material — Credit Counseling is required BEFORE you file for Bankruptcy
• COB official page — Credit Counseling & Debtor Education Courses
• COB official material — What forms are required?
• COB GPO 2014-4(a)
• D. Colo. L.B.R. 1006-1
• COB official page — Chapter 7 Fee Waivers
• COB official page — Online Payments
• COB official page — Bankruptcy Petition Preparers
• COB Administrative Order of the Chief Judge 2020-3
• 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
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• The 341 Meeting of Creditors: What Actually Happens
• Continuance in Bankruptcy: Moving a Meeting or Hearing
• Find a Bankruptcy Lawyer by State
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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 →