Weld County, Colorado

Which bankruptcy court hears a case from Weld County?

A Weld County case belongs to the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Colorado. Colorado constitutes one judicial district (28 U.S.C. § 85), administered from the single clerk's office and divisional seat at Denver. There are no county-assigning divisions here: under Local Bankruptcy Rule 1073-1, cases are assigned to judges by random selection to the extent possible. Grand Junction and Pueblo are statutory places for holding court, meaning hearing locations, not separate filing divisions.

Where your case may be filed at all is a separate question from which court administers it. Venue under 28 U.S.C. § 1408 looks at 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 the case is commenced. If you moved to Weld County recently, or run a business or hold your main assets in another state, residence alone is not the whole rule and the answer may change.

• Court: District of Colorado, administered from 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 District of Colorado publishes a Guide for Debtors Filing Bankruptcy Without an Attorney, and its Filing Without an Attorney page collects the required forms, the credit-counseling warning and links to free clinics. The guide states plainly that any reference in the Colorado Local Bankruptcy Rules to an "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 before the court.

The court also publishes Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 voluntary petition packets with checklists of the official forms each chapter requires, plus a Requirements for a Complete Voluntary Petition sheet showing which documents belong inside the petition PDF and which must be filed as separate entries. Under Local Bankruptcy Rule 9011-4, unrepresented parties must include their name, address, telephone number and email below the signature line on every filed document, and must notify the court promptly of any change.

• Guide for Debtors Filing Bankruptcy Without an Attorney (district publication)
• Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 petition packets with per-chapter checklists
• Contact details below every signature line (D. Colo. L.B.R. 9011-4)

How do you actually get the papers in front of this court?

Since June 2, 2025, the court has authorized an Electronic Self Representation module, eSR, hosted on its own website and available exclusively to self-represented individuals preparing a voluntary Chapter 7 petition (COB GPO 2025-1). The order is specific about one thing people misread: submitting a petition package through eSR does not itself file the petition or commence the 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 Numbers.

For other filings, General Procedure Order 2026-1 amended Local Bankruptcy Rule 5005-4(b) so that unrepresented parties may file in person with the clerk's office, through the approved filing tool on the court's website, or by facsimile. Unrepresented individual debtors, creditors and parties to adversary proceedings may also apply for CM/ECF electronic filing privileges using the Self-represented E-Filing Application; joint debtors must both apply. The court's Court Location page notes it is a secure government building requiring valid government-issued ID and security screening.

How does the meeting of creditors work in this district?

Every debtor must attend a meeting of creditors. The United States trustee convenes and presides at that meeting under 11 U.S.C. § 341(a), and the court may not preside at or attend it. In a Chapter 7 case the trustee must examine you orally before the meeting concludes, 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 (11 U.S.C. § 341(d)).

The District of Colorado's own published practice is that all § 341 meetings of creditors in Chapter 7, 12 and 13 cases are held by Zoom, and that debtors, counsel, creditors and parties in interest should not 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, depending on the chapter, with the assigned trustee conducting it in Chapter 7, 12 and 13 cases.

What local rules and orders change the process here?

Several District of Colorado rules shape what happens after filing. Local Bankruptcy Rule 2003-1 governs continuing a § 341 meeting: a debtor's request must be in writing, served on the appointed trustee, and received at least seven days before the scheduled meeting. It is the trustee, not the court, who approves it, so the request is not filed with the court; once the trustee consents, the debtor must immediately file and serve a notice of the continued meeting. The rule also warns that a continuance does not automatically extend the deadlines to object to discharge or dischargeability.

On representation, Administrative Order 2020-3 amended Local Bankruptcy Rule 9010-1(c)(3) so that an attorney may provide pro bono services and advice through a nonprofit or court-approved program without signing a document or entering an appearance. Local Bankruptcy Rule 1007-6 requires the debtor to file the payment advices required by 11 U.S.C. § 521(a)(1)(B)(iv) or a conforming statement. Chapter 13 debtors in this district use the court's own plan form, Local Bankruptcy Form 3015-1.1.

What are the filing fees, and what if you cannot pay them?

The statutory filing fee is $245 for a Chapter 7 case and $235 for a Chapter 13 case (28 U.S.C. § 1930(a)(1)(A), (f)(1); 28 U.S.C. § 1930(a)(1)(B)). Each carries a separate $78 administrative fee, and a Chapter 7 case adds a $15 trustee payment (Bankruptcy Court Miscellaneous Fee Schedule, Items 8 and 9, effective December 1, 2023). The clerk's office does not accept personal checks or credit cards from debtors; the court's Fees page sets out the accepted forms of payment, and its Online Payments page allows installment payments by debit card, PayPal or ACH.

Under Local Bankruptcy Rule 1006-1, an individual may apply to pay in installments on Official Form 103A, or, in a Chapter 7 case only, apply for a waiver on Official Form 103B with pay advices and completed Schedules I and J. General Procedure Order 2014-4(a) requires every voluntary petition to be accompanied by full payment, an installment application or a waiver application — a deficient paper petition is returned and no case is opened. Any waiver order is conditional and subject to further investigation.

Which Colorado questions should you settle before filing?

Some of the questions that most affect what you keep turn on Colorado law and on amounts this page's sources do not supply. Whether to use Colorado's exemption list, what conditions attach to the Colorado homestead, and how much of your wages Colorado protects from garnishment are all worth settling before you file rather than after. This page cannot answer them from the supplied sources; that is a limit of this page's evidence, not a statement that federal law is silent on exemptions or that only state law matters.

The court's own Guide and the Filing Without an Attorney page point out that exempt assets are property you can keep and that nonexempt assets may be reduced to cash by a Chapter 7 trustee, which is exactly why the categories and amounts matter. Local Bankruptcy Rule 4003-1 addresses exemptions in this district. For the Colorado figures themselves, use our Colorado pages below, and bring the questions you cannot settle to a lawyer or a clinic.

• Which exemption list applies to you, and the conditions attached to each category
• The Colorado homestead and any condition-dependent amounts
• How much of your pay Colorado shields from a garnishment already running

Where can a Weld County resident get help?

The court's published guide lists free and low-cost options, including Colorado Legal Services, Metro Volunteer Lawyers, Southwest Bar Volunteer Legal Aid and Weld County Legal Services, and describes a Colorado Bar Association Pro Se Bankruptcy Clinic giving limited-scope advice by phone or video appointment on eligibility, drafting petitions and schedules, court procedures and preparing for meetings of creditors. The same guide says that while you may be able to prosecute your own case, bankruptcy is complex and the court highly recommends retaining an attorney.

Be careful about who you pay. The court's Bankruptcy Petition Preparers page 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; it also names preparers barred in this district. If you want an introduction to a bankruptcy firm admitted in this district, Arthur, our AI Navigator, can take your details with your consent and pass them on. We are not a law firm and cannot give you legal advice.

Frequently asked questions

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

Not necessarily. The District of Colorado allows unrepresented parties to file in person, through the approved filing tool on its website, or by facsimile, and lets self-represented individuals apply for CM/ECF privileges (COB GPO 2026-1). All § 341 meetings of creditors in Chapter 7, 12 and 13 cases are held by Zoom, and the court instructs debtors not to appear in person.

When do I have to complete credit counseling?

Before you file. The court's notice to debtors states the pre-filing credit counseling course must be completed in the 180-day period ending on the date your individual voluntary petition is filed, and warns that otherwise your case will be dismissed unless a narrow statutory exemption applies. An individual debtor must also file the agency's certificate with the court (11 U.S.C. § 521(b)).

Does using the court's eSR tool mean my case is filed?

No. General Procedure Order 2025-1 is explicit 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 your Statement About Your Social Security Numbers.

Can I pay the Chapter 13 filing fee in installments?

An individual commencing a voluntary case may apply to pay the filing fee in installments on Official Form 103A (D. Colo. L.B.R. 1006-1). The statutory Chapter 7 fee waiver under 28 U.S.C. § 1930(f) does not extend to Chapter 13. General Procedure Order 2014-4(a) also allows the clerk to deny an installment application where a prior Colorado case was dismissed with fees unpaid.

What happens if I miss my meeting of creditors or need it moved?

Ask the trustee, not the court. Under D. Colo. L.B.R. 2003-1, a debtor's request to continue the § 341 meeting must be in writing, served on the appointed trustee, and received at least seven days before the scheduled meeting; the trustee approves it. A continuance does not automatically extend the deadlines to object to discharge or to a debt's dischargeability.

How long will this appear on my credit reports?

Consumer reporting agencies generally may not report 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)). An agency reporting a title 11 case must also identify the chapter when the source provides it, and note a withdrawal on receipt of documentation.

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
• 11 U.S.C. § 341 · official source
• 11 U.S.C. § 521 · official source
• 15 U.S.C. § 1681c
• 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
• COB official page — 341 Meetings of Creditors by Zoom
• 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 Administrative Order of the Chief Judge 2020-3
• COB Administrative Order of the Chief Judge 2021-2
• COB GPO 2014-4(a)
• COB official page — Fees
• COB official page — Online Payments
• 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
• COB official material — Credit Counseling is required BEFORE you file for Bankruptcy
• COB official page — Bankruptcy Petition Preparers
• COB official page — Court Location
• COB official page — Chapter 7 Fee Waivers

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 →