Which bankruptcy court do I file in?

A federal bankruptcy court covering the place you have resided, kept a domicile, run a business, or held property. Every state contains at least one federal judicial district, and many districts divide into divisions serving named counties. The tool on this page maps a county to that district and division using the court's own published listings.

Is there a bankruptcy court in my county?

Usually not. Bankruptcy courts sit at the federal district level, and a single district can cover dozens of counties from a handful of courthouses. Some districts hold court in a division without staffing an office there — the Southern District of Georgia holds court in six divisions but staffs three (Bankr. S.D. Ga. official guidance — Divisions, Counties Served and Case Numbers). Check hours before travelling.

What happens if a petition is filed in the wrong division?

It depends on the district's local rule. Nevada's local rule states that petitions must be filed in the division in which venue is based, and that if a petition is filed in the wrong division the court may, on its own, either transfer it to the appropriate division or retain the case (Nev. LBR 1071). Other districts publish their own approach, so check the local rules for yours.

Does the court I file in change the filing fee?

No. The core fees are federal and identical across districts: $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)). Fee schedule amounts collected at filing are also uniform. What varies by district is local procedure, forms, and which offices accept filings in person.

I recently moved. Which state's court covers me?

That is a legal question rather than a lookup, and it is one worth asking early. Federal law makes residence, domicile, place of business and property relevant to who may be a debtor (11 U.S.C. § 109), and after a recent move those can point in different directions. A recent move can also affect which state's exemptions apply, so the answer matters beyond geography.

Can I find my court by ZIP code alone?

Often yes, because a ZIP code usually falls within one county and districts publish county assignments. But some districts publish city-level indexes instead — the Northern District of Florida maps individual towns to a division abbreviation (Bankr. N.D. Fla. City/County Listings). Where a ZIP code straddles a county line, confirm the county first, then check the district's listing.

Does finding my court mean I'm ready to file?

No. Locating the court answers a geography question only. It says nothing about which chapter fits, what property exemptions would cover, how your income compares to the published median, or whether a particular debt would be discharged. Those depend on facts and on state law, and are worth working through before any paperwork is prepared.

Tier 1 tool

Local Bankruptcy Court Finder

Find your division, district, and courthouse from your county.

Under 28 U.S.C. § 1408, bankruptcy venue generally lies where the debtor’s domicile, residence, principal place of business, or principal U.S. assets were located for the 180 days before filing—or for the longer part of that period than in another district. Venue can also follow a pending case involving an affiliate, general partner, or partnership. This tool maps a county to the district and division serving it; it does not decide venue.

Key points

Bankruptcy is a federal court system, so your county courthouse is not where a bankruptcy case is filed.
Every state contains at least one federal judicial district; larger states contain several.
Many districts divide into divisions serving named counties, and some require the petition to be filed in the correct division.
Finding your court tells you where a case would be filed and what it costs to file there — not whether filing is a good idea.
A clerk's office can tell you how to file but cannot tell you whether a filing is right for your situation.

If you are thinking about bankruptcy, one of the first practical questions is simply where the paperwork goes. The answer is a federal bankruptcy court, not the county courthouse where you would handle a traffic ticket or a small-claims case. This page explains how the court that covers your address is determined, and what that answer does and does not settle.

What does this tool actually compare?

The tool takes a location — an address, ZIP code, or county — and matches it to the federal judicial district that covers it, then to the division within that district if the district uses divisions. It is a lookup against published court coverage, not a calculation about you.

Districts publish their own county-to-division assignments, and the format varies. The Southern District of Georgia lists six divisions with a numbered code each and names the counties served by each one (Bankr. S.D. Ga. official guidance — Divisions, Counties Served and Case Numbers). The Northern District of Florida publishes a city-and-county index mapping individual towns to a division abbreviation (Bankr. N.D. Fla. City/County Listings). Nevada sets its two divisions by local rule, naming the counties in each (Nev. LBR 1071).

The tool reads that published assignment. It does not interpret your circumstances, and it does not decide anything about a case.

Input: an address, ZIP code, or county name
Output: the federal judicial district, and the division within it where the district uses divisions
Source: the district's own published county or city listings

What does the law actually say about where you file?

Bankruptcy is federal. A case is commenced under title 11 of the United States Code, and the filing fee is paid to the clerk of the district court or the clerk of the bankruptcy court where a bankruptcy court has been certified (28 U.S.C. § 1930). That is the structural reason a state court cannot take a bankruptcy petition.

Who may be a debtor is also set federally: only a person that resides or has a domicile, a place of business, or property in the United States may be a debtor under title 11 (11 U.S.C. § 109(a)). Residence, domicile, place of business and property are the same categories that generally matter when a court asks whether a case belongs in a particular district.

Divisions within a district are usually set by the district's own local rule or published order. Nevada's local rule is explicit that petitions must be filed in the division in which venue is based, and that a petition filed in the wrong division may be transferred or retained by the court (Nev. LBR 1071).

Bankruptcy filings go to a federal bankruptcy court clerk, not a state or county court (28 U.S.C. § 1930)
Residence, domicile, place of business and property are the federal touchpoints for who may be a debtor (11 U.S.C. § 109)
Division assignment within a district is commonly governed by local rule (Nev. LBR 1071)

How should you read the result the tool gives you?

Read it as a starting point: this is the court whose website, local rules, local forms and fee schedule apply to a case filed from your address. That is genuinely useful, because almost everything procedural is district-specific.

The practical next step is to open that court's own site. Districts publish clerk's office hours and locations, local rules, local forms, fee schedules and self-help material. The Eastern District of Michigan, for example, lists three staffed clerk's offices with separate phone numbers for each (Bankr. E.D. Mich. official page — Eastern District of Michigan | United States Bankruptcy Court). The District of Minnesota publishes a debtor help resources page covering what the clerk's office can and cannot do (Bankr. D. Minn. official page — Debtor Help Resources).

If your county appears in more than one listing, or the district's published index is older than the court's current rules, treat the court's own current page as controlling and call the clerk's office to confirm.

Use the result to find the right local rules, local forms and fee schedule
Check whether the district has staffed offices in every division — some hold court in a division without staffing it
Where a published index and a current local rule disagree, the court's own current material controls

What does this result not tell you?

It does not tell you whether to file, which chapter fits, or what would happen if you did. Locating a court is a geography question. Everything that matters about outcome — what property a state's exemptions cover, how income compares to a published median, whether a debt is dischargeable — is decided by other law and other facts entirely.

It also does not tell you the total cost of a case, only where the fee is paid. And it does not tell you whether your particular circumstances place venue in that district; residence, domicile, business location and property can point in different directions for someone who has recently moved, and that is a legal question rather than a lookup.

A clerk's office draws the same line. The District of Minnesota states plainly that the clerk can accept filings and give general information, but cannot apply a rule or statute, explain the result of taking or not taking an action, or tell you whether jurisdiction is proper in a case (Bankr. D. Minn. official page — Debtor Help Resources).

Not an eligibility result, and not a chapter recommendation
Not a venue opinion for someone who has recently moved or has property in another state
Not a substitute for the district's own current local rules

What does it cost to file in the court you find?

The core filing fees are set federally, so they are the same in every district. A case commenced under chapter 7 carries a $245 filing fee, and a case commenced under chapter 13 carries a $235 filing fee (28 U.S.C. § 1930(a)(1)(A), (f)(1); 28 U.S.C. § 1930(a)(1)(B)).

The Judicial Conference fee schedule adds further amounts collected at filing. A $78 administrative fee is collected for a chapter 7 petition and a $78 administrative fee for a chapter 13 petition (Bankruptcy Court Miscellaneous Fee Schedule, Item 8, effective December 1, 2023). A chapter 7 petition also carries a $15 trustee payment (Bankruptcy Court Miscellaneous Fee Schedule, Item 9, effective December 1, 2023).

A chapter 7 fee waiver is conditional under § 1930(f) and Judiciary procedures, and the statute permits installment payment for an individual commencing a voluntary or joint case. Attorney fees, credit counseling and course fees are separate and are not court fees at all.

Court fees collected at filing, by chapter
Fee	Chapter 7	Chapter 13
Statutory filing fee	$245	$235
Administrative fee	$78	$78
Trustee payment	$15	Not applicable

What should you do next once you know your court?

Open the court's website and find three things: the local rules, the local forms, and the page written for people filing without an attorney. Most districts maintain all three, and several maintain a dedicated debtor help section (Bankr. D. Minn. official page — Debtor Help Resources).

If cost is the obstacle, look for the district's pro bono or advice clinic material before assuming you cannot get help. Minnesota runs free bankruptcy advice clinics offering short sessions with members of the bar, and lists legal aid organisations serving specific counties (Bankr. D. Minn. official page — Bankruptcy Advice Clinics [https://www.mnb.uscourts.gov/bankruptcy-advice-clinics]). The Eastern District of Michigan publishes legal aid listings, county bar referral services and a pro bono program (Bankr. E.D. Mich. official page — Finding an Attorney and Legal Aid [https://www.mieb.uscourts.gov/prose/section/finding-attorney-and-legal-aid]).

Then work on the substance rather than the venue: what you own, what you owe, and what is actually pressing. Our roadmap walks through that, and the state hub covers the exemption and income figures that vary by state.

Bookmark the court's local rules and local forms pages
Look for the district's filing-without-an-attorney section and any advice clinic
Check the clerk's office hours and location for your division before travelling there

Why does the district matter more than the courthouse address?

The address is the least important part of the answer. What the district determines is the body of local procedure that governs a case: local rules, local forms, standing orders, how the clerk's office handles filings, and which trustees and judges are assigned.

Districts differ visibly in how they organise this. Some hold court in every division but staff only some offices — the Southern District of Georgia holds court in six divisions with staffed offices in three (Bankr. S.D. Ga. official guidance — Divisions, Counties Served and Case Numbers). Others operate several full clerk's offices, as the Eastern District of Michigan does in Detroit, Flint and Bay City (Bankr. E.D. Mich. official page — Eastern District of Michigan | United States Bankruptcy Court).

The division also commonly shows up in the case number itself. In the Southern District of Georgia, the division code is the first digit after the dash in the case number (Bankr. S.D. Ga. official guidance — Divisions, Counties Served and Case Numbers), so a misfiled division is visible on every document in the case.

Does your state's law change which court you file in?

No. District and division boundaries are federal and do not move with state law. What state law changes is the substance of a case filed there, and that difference is large.

State law commonly drives which exemptions apply to your home, vehicle and household property, and state-level income figures feed the means test. Those are the numbers that vary meaningfully from one state to the next, and they live on the state pages rather than here — restating them on a court-finder page would only create two places for them to go stale.

One thing worth flagging: living near a state line is not the same as choosing between two courts. Where you have resided, kept a domicile, run a business, or held property is what matters, and those can point in different directions for someone who has moved recently. That is a legal question, not a lookup, and it is worth raising with an attorney or a legal aid organisation before filing anything.

Federal district boundaries do not change with state law
State law commonly drives exemptions and the income figures used in the means test
A recent move can complicate where a case belongs — worth asking about before filing

Frequently asked questions

Which bankruptcy court do I file in?: A federal bankruptcy court covering the place you have resided, kept a domicile, run a business, or held property. Every state contains at least one federal judicial district, and many districts divide into divisions serving named counties. The tool on this page maps a county to that district and division using the court's own published listings.
Is there a bankruptcy court in my county?: Usually not. Bankruptcy courts sit at the federal district level, and a single district can cover dozens of counties from a handful of courthouses. Some districts hold court in a division without staffing an office there — the Southern District of Georgia holds court in six divisions but staffs three (Bankr. S.D. Ga. official guidance — Divisions, Counties Served and Case Numbers). Check hours before travelling.
What happens if a petition is filed in the wrong division?: It depends on the district's local rule. Nevada's local rule states that petitions must be filed in the division in which venue is based, and that if a petition is filed in the wrong division the court may, on its own, either transfer it to the appropriate division or retain the case (Nev. LBR 1071). Other districts publish their own approach, so check the local rules for yours.
Can the clerk's office tell me whether I'm filing in the right place?: Only up to a point. The District of Minnesota states that the clerk's office can accept filings and give general information about forms and filing requirements, but cannot apply a rule or statute, explain the result of taking or not taking an action, or tell you whether jurisdiction is proper in a case (Bankr. D. Minn. official page — Debtor Help Resources). For that, ask an attorney or a legal aid organisation.
Does the court I file in change the filing fee?: No. The core fees are federal and identical across districts: $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)). Fee schedule amounts collected at filing are also uniform. What varies by district is local procedure, forms, and which offices accept filings in person.
I recently moved. Which state's court covers me?: That is a legal question rather than a lookup, and it is one worth asking early. Federal law makes residence, domicile, place of business and property relevant to who may be a debtor (11 U.S.C. § 109), and after a recent move those can point in different directions. A recent move can also affect which state's exemptions apply, so the answer matters beyond geography.
Can I find my court by ZIP code alone?: Often yes, because a ZIP code usually falls within one county and districts publish county assignments. But some districts publish city-level indexes instead — the Northern District of Florida maps individual towns to a division abbreviation (Bankr. N.D. Fla. City/County Listings). Where a ZIP code straddles a county line, confirm the county first, then check the district's listing.
Does finding my court mean I'm ready to file?: No. Locating the court answers a geography question only. It says nothing about which chapter fits, what property exemptions would cover, how your income compares to the published median, or whether a particular debt would be discharged. Those depend on facts and on state law, and are worth working through before any paperwork is prepared.

Sources

28 U.S.C. § 1930 — Bankruptcy fees · official source
28 U.S.C. § 1930(a)(1)(A), (f)(1) — Chapter 7 filing fee · official source
28 U.S.C. § 1930(a)(1)(B) — Chapter 13 filing fee · official source
Bankruptcy Court Miscellaneous Fee Schedule, Item 8 — Administrative fee
Bankruptcy Court Miscellaneous Fee Schedule, Item 9 — Chapter 7 trustee payment
11 U.S.C. § 109 — Who may be a debtor · official source
Nev. LBR 1071 — Divisions – Bankruptcy Court
Bankr. S.D. Ga. official guidance — Divisions, Counties Served and Case Numbers
Bankr. N.D. Fla. City/County Listings
Bankr. D. Minn. official page — Debtor Help Resources [https://www.mnb.uscourts.gov/debtor-help-resources]
Bankr. D. Minn. official page — Bankruptcy Advice Clinics [https://www.mnb.uscourts.gov/bankruptcy-advice-clinics]
Bankr. E.D. Mich. official page — Eastern District of Michigan | United States Bankruptcy Court
Bankr. E.D. Mich. official page — Finding an Attorney and Legal Aid [https://www.mieb.uscourts.gov/prose/section/finding-attorney-and-legal-aid]
28 U.S.C. § 1408 — Venue of cases under title 11

By Antonio G. Jimenez, Esq. · Florida Bar No. 21022

Last reviewed July 31, 2026 · Sources verified July 31, 2026 · How we verify

Every figure on this page is drawn from a primary legal source and checked against our canonical legal database before publication. Bankruptcy.law is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice.

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