Is my bankruptcy a public record?

Yes, with narrow exceptions. Under 11 U.S.C. § 107(a), papers filed in a bankruptcy case and the court's dockets are public records open to examination without charge. The court may protect trade secrets, scandalous or defamatory matter, and certain identifying information where disclosure would create an undue risk of identity theft, but that requires a court order.

Is there a free way to search PACER?

Access itself is charged per page for non-government users, but there are free routes to the same information. Courts provide public access computers in the clerk's office at no fee for viewing dockets and claims registers, and some districts run a free Voice Case Information System by telephone, available 24 hours a day, that gives case information without any account.

How do I find a bankruptcy case number?

Search by the debtor's name. Each court maintains its case information locally, so if you know the district you search that court's system directly. If you do not know where the case was filed, the PACER Case Locator searches across federal appellate, district, and bankruptcy courts. Clerk's office staff can also assist at the public counter.

Can I look up a bankruptcy filed in the 1990s?

Sometimes online, often not. Electronic docket coverage starts on different dates by court and even by division — in the Central District of California, Los Angeles cases from 1995 or later and Riverside cases from June 3, 1991 or later. Older paper files are typically stored with the National Archives and require accession, location, and box numbers from the clerk.

Does the bankruptcy court report my case to credit bureaus?

No. Courts state they have no interaction with credit reporting agencies and do not report case information to them. Credit reporting agencies collect the information themselves from the court's public records, including through PACER. Because the court has no control over what those agencies do with it, disputes about a credit report must be raised with the agency directly.

What does it cost to get copies from the clerk?

Copies and record searches are charged under the Bankruptcy Court Miscellaneous Fee Schedule and the Electronic Public Access Fee Schedule issued by the Judicial Conference under 28 U.S.C. § 1930(b). Some districts require a written request and prepayment before the clerk will run a records search or certify information. Rates and procedures vary, so check your district's clerk's office page.

Filing process & court procedure

Looking Up a Bankruptcy Case: PACER and Public Court Records

Bankruptcy filings and dockets are public records under 11 U.S.C. § 107 and open to examination without charge. Most people search them through PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records) online, at free public terminals in the clerk's office, or through the PACER Case Locator when the filing district is unknown. Sealed and privacy-restricted records are the exception.

Key points

Federal law makes papers filed in a bankruptcy case and the court's dockets public records open to examination without charge, subject to narrow exceptions.
PACER is the online route to dockets, claims registers, and document images; courts also provide free public terminals in the clerk's office.
Non-government PACER users are charged per page, with a cap on the charge for any single document.
Records sealed by court order, or restricted for privacy, are not public records within the meaning of § 107.
The court does not send case information to credit bureaus or websites; those companies collect it from the public record themselves.

Whether you are checking on your own filing, confirming a case number, or seeing what a creditor or another person has filed, bankruptcy records are one of the most openly available categories of federal court record. The practical questions are where to look, what it costs, and what parts of a file the public cannot see. This page walks through all three.

How does looking up a bankruptcy case actually work?

Bankruptcy is a federal court system, so every case lives in one of the federal bankruptcy courts rather than a state court (Bankr. D. Md. official page — Legal Overview). Each court keeps its own docket electronically, and each docket is a chronological summary of everything filed in a case: the petition, schedules, notices, motions, and orders.

There are generally three ways in. Online through PACER, which lets you view dockets, claims registers, and images of filed documents from a personal computer (Bankr. S.D. Ill. official page — Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER)). In person at the clerk's office, where public court records are available for examination during business hours (Bankr. D. Utah LBR 5003-2). And in some districts by telephone through a Voice Case Information System, a free automated line available around the clock (Bankr. S.D. Ill. official guidance — Southern District of Illinois Bankruptcy Court FAQs).

Which route makes sense depends on whether you know the district, whether you need document images or just case status, and whether you want to avoid per-page charges.

Online: PACER, available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
In person: public access computers at the clerk's office intake counter
By phone: a Voice Case Information System, where the district offers one

What changes the answer for your situation?

Four things change how a lookup goes.

First, whether you know the district. Each court maintains its case information locally, so if you know where the case was filed you go straight to that court's system. If you don't, the PACER Case Locator searches across courts (Bankr. N.D. Ill. official page — CM/ECF PACER Information).

Second, how old the case is. Electronic coverage has a start date that differs by court and even by division. In the Central District of California, for example, PACER docket availability begins in 1995 for Los Angeles and June 3, 1991 for Riverside and Santa Ana (U.S. Bankr. Ct. C.D. Cal., TCG Supplement 5003(a)-(b)): Viewing Electronic Dockets; Archives). Older paper files are often stored with the National Archives, and retrieving one requires accession, location, and box numbers from the clerk (Bankr. W.D. La. official page — How can I obtain copies of my bankruptcy record?).

Third, whether any part of the file is sealed. Fourth, whether you need a certified copy or just to read the docket, since copies carry fees.

What you know going in, and where to start
What you have	Where to start
Case number and district	That court's electronic filing system
A name only, district unknown	PACER Case Locator
A pre-2000 case	Clerk's office, then the National Archives
No computer or no PACER account	Public terminal at the clerk's office, or the VCIS phone line

What does federal law say about public access?

The core rule is short. Under 11 U.S.C. § 107(a), a paper filed in a bankruptcy case and the dockets of a bankruptcy court are public records, open to examination by an entity at reasonable times without charge, subject to the exceptions in subsections (b) and (c).

Subsection (b) lets the court protect trade secrets or confidential commercial information, and protect a person from scandalous or defamatory matter in a filed paper. Subsection (c) lets the court protect an individual's means of identification and related information where disclosure would create an undue risk of identity theft or other unlawful injury.

So the default is openness, and closure requires a specific reason and a court order. One bankruptcy court's own privacy notice puts it plainly: with limited exceptions, bankruptcy files are public records, and the full text of documents filed electronically may be viewed over the internet by anyone with a PACER login (Bankr. S.D. Iowa official guidance — Lack of Privacy Notice).

§ 107(a): filings and dockets are public and open without charge
§ 107(b): protection for trade secrets and scandalous or defamatory matter
§ 107(c): protection against undue risk of identity theft

Where do local court rules differ?

The federal rule sets the floor; local rules fill in the mechanics, and they vary. Several districts publish a local rule specifically on access to court records.

In Utah, public court records are available in the clerk's office during business hours, records may not be removed except by court order, and copies are provided on request and payment under the fee schedules issued by the Judicial Conference under 28 U.S.C. § 1930(b) (Bankr. D. Utah LBR 5003-2). Nevada's local rule provides that for cases filed on or after January 2, 2002, the electronic images are designated as the official record of the court (Nev. LBR 5003).

Puerto Rico requires a written request and prior payment of the search fee before the clerk will search court records or certify information, and requires anyone reviewing a physical file to log their name, the case numbers, and the times taken out and returned (P.R. LBR 5003-1). Check your own district's local rules and clerk's office page before you go.

Whether electronic images are the official record can be set by local rule
Search and certification often require a written request and prepayment
Physical file review may be limited to an examination room, with a sign-out log

What does this look like in practice?

Say you want to confirm whether a case was filed and read the docket.

If you have a PACER account, you log in to the court's document filing system and search by name or case number. The docket shows case opening information, party and attorney information, and a standardized entry for each pleading filed or action taken; where an image exists, the entry links to the actual document, and a claims register lists claimants, filing dates, amounts, and claim types (Bankr. S.D. Ill. official page — Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER)).

If you don't want an account, go to the courthouse. Dockets and claims registers can be viewed on public area computers with no fee for that service, and if something isn't accessible there, intake staff at the public counter can help (U.S. Bankr. Ct. C.D. Cal., TCG Supplement 5003(a)-(b)): Viewing Electronic Dockets; Archives). Documents may be viewed in person or retrieved for printing, with a per-page fee for printing and copying (Bankr. S.D. Ill. official guidance — Southern District of Illinois Bankruptcy Court FAQs).

One more practical point: clerk's office employees are not attorneys and cannot give legal advice (Bankr. N.D. Ill. official page — eSR Chapter 13 Checklist).

What information and documents are involved in a search?

To find a case efficiently, it helps to have the debtor's name as filed, the district, and the case number if you have it. To retrieve an archived pre-2000 paper file, the National Archives will generally need the transfer (accession) number, location number, box number, case name, and case number, which you get from the clerk's office first (Bankr. W.D. La. official page — How can I obtain copies of my bankruptcy record?).

Costs come in two layers. PACER charges non-government users per page for electronic access, with a maximum charge for any single document; one court describes the rate as $.10 per page with a $3.00 maximum, roughly 30 pages, and quarterly statements with payment deferred until a balance reaches $15 (Bankr. S.D. Ill. official page — Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER)). Clerk's office copies and record searches are billed under the Bankruptcy Court Miscellaneous Fee Schedule and the Electronic Public Access Fee Schedule (Bankr. D. Utah LBR 5003-2).

Separately, if you are the one filing rather than searching, the Chapter 7 filing fee is $245 (28 U.S.C. § 1930(a)(1)(A), (f)(1)) and the Chapter 13 filing fee is $235 (28 U.S.C. § 1930(a)(1)(B)).

What should you ask a lawyer about public bankruptcy records?

A few questions are worth raising with a bankruptcy attorney, especially if the public nature of the record is what worries you.

Ask whether anything in your circumstances would support a motion to seal or restrict. The court will consider a motion for protective order to seal documents on its individual merits (Bankr. S.D. Iowa official guidance — Lack of Privacy Notice), and a request to file under seal is generally made by motion setting out the basis for relief (Bankr. D. Utah LBR 5003-2). Ask what identifying information will appear in the filed papers, and how the identity-theft protection in § 107(c) is handled in your district.

Ask how credit reporting interacts with the public record. Courts are clear that they do not send information to websites, search engines, or credit reporting agencies; those companies collect it from the court's public records themselves, and disputes have to be taken up with the agency directly (COB official material — Click here for a letter from the Clerk).

Our Roadmap can help you organise these questions before a consultation.

Frequently asked questions

Is my bankruptcy a public record?: Yes, with narrow exceptions. Under 11 U.S.C. § 107(a), papers filed in a bankruptcy case and the court's dockets are public records open to examination without charge. The court may protect trade secrets, scandalous or defamatory matter, and certain identifying information where disclosure would create an undue risk of identity theft, but that requires a court order.
Is there a free way to search PACER?: Access itself is charged per page for non-government users, but there are free routes to the same information. Courts provide public access computers in the clerk's office at no fee for viewing dockets and claims registers, and some districts run a free Voice Case Information System by telephone, available 24 hours a day, that gives case information without any account.
How do I find a bankruptcy case number?: Search by the debtor's name. Each court maintains its case information locally, so if you know the district you search that court's system directly. If you do not know where the case was filed, the PACER Case Locator searches across federal appellate, district, and bankruptcy courts. Clerk's office staff can also assist at the public counter.
Can I look up a bankruptcy filed in the 1990s?: Sometimes online, often not. Electronic docket coverage starts on different dates by court and even by division — in the Central District of California, Los Angeles cases from 1995 or later and Riverside cases from June 3, 1991 or later. Older paper files are typically stored with the National Archives and require accession, location, and box numbers from the clerk.
Does the bankruptcy court report my case to credit bureaus?: No. Courts state they have no interaction with credit reporting agencies and do not report case information to them. Credit reporting agencies collect the information themselves from the court's public records, including through PACER. Because the court has no control over what those agencies do with it, disputes about a credit report must be raised with the agency directly.
What does it cost to get copies from the clerk?: Copies and record searches are charged under the Bankruptcy Court Miscellaneous Fee Schedule and the Electronic Public Access Fee Schedule issued by the Judicial Conference under 28 U.S.C. § 1930(b). Some districts require a written request and prepayment before the clerk will run a records search or certify information. Rates and procedures vary, so check your district's clerk's office page.

Sources

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

Last reviewed July 27, 2026 · Sources verified July 27, 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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