Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure
Fed. R. Bankr. P. 6007 — Abandoning or Disposing of Property
Rule 6007 sets the procedure for abandoning property from the bankruptcy estate. Under subsection (a), the trustee or debtor in possession must give notice of a proposed abandonment or disposition to all creditors, indenture trustees, any committees appointed under the Code, and the United States trustee. Subsection (b) lets a party in interest file a motion to require abandonment. Either way, objections are due within 14 days.
If you are in bankruptcy or are owed money by someone who is, property of the estate can be given up or sold off, and this rule is how you find out about it before it happens. It sets who must be told, how long you have to speak up, and how to ask the court to make the trustee let go of property. It is a procedural rule — it governs notice and objections, not the underlying decision about what may be abandoned.
Who has to be notified before the trustee abandons property?
Subsection (a)(1) puts the notice duty on the trustee, or on the debtor in possession where there is no trustee. Before a proposed abandonment or disposition of property, that party must give notice to four groups: all creditors, all indenture trustees, any committees appointed or elected under the Code, and the United States trustee. If you are a creditor, you are on that list by virtue of being a creditor — the rule does not ask you to request notice first. Two details matter when you read this subsection. First, it covers both a proposed abandonment and a proposed disposition of property, so it is broader than the word 'abandon' alone suggests. Second, the whole requirement opens with 'unless the court orders otherwise,' which means a judge can change the notice arrangement in a particular case. If you are unsure who received notice or how it went out, the docket in the case and any order altering notice are what tell you.
How long do I have to object to a proposed abandonment?
Subsection (a)(2) gives a party in interest 14 days after the notice is mailed to file and serve an objection, or whatever different period the court sets. Read that trigger closely: the clock in subsection (a)(2) runs from mailing, not from the day the envelope reaches you, so a notice that sits in the mail eats into the window. The parallel deadline in subsection (b)(2) — for objecting to someone else's motion to compel abandonment — runs 14 days after service instead. The rule also says 'file and serve,' which are two separate steps. Filing puts the objection in front of the court; serving puts it in front of the other parties. Doing only one does not satisfy the text. If a timely objection is filed, the court must set a hearing, on notice to the United States trustee and to other entities as the court orders. Whether an objection is timely, and what the court does with it, are decisions for the court.
Can I ask the court to make the trustee abandon property?
Yes — subsection (b)(1) allows a party in interest to file and serve a motion to require the trustee or debtor in possession to abandon property of the estate. This is the reverse of subsection (a): instead of the trustee announcing a proposed abandonment, someone else asks the court to order one. The service list is the same four groups as under subsection (a), plus the trustee or debtor in possession, who is the party the motion is aimed at. As with subsection (a), the requirement applies 'unless the court orders otherwise.' What subsection (b) does not do is tell you when a court will grant such a motion. The rule is procedural: it says who files, who gets served, and how long the objection period runs. The standard the court applies to the request itself comes from elsewhere and is not stated in the text of this rule, so do not read subsection (b) as promising any particular result.
What happens after the court grants a motion to abandon?
Subsection (b)(3) answers this directly. Unless the court orders otherwise, an order granting the motion effects the trustee's or debtor in possession's abandonment without further notice. In practice that means there is no second round of notice after the order and no separate follow-up step described in the rule — the order itself does the work. This is worth noticing if you are watching a case as a creditor or as the debtor. Under subsection (a), notice comes first and the objection window opens before anything happens. Under subsection (b), by contrast, the objection window in (b)(2) runs against the motion, and once the court rules, subsection (b)(3) treats the abandonment as accomplished. So the moment to be heard on a motion to compel abandonment is during the 14 days after service, not after the order issues. The opening 'unless the court orders otherwise' still applies, so an order can direct something different in a given case.
This summary is our plain-English explanation, written to help you find the right part of the text below. The section itself is the authority — where the two differ, the text controls.
Text of Fed. R. Bankr. P. 6007
Reproduced in full from the official source, verified as of July 2026. View it at the source.
(a) Notice by the Trustee or Debtor in Possession.
(1) *In General*. Unless the court orders otherwise, the trustee or debtor in possession must give notice of a proposed abandonment or disposition of property to:
• all creditors;
• all indenture trustees;
• any committees appointed or elected under the Code; and
• the United States trustee.
(2) *Objection*. A party in interest may file and serve an objection within 14 days after the notice is mailed or within the time set by the court. If a timely objection is filed, the court must set a hearing on notice to the United States trustee and other entities as the court orders.
(b) Motion by a Party in Interest.
(1) *Service*. A party in interest may file and serve a motion to require the trustee or debtor in possession to abandon property of the estate. Unless the court orders otherwise, the motion (and any notice of it) must be served on:
• the trustee or debtor in possession;
• all creditors;
• all indenture trustees;
• any committees appointed or elected under the Code; and
• the United States trustee.
(2) *Objection*. A party in interest may file and serve an objection within 14 days after service or within the time set by the court. If a timely objection is filed, the court must set a hearing on notice to the United States trustee and other entities as the court orders.
(3) *Order*. Unless the court orders otherwise, an order granting the motion to abandon property effects the trustee's or debtor in possession's abandonment without further notice.
(As amended Mar. 30, 1987, eff. Aug. 1, 1987; Apr. 30, 1991, eff. Aug. 1, 1991; Apr. 22, 1993, eff. Aug. 1, 1993; Mar. 26, 2009, eff. Dec. 1, 2009; Apr. 25, 2019, eff. Dec. 1, 2019; Apr. 2, 2024, eff. Dec. 1, 2024.)
Notes and amendment history
Published by the official source alongside the section above. These notes record how the text has changed over time and the reasoning behind those changes. They are not the operative rule — the enacted text is the section itself.
Notes of Advisory Committee on Rules—1983
Sections 554 and 725 of the Code permit and require abandonment and disposition of property of the estate. Pursuant to §554, the trustee may abandon property but only after notice and hearing. This section is applicable in chapter 7, 11 and 13 cases. Section 725 requires the trustee to dispose of property in which someone other than the estate has an interest, prior to final distribution. It applies only in chapter 7 cases. Notice and hearing are also required conditions. Section 102(1) provides that "notice and hearing" is construed to mean appropriate notice and an opportunity for a hearing. Neither §554 nor §725 specify to whom the notices are to be sent. This rule does not apply to §554(c). Pursuant to that subsection, property is deemed abandoned if it is not administered. A hearing is not required by the statute.
*Subdivision (a)* requires the notices to be sent to all creditors, indenture trustees, and committees elected under §705 or appointed under §1102 of the Code. This may appear burdensome, expensive and inefficient but the subdivision is in keeping with the Code's requirement for notice and the Code's intent to remove the bankruptcy judge from undisputed matters. The burden, expense and inefficiency can be alleviated in large measure by incorporating the notice into or together with the notice of the meeting of creditors so that separate notices would not be required.
*Subdivision (b)* implements §554(b) which specifies that a party in interest may request an order that the trustee abandon property. The rule specifies that the request be by motion and, pursuant to the Code, lists the parties who should receive notice.
*Subdivision (c)* requires a hearing when an objection under subdivision (a) is filed or a motion under subdivision (b) is made. Filing of an objection is sufficient to require a hearing; a separate or joined request for a hearing is unnecessary since the objection itself is tantamount to such a request.
Notes of Advisory Committee on Rules—1991 Amendment
This rule is amended to conform to the 1986 amendments to 28 U.S.C. §586(a) and to the Code. The United States trustee monitors the progress of the case and has standing to raise, appear and be heard on the issues relating to the abandonment or other disposition of property. See §§307 and 554 of the Code. Committees of retired employees appointed under §1114 are not entitled to notice under subdivision (a) of this rule.
Notes of Advisory Committee on Rules—1993 Amendment
This rule is amended to clarify that when a motion is made pursuant to subdivision (b), a hearing is not required if a hearing is not requested or if there is no opposition to the motion. See Rule 9014. Other amendments are stylistic and make no substantive change.
Committee Notes on Rules—2009 Amendment
The rule is amended to implement changes in connection with the amendment to Rule 9006(a) and the manner by which time is computed under the rules. The deadline in the rule is amended to substitute a deadline that is a multiple of seven days. Throughout the rules, deadlines are amended in the following manner:
• 5-day periods become 7-day periods
• 10-day periods become 14-day periods
• 15-day periods become 14-day periods
• 20-day periods become 21-day periods
• 25-day periods become 28-day periods
Committee Notes on Rules—2019 Amendment
Subdivision (b) of the rule is amended to specify the parties to be served with the motion and any notice of the motion. The rule also establishes an objection deadline. Both of these changes align subdivision (b) more closely with the procedures set forth in subdivision (a). In addition, the rule clarifies that no further action is necessary to notice or effect the abandonment of property ordered by the court in connection with a motion filed under subdivision (b), unless the court directs otherwise.
Committee Notes on Rules—2024 Amendment
The language of Rule 6007 has been amended as part of the general restyling of the Bankruptcy Rules to make them more easily understood and to make style and terminology consistent throughout the rules. These changes are intended to be stylistic only.
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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