Wake County, North Carolina

Which bankruptcy court hears a case from Wake County?

Wake County is assigned to the Raleigh Division of the Eastern District of North Carolina (U.S. Bankruptcy Court E.D.N.C. Official Divisional Map (Effective December 2, 2013)). That is the court whose local rules, forms and deadlines govern your case, and the division that sets where your meeting of creditors is held.

Residence is the usual answer but not the whole rule. A case may be commenced in the district where your domicile, residence, principal place of business or principal assets were located for the 180 days immediately preceding filing — or for a longer part of that period than any other district (28 U.S.C. § 1408). Someone who moved to Raleigh recently, or who runs a business elsewhere, may have venue in another district as well.

The district court holds original and exclusive jurisdiction of all cases under title 11 (28 U.S.C. § 1334), and a voluntary case begins when the petition is filed (11 U.S.C. § 301).

What does this court require of someone filing without a lawyer?

The court publishes its own Pro Se Bankruptcy Guide for people filing without an attorney (North Carolina Eastern Pro Se Bankruptcy Guide (September 2025)). Two local rules bite immediately.

Every petition must arrive with current government-issued photo identification — presented for copying if you file in person, or as a legible photocopy if you file by mail. Failing to provide it may result in an order to show cause (E.D.N.C. LBR 1002-1).

Several items are due within 5 days of filing: the credit counseling certificate, Part 5 of Form 101, the filing fee or a motion to waive it or pay in installments, your statement about social security numbers, the mailing matrix and the verification of the creditor matrix. If any is missing, the clerk sets a show cause hearing that can end in dismissal (E.D.N.C. LBR 1007-1).

The district's uniform document request form states that a pro se debtor performs the duties of counsel (Bankruptcy Administrator for the Eastern District of North Carolina, Document Request Form).

How does the meeting of creditors work in this district?

Every debtor must appear at a meeting of creditors — informally a 341 meeting — so the trustee and any creditors can question you about your debts and property. No judge presides or attends (11 U.S.C. § 341). Creditors listed on your petition receive notice of the time and location (Bankruptcy Administrator for the Eastern District of North Carolina, 341 Meetings).

All chapter 7 and chapter 12 meetings in this district are conducted by video using Zoom for Government, and chapter 13 trustees also host theirs on Zoom (Bankruptcy Administrator for the Eastern District of North Carolina, Zoom341s). The published conduct rules are specific, and failing them can mean rescheduling in person.

Bring picture identification and third-party proof of your social security number, and expect the trustee's questionnaire to be adopted into the record as testimony under oath (Bankruptcy Administrator for the Eastern District of North Carolina, Trustee Questionnaire).

What local rules and orders change the process here?

This district runs chapter 13 on a district-wide form plan: definitions for the terms used in E.D.N.C. Local Form 113A are published by the clerk (E.D.N.C. LBR 3015-1), and unless the court extends the time, the debtor must file a plan within 14 days of the petition and serve it on the trustee and all creditors (E.D.N.C. LBR 3015-3). Mortgage payments normally run through the chapter 13 trustee as conduit payments rather than directly to the lender (E.D.N.C. LBR 3070-2).

Payment advices are not filed with the court; a chapter 7 debtor gives them to the Bankruptcy Administrator (E.D.N.C. LBR 1007-1). Anything served on another party needs an attached certificate of service identifying the method (E.D.N.C. LBR 9013-3), and an amended schedule must come with a new summary and declaration each time (E.D.N.C. LBR 1009-1). The clerk's office is open to the public from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., except weekends and legal holidays (E.D.N.C. LBR 5001-2).

What does filing cost, and can the fee be paid over time?

Filing fees are federal, not local. A chapter 7 case carries a $245 statutory filing fee (28 U.S.C. § 1930(a)(1)(A), (f)(1)), plus a $78 administrative fee and a $15 trustee surcharge (Bankruptcy Court Miscellaneous Fee Schedule, Item 8; Bankruptcy Court Miscellaneous Fee Schedule, Item 9). A chapter 13 case carries a $235 statutory filing fee and the same $78 administrative fee (28 U.S.C. § 1930(a)(1)(B)).

If paying at once is not possible, an application to pay in installments goes in with the petition, and a motion to waive the fee is among the items due within 5 days (E.D.N.C. LBR 1007-1). The court enters an order granting or denying the application; if it is denied, the full fee is due within 14 days or the petition may be dismissed. Final installments are due within 14 days after the first date set for the 341 meeting, and the court sends no reminders (E.D.N.C. LBR 1006-1).

Which North Carolina questions should you settle before filing?

Three North Carolina questions shape most outcomes, and none of them come from the Bankruptcy Code. Which exemption list applies to you is the first — North Carolina's own list or the federal one — and that turns on state law rather than on anything the Eastern District decides. The second is the homestead question: how much equity in a primary residence the state's exemption covers, and on what conditions. The third is wage garnishment: how much of your pay a judgment creditor can reach under state law.

This page does not publish those North Carolina amounts, because verified North Carolina statutes are not part of the source set behind it; treat any figure you find elsewhere as something to check against the statute. Settle these questions before filing. The district's trustee instructions state that exemptions will be allowed as claimed if no objection is filed within 30 days after the 341 meeting (Bankruptcy Administrator for the Eastern District of North Carolina, Trustee Instructions).

Where can a Wake County resident get help?

Start with the court's own material. The Pro Se Bankruptcy Guide is written for people filing without counsel and points to legal referral agencies and to the clerk's office (North Carolina Eastern Pro Se Bankruptcy Guide (September 2025)).

Credit counseling and the financial management course both run through providers approved for this district by the Bankruptcy Administrator, and only approved providers can issue the certificates (Bankruptcy Administrator for the Eastern District of North Carolina, Credit Counseling). The counseling comes before filing; the course comes after.

If you need a language or sign interpreter for a chapter 7 meeting, a pro se debtor makes the request on the Administrator's form, generally at least two weeks ahead (Bankruptcy Administrator for the Eastern District of North Carolina, Request Interpreter for 341 Meeting).

Arthur, our AI Navigator, can build a roadmap and, where a participating firm covers your county, pass on a request for an introduction.

Frequently asked questions

Can I attend my 341 meeting from my car?

No. The district's rules for virtual meetings state that the debtor and counsel may not participate in a 341 from a vehicle, moving or otherwise, and that both must be in a physical room without noise or distractions. Only debtors, counsel, creditors and interested parties may be on the call, and failing to follow the rules can mean the meeting is rescheduled in person (Bankruptcy Administrator for the Eastern District of North Carolina, Rules for Conduct of Virtual 341 Meetings).

Does a United States Trustee run my case in this district?

No. In the Eastern District of North Carolina a Bankruptcy Administrator performs that role: the Administrator retains the recordings of the meeting of creditors and approves the district's credit counseling and debtor education providers (E.D.N.C. LBR 2003-1; Bankruptcy Administrator for the Eastern District of North Carolina, Approval Process for Credit Counseling Providers). The Bankruptcy Code itself describes the United States trustee convening and presiding at that meeting (11 U.S.C. § 341).

What happens if I miss the 5-day deadline for the first filings?

The clerk sets the matter for a show cause hearing, which may result in dismissal of the case. In an accelerated filing the schedules and statements are due within 14 days, and in individual cases, if they are not filed by the 45th day after the petition, the case is automatically dismissed on the 46th day unless the time is extended (E.D.N.C. LBR 1007-1).

Can I get a copy of my 341 meeting recording?

Yes. The Bankruptcy Administrator keeps recordings for two years from the date of the meeting and may certify and provide a copy at the requesting party's expense (E.D.N.C. LBR 2003-1). Requests are made on the Administrator's recording request form, and the download link it sends stays active for at least 14 days (Bankruptcy Administrator for the Eastern District of North Carolina, Request Copy of 341 Audio).

Do I need to bring documents to the meeting of creditors?

Expect to. The district's uniform document request form asks you to collect tax returns, bank statements, records of transfers, real property documents, vehicle titles and loan statements before the petition is filed, and to hand the completed, signed form to the trustee at the 341 meeting. A pro se debtor performs the duties the form assigns to counsel (Bankruptcy Administrator for the Eastern District of North Carolina, Document Request Form).

Sources

• U.S. Bankruptcy Court E.D.N.C. Official Divisional Map (Effective December 2, 2013)
• 28 U.S.C. § 1408 — Venue of cases under title 11
• 28 U.S.C. § 1334 — Bankruptcy cases and proceedings
• 11 U.S.C. § 301 — Voluntary cases
• 11 U.S.C. § 341 — Meetings of creditors and equity security holders · official source
• North Carolina Eastern Pro Se Bankruptcy Guide (September 2025)
• E.D.N.C. LBR 1002-1 — Petition
• E.D.N.C. LBR 1006-1 — Filing fees - installment payments
• E.D.N.C. LBR 1007-1 — Lists, schedules and statements; time limits
• E.D.N.C. LBR 1009-1 — Amendments to lists and schedules
• E.D.N.C. LBR 2003-1 — Meeting of creditors and equity security holders
• E.D.N.C. LBR 3015-1 — Chapter 13 - plan
• E.D.N.C. LBR 3015-3 — Chapter 13 - confirmation
• E.D.N.C. LBR 3070-2 — Chapter 13 - residential mortgage payments
• E.D.N.C. LBR 5001-2 — Clerk - office location and hours
• E.D.N.C. LBR 9013-3 — Certificate of service
• Bankruptcy Administrator for the Eastern District of North Carolina, 341 Meetings
• Bankruptcy Administrator for the Eastern District of North Carolina, Zoom341s
• Bankruptcy Administrator for the Eastern District of North Carolina, Rules for Conduct of Virtual 341 Meetings
• Bankruptcy Administrator for the Eastern District of North Carolina, Trustee Questionnaire
• Bankruptcy Administrator for the Eastern District of North Carolina, Trustee Instructions
• Bankruptcy Administrator for the Eastern District of North Carolina, Document Request Form
• Bankruptcy Administrator for the Eastern District of North Carolina, Credit Counseling
• Bankruptcy Administrator for the Eastern District of North Carolina, Approval Process for Credit Counseling Providers
• Bankruptcy Administrator for the Eastern District of North Carolina, Request Interpreter for 341 Meeting
• Bankruptcy Administrator for the Eastern District of North Carolina, Request Copy of 341 Audio
• 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

• Find your local bankruptcy court
• The 180-day venue rule and exemption lookback periods
• What actually happens at the 341 meeting of creditors
• ID and documents required at the 341 meeting
• Estimate what filing costs
• Build your personalised roadmap

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 →

North Carolina median income

Median annual income, household of one

$67,117

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 →