Where to file bankruptcy in Colorado

Where to file in Colorado, what it costs and what comes next.

Checked against official sources: October 25, 2026.

Short answer

You file in the federal bankruptcy district where you lived (your domicile) for most of the 180 days before filing.

Federal bankruptcy courts: 1
Courts: U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Colorado

Which court you file in, in Colorado

You file in the federal bankruptcy district where you lived (your domicile) for most of the 180 days before filing. Colorado is one district with one court in Denver: https://www.cob.uscourts.gov/locations/denver.

Law: 28 U.S.C. 1408

U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Colorado

Divisions: Denver (one location)

Clerk's phone: 720-904-7300

Court's self-help page

In nearby states

Wyoming: U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Wyoming
New Mexico: U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Mexico
Utah: U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Utah

Your next steps in Colorado

Pick the right court
You file where you lived for most of the last 180 days.
Check local rules
Local forms and rules are on U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Colorado.
Do the first course
Use an approved agency. U.S. Trustee list of approved credit counseling agencies.
Fill in the forms
The forms are free: official bankruptcy forms.
Ask for free help
Legal aid can help for free: Colorado Bar Association Pro Se Bankruptcy Clinic (free help with Chapter 7) and Colorado Legal Services.

Free help in Colorado

Questions about filing in Colorado

Which bankruptcy court do I use in Colorado?

What are the Colorado means test numbers?

For cases filed on or after April 1, 2026: 1 person: $87,940; 2 people: $109,497; 3 people: $130,850; 4 people: $153,501; Each extra person: +$11,100.

Where can I get free help with bankruptcy in Colorado?

Colorado Bar Association Pro Se Bankruptcy Clinic (free help with Chapter 7), Colorado Legal Services and Metro Volunteer Lawyers (Denver Bar).

Related Colorado pages

What it costs to file

Chapter 7 filing fee. To file Chapter 7 you pay $338 to the court: a $245 filing fee, a $78 administrative fee and a $15 trustee fee. A married couple filing one joint case pays one set of fees.

Law: 28 U.S.C. 1930(a)(1)(A); Bankruptcy Court Miscellaneous Fee Schedule, items 8 and 9 (effective December 1, 2023)

Chapter 13 filing fee. To file Chapter 13 you pay $313 to the court: a $235 filing fee and a $78 administrative fee.

Law: 28 U.S.C. 1930(a)(1)(B); Bankruptcy Court Miscellaneous Fee Schedule, item 8 (effective December 1, 2023)

Paying in installments. If you cannot pay the whole fee at once, you can ask to pay it in installments. File Official Form 103A with your petition. The court decides the plan: no more than 4 payments, all paid within 120 days after you file. For a good reason the court can give you more time, but the last payment must be made within 180 days. Until the fee is paid in full, you may not pay your lawyer or petition preparer.

Law: Fed. R. Bankr. P. 1006(b) (as amended Dec. 1, 2024)

Fee waiver. In Chapter 7 only, the court may waive the fee. You must have income below 150% of the official poverty line for your family size, and you must be unable to pay the fee even in installments. Ask by filing Official Form 103B with your petition. The judge decides.

Law: 28 U.S.C. 1930(f)(1); Fed. R. Bankr. P. 1006(c)

The meeting of creditors

About a month after you file, you must attend the 'meeting of creditors' (341 meeting). The trustee asks you questions under oath about your property and debts. Creditors may come and ask questions. No judge attends. Chapter 7: 21 to 40 days after filing. Chapter 13: 21 to 50 days after filing. Bring photo ID and proof of your Social Security number. If you file jointly, both spouses must attend.

Law: 11 U.S.C. 341, 343; Fed. R. Bankr. P. 2003(a), 4002(b)(1)

Two required courses

Credit counseling before you file. Before you file, you must take a credit counseling course (a 'briefing') from an agency approved by the U.S. Trustee Program. You must take it within 180 days before you file. It can be in person, by phone or online, alone or in a group. Keep the certificate: you file it with your case. If you skip it, your case can be dismissed.

Law: 11 U.S.C. 109(h), 111

Debtor education after you file. After you file, you must take a second, separate course on personal financial management (debtor education) from an approved provider. In most cases you get no discharge without it. Chapter 7: file the certificate within 60 days after the first date set for the meeting of creditors. Chapter 13: by the date of your last plan payment. Some providers send the certificate to the court for you.

Law: 11 U.S.C. 727(a)(11), 1328(g); Fed. R. Bankr. P. 1007(b)(7), 1007(c)(4)

Where to file bankruptcy in Colorado

Short answer

Which court you file in, in Colorado

In nearby states

Your next steps in Colorado

Pick the right court

Check local rules

Do the first course

Fill in the forms

Ask for free help

Free help in Colorado

Questions about filing in Colorado

Related Colorado pages