United States Bankruptcy Courts

If you decide to file for bankruptcy, you need to know your local bankruptcy court. These are state-run courts that still follow the bankruptcy laws of federal courts. All bankruptcy matters will be run through the bankruptcy court of your U.S. District Court.

Finding Your Bankruptcy Court

If you live in a state with more than one district, you might not know which district you are in. Most of the bankruptcy court websites provide lists or maps of counties that are within that district.

A bankruptcy attorney can also help you find the U.S. bankruptcy court in your district. If you need to file an appeal, you need the court of appeals for your district.

History of Bankruptcy Proceedings and Courts

Bankruptcy laws have been changing since their beginning in 1800. The Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure (or simply "Bankruptcy Rules") were created by the Supreme Court. These rules govern the bankruptcy process.

Business and consumer bankruptcy laws have a long history with:

• The Bankruptcy Code set in 1978
• The Bankruptcy Reform Act in 2001
• New bankruptcy rules in 2005
• Temporarily changes to some rules for national emergencies such as the coronavirus pandemic in 2020

The Code has been amended numerous times as business and consumer spending changes. The most current laws govern all bankruptcy filings and bankruptcy cases. Each bankruptcy court also has its own local rules, but all bankruptcy courts work similarly.

U.S. Bankruptcy Court District Websites

This section contains links to U.S. Bankruptcy Courts websites in each of the fifty states and Puerto Rico.

State Bankruptcy Court District Website Alabama

• Middle District of Alabama: Includes local rules, filing requirements, fees and schedules, dockets, calendar, and more.
• Northern District of Alabama: Includes forms, clerk's manual, tentative rulings, case filing statistics, and calendars.
• Southern District of Alabama: Includes local rules, fees, calendar, notices, opinions, and more.

Alaska

• District of Alaska: Includes court calendar, decisions, local rules, general orders, reference manual, national forms, and more.

Arizona

• District of Arizona: Includes local rules, electronic filing information, and other court information.

Arkansas

• Eastern and Western Districts of Arkansas: Includes court directory, forms, and local rules.

California

• Central District of California: Includes local rules, forms, opinions, bankruptcy data, and a reference manual.
• Eastern District of California: Includes forms, clerk's manual, tentative rulings, case filing statistics, and calendars.
• Northern District of California: Includes recent opinions, local rules, judge procedures, forms, and court calendar.
• Southern District of California: Includes local rules, opinions, fee schedule, phone list, forms, filings and pleadings, code of conduct, and more.

Colorado

• District of Colorado: Includes rules, procedures, calendar, forms, fees, opinions, and more.

Connecticut

• District of Connecticut: Features court locations, phone directory, local rules, and access to public information through PACER for a fee.

Delaware

• District of Delaware: Has general court information, webPACER, electronic filing, general bankruptcy forms, judicial opinions, select bankruptcy reports, and links to related information.

District of Columbia

• District Court for the District of Columbia: Includes local rules, forms, opinions, bankruptcy data, and a reference manual.

District Court of Guam

• District Court of Guam: Has bankruptcy resources, forms, and bankruptcy attorneys.

Florida

• Middle District of Florida: Includes fee schedules, local rules, forms, notices, and more.
• Northern District of Florida: Includes recent opinions, local rules, judge procedures, forms, and a court calendar.
• Southern District of Florida: Includes contact information.

Georgia

• Middle District of Georgia: Includes opinions, bankruptcy code, rules, local rules, statistics, fee schedule, court calendars, and more.
• Northern District of Georgia: Includes bankruptcy news, local rules, consumer information, and more.
• Southern District of Georgia: Includes contact information.

Hawaii

• District of Hawaii: Includes court calendars, documents, local rules, and more.

Idaho

• District of Idaho: Includes case files, calendars, forms, and more.

Illinois

• Central District of Illinois: Includes opinions, forms, statistics, general information, and more.
• Northern District of Illinois: Features general court information, public information available through Web PACER, a general bankruptcy practice guide, bankruptcy forms, court calendars, select judicial opinions, and links to related information.
• Southern District of Illinois: Includes filing fees, local rules, forms library, and more.

Indiana

• Northern District of Indiana: Includes a court calendar, bankruptcy forms, filing fees, local rules, and more.
• Southern District of Indiana: Includes local rules, calendar, and case information.

Iowa

• Northern District of Iowa: Includes court calendars, bankruptcy forms, recent judicial decisions, local rules, statistics, and more.
• Southern District of Iowa: Includes a court calendar, bankruptcy forms, filing fees, local rules, and more.

Kansas

• District of Kansas: Includes calendars, trustee information, forms, and more.

Kentucky

• Eastern District of Kentucky: Includes calendars, dockets, fees, filing requirements, forms, opinions, rules, and more.
• Western District of Kentucky: Includes calendars, court records, directory, fees, forms, local rules, opinions, and more.

Louisiana

• Eastern District of Louisiana: Includes calendars, trustee information, forms, and more.
• Middle District of Louisiana: Includes forms, fees, orders, calendar, and more.
• Western District of Louisiana: Includes local rules, case statistics, fee schedule, bankruptcy forms, opinions, and more.

Maine

• District of Maine: Includes fee schedules, local rules, forms, and more.

Maryland

• District of Maryland: Includes filing fees, local rules, court directory, and more.

Massachusetts

• District of Massachusetts: Includes local rules, fee schedule, calendar, and more.

Michigan

• Eastern District of Michigan: Features general court information, public information available through Pacer, general bankruptcy practice materials, bankruptcy forms, court calendars, select judicial opinions, and links to related information.
• Western District of Michigan: Includes fee schedule, local and official forms, calendar, opinions, and more.

Minnesota

• District of Minnesota: Includes court calendar, case information, opinions, and more.

Mississippi

• Northern District of Mississippi: Includes forms and court information.
• Southern District of Mississippi: Includes court calendar, official and local bankruptcy forms, statistics, local rules, and more.

Missouri

• Eastern District of Missouri: Includes court calendar, official and local bankruptcy forms, statistics, local rules, and more.
• Western District of Missouri: Includes local rules, judges, and more.

Montana

• District of Montana: Includes calendar, local rules, fees, forms, and more.

Nebraska

• District of Nebraska: Includes official bankruptcy forms, fee schedule, directory, opinions, statistics, and more.

Nevada

• District of Nevada: Includes court docket, local rules, full text of pleadings for recent cases.

New Hampshire

• District of New Hampshire: Includes court calendars, directory, forms, schedules, reports, fee schedules, local rules, administrative orders, and more.

New Jersey

• District of New Jersey: Includes local rules, case information, and more.

New Mexico

• District of New Mexico: Includes case information, bankruptcy statistics, practice and procedure guide, and local rules.

New York

• Eastern District of New York: Features forms, chamber directory, calendar, and more.
• Northern District of New York: Includes official bankruptcy forms, fee schedule, directory, opinions, statistics, and more.
• Southern District of New York: Includes local rules, forms, electronic case filing information, and more.
• Western District of New York: Includes calendars, decisions, local rules, forms, and more.

North Carolina

• Eastern District of North Carolina: Includes calendars, case statistics, court information, local rules, and more.
• Middle District of North Carolina: Includes calendars, fees schedule, local rules, forms, and more.
• Western District of North Carolina: Features general court information, select judicial opinions, local rules, official forms, administrative orders, information on court procedures, and links to related sites.

North Dakota

• District Of North Dakota: Features general court information, public information available through PACER, general bankruptcy practice materials, bankruptcy forms, court calendars, select judicial opinions, electronic case filing, and links to related information.

Ohio

• Northern District of Ohio: Provides court information, court-related documents, Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER), Judges' Administrative Orders, and more.
• Southern District of Ohio: Includes calendars, court information, and more.

Oklahoma

• Eastern District of Oklahoma: Includes local rules, reports, fee schedules, statistics, and more.
• Northern District of Oklahoma: Includes calendars, court information, and more.
• Western District of Oklahoma: Includes bankruptcy code, fee schedule, directory, opinions, statistics, and more.

Oregon

• District of Oregon: Includes calendars, court fees, local rules, orders, forms, and more.

Pennsylvania

• Eastern District of Pennsylvania: Includes local rules, forms, published opinions, notices, and more.
• Middle District of Pennsylvania: Includes forms, local rules, opinions, and more.
• Western District of Pennsylvania: Includes court calendars, forms, orders, local rules, statistics, and more.

Rhode Island

• District of Rhode Island: Includes opinions, court rules, court forms, case info, and more.

South Carolina

• District of South Carolina: Includes Attorney Desk Reference Manual, local rules, opinions, calendars, and more.

South Dakota

• District of South Dakota: Includes local rules, forms, decisions, case information, practice pointers, calendars, and more.

Tennessee

• Eastern District of Tennessee: Includes calendars and local rules.
• Middle District of Tennessee: Includes court directory and local rules.
• Western District of Tennessee: Includes local rules, opinions, court forms, filing fees, case information, and more.

Texas

• Eastern District of Texas: Includes court dockets and local rules.
• Northern District of Texas: Includes general information, filing procedures, case information, local rules, and more.
• Southern District of Texas: Includes local rules, fees, and requirements.
• Western District of Texas: Includes calendars, electronic filings information, fee schedules, forms, local rules, and more.

Utah

• District of Utah: Includes local rules, opinions, filing statistics, and more.

Vermont

• District of Vermont: Includes court calendar, legal resources, court opinions, and more.

Virginia

• Eastern District of Virginia: Includes local rules, opinions, bankruptcy forms, fee schedule, filing statistics, and more.
• Western District of Virginia: Features general court information, PACER information, overview of Chapter 11, filing statistics, filing information, bankruptcy forms, local rules, filing fees, court calendars, and links to related sites.

Washington

• Eastern District of Washington: Includes calendars, case filings, court information, local rules, opinions, and more.
• Western District of Washington: Includes calendars, court information, forms, and more.

West Virginia

• Northern District of West Virginia: Includes court information, bankruptcy guide, local rules, and more.
• Southern District of West Virginia: Includes case search and local rules.

Wisconsin

• Eastern District of Wisconsin: Includes court calendars, local rules, fees, and more.
• Western District of Wisconsin: Includes forms, decisions, local rules, case information, and more.

Wyoming

• District of Wyoming: Includes local rules, fees, opinions, docket pages, and more.

Puerto Rico

• District of Puerto Rico: Includes court calendars, forms, orders, local rules, statistics, and more.

Get Bankruptcy Help From a Legal Professional

If you're considering bankruptcy as your best option for debt relief and a fresh start, it helps to have a seasoned expert in your corner.

Although bankruptcy is federal law, a local attorney will be able to address matters of state law that may affect your case. Find an experienced bankruptcy attorney near you today.