Find Macon Bankruptcy Records
Macon bankruptcy records are held at the Middle District of Georgia Bankruptcy Court, which has its main office in the Thomas Jefferson Federal Building on Cherry Street in downtown Macon. As the seat of the Middle District, Macon handles the largest share of bankruptcy filings for central and southwest Georgia. Bibb County residents file their cases here, along with filers from dozens of surrounding counties. Searching Macon bankruptcy records is possible through PACER online access, the free McVCIS phone line, or a visit to the clerk's office where public terminals are available at no charge.
Macon Quick Facts
Macon Federal Bankruptcy Court
The Middle District of Georgia Bankruptcy Court has its headquarters in Macon. The court address is the Thomas Jefferson Federal Building, 433 Cherry Street, Macon, GA 31201. Call 478-752-3506 to reach the Macon clerk's office. Chief Judge Austin E. Carter presides over the Middle District, and Kyle George manages the clerk's operations.
Macon is the primary office for the Middle District. The only other staffed location is in Columbus. Other divisional offices in Albany, Athens, Thomasville, and Valdosta hold hearings but are not staffed on a regular basis. Filings for those divisions should be mailed to the Macon office. This means Macon processes a heavy volume of bankruptcy records from across 69 counties in central Georgia.
How to Look Up Macon Bankruptcy Cases
Use PACER for online searches. Registration is free. Once logged in, select the Middle District of Georgia and search by debtor name or case number. You get full docket sheets, filed motions, creditor lists, and orders. It costs $0.10 per page. PACER is available all day and night.
The PACER Case Locator is handy when you are not sure which district has the records. It searches across every federal court. Type in the name and see which court has the case. This saves time when a debtor may have filed in a different part of the state.
McVCIS provides free case info by phone. Dial 1-866-222-8029 and follow the prompts for the Middle District. The system gives you the debtor name, case number, judge, filing date, chapter, trustee, attorney, and status. No documents come through McVCIS, but the basic details are all there.
Walking into the Macon office works too. View records on the public terminals for free. Print pages for $0.10 each. The Macon staff can help locate records you need.
Fees for Macon Bankruptcy Records
PACER charges $0.10 per page. Public terminal access in Macon is free for viewing. Printing is $0.10 per page. In-person or mail copy requests cost $0.50 per page. A certified copy adds $12 per document on top of the page charge.
If you do not have the case number, you can file Form B1320 and pay a $34 search fee. The clerk's office will search their system and provide what they find. Payment options include money order, certified check, and cash for in-person visits. Checks are made out to "Clerk, U.S. Bankruptcy Court."
Note: Most single documents on PACER cost $3.00 or less because of the per-document fee cap.
Bankruptcy Types in Macon
Macon residents typically file under Chapter 7 or Chapter 13. Chapter 7 is a liquidation process. Non-exempt assets get sold to pay off debts, and the rest is discharged. Most Chapter 7 cases are no-asset cases. That means the filer keeps everything. It usually takes three to four months.
Chapter 13 involves a repayment plan. Filers with regular income propose a plan to pay back some or all debts over three to five years. This is common for people who want to save their home from foreclosure or catch up on car payments. Chapter 11 business reorganizations and Chapter 12 farmer cases are filed in Macon too, but far less often.
Visit the Middle District website for Macon-specific filing guides and court schedules.
Macon Bankruptcy Exemptions
Georgia requires all filers, including Macon residents, to use state exemptions. Federal exemptions are not an option here. Under O.C.G.A. § 44-13-100, the homestead exemption is $21,500 for an individual. A married couple filing together may protect $43,000 in home equity. The vehicle exemption is $5,000. Personal property gets $5,000 total protection, with each item under $300. Jewelry is covered up to $500, and tools of trade up to $1,500.
The wildcard exemption in Georgia is $1,200. You can also apply up to $10,000 of unused homestead exemption to the wildcard. Personal injury recoveries up to $7,500 and life insurance cash value up to $2,000 are protected. Social Security, retirement accounts, veterans benefits, unemployment pay, workers' comp, alimony, and child support are all fully exempt.
Macon Filing Requirements
The 730-day rule applies. You must live in Georgia for two full years before filing to use the state exemptions. People who recently moved to Macon from out of state may have to use their former state's exemption list. This can make a big difference in what property you keep.
Re-filing limits are the same across all Georgia districts. Wait eight years between Chapter 7 cases. The gap from Chapter 7 to Chapter 13 is four years. Two Chapter 13 cases need a two-year break. Timing starts from the date the first case was filed.
Archived Macon Court Records
Older Macon bankruptcy records get transferred to the National Archives when they have been closed for a set number of years. Call the Macon clerk's office at 478-752-3506 to get the details you need before ordering from NARA. They can provide the case number, accession number, location number, and box number. Without all four, NARA cannot pull the records.
Bibb County Bankruptcy Records
Macon is the county seat of Bibb County, and all Bibb County bankruptcy cases go through the Middle District of Georgia Bankruptcy Court in Macon. The Bibb County Superior Court Clerk keeps state court records such as deeds, liens, and civil judgments. These can supplement a bankruptcy search. The GSCCCA offers free index searches across all Georgia counties, including Bibb. For federal bankruptcy case records, PACER and the Macon clerk's office are your sources.
Nearby Georgia Cities
Search bankruptcy records in other major Georgia cities. Warner Robins is close by and falls in the same Middle District. Atlanta, Augusta, and Savannah are in different federal districts.