Warner Robins Bankruptcy Case Records
Warner Robins bankruptcy records are handled by the Middle District of Georgia Bankruptcy Court. Houston County, where Warner Robins is located, falls within this district. The city does not have its own federal courthouse, so bankruptcy cases are filed through the staffed offices in Macon or Columbus. Searching for Warner Robins bankruptcy records is straightforward with PACER for online access or the free McVCIS phone line for basic case details. The Middle District court holds all records for the 69 counties in its jurisdiction, and Houston County is one of them.
Warner Robins Quick Facts
Federal Court for Warner Robins
The Middle District of Georgia Bankruptcy Court serves Warner Robins and all of Houston County. Cases are filed at the Macon office, located at the Thomas Jefferson Federal Building, 433 Cherry Street, Macon, GA 31201. The phone is 478-752-3506. The Columbus office at One Arsenal Place, 901 Front Avenue, Columbus, GA 31902, also accepts filings. You can reach Columbus at 706-649-7837.
Warner Robins is about 20 miles south of Macon, so the Macon office is the nearest staffed location for court business. Chief Judge Austin E. Carter presides over the Middle District. Kyle George manages the clerk's office. Both the Macon and Columbus offices have public computer terminals and accept walk-in visitors during business hours.
The city's municipal court handles local traffic and ordinance cases only. It does not deal with bankruptcy.
How to Find Warner Robins Bankruptcy Records
PACER is the go-to tool for online searches. Sign up for free, then search the Middle District of Georgia. Enter the debtor name or case number. You get access to every document in the case: the petition, schedules, creditor matrix, motions, and orders. It costs $0.10 per page. PACER is up around the clock.
Use the PACER Case Locator if you are not sure which district holds the case. It searches across all federal courts in one pass. This can save time when a debtor may have filed in a different state or district.
McVCIS is the free way to get case basics by phone. Call 1-866-222-8029. Follow the prompts and pick the Middle District. The automated system gives you the debtor name, case number, judge, filing date, chapter, trustee, attorney, and status. No registration required. The line is open day and night.
Warner Robins Bankruptcy Fees
PACER costs $0.10 per page online. Most documents cap at $3.00. Viewing on the public terminals in Macon is free. Printing from those terminals is $0.10 per page.
Mail or in-person copy requests cost $0.50 per page. Add $12 for each certified copy. The search fee is $34 when you need the clerk's office to find a case without a case number. Submit Form B1320 for that request. Payments go by money order or certified check made to "Clerk, U.S. Bankruptcy Court." Cash works at the window in Macon or Columbus.
Bankruptcy Types in Warner Robins
Chapter 7 is the most filed type by Warner Robins residents. It wipes out qualifying debts through a liquidation process. Non-exempt assets are sold to pay creditors, but most filers keep all their property since it falls within the Georgia exemption limits. The process typically takes three to four months from filing to discharge.
Chapter 13 is the next most common. It lets filers with regular income set up a three to five year repayment plan. Many Warner Robins residents use Chapter 13 to catch up on house payments or car loans while holding onto their property. Chapter 11 reorganization is used by local businesses. Chapter 12, for family farmers, comes up from time to time in the rural areas around Houston County.
The Middle District website provides forms and local rules that apply to Warner Robins bankruptcy filings.
Warner Robins Bankruptcy Exemptions
Georgia opted out of the federal exemptions. Warner Robins filers must use the state exemption list in O.C.G.A. § 44-13-100. Here are the key limits:
- Homestead: $21,500 ($43,000 for married couples under certain rules)
- Vehicle: $5,000
- Personal property: $5,000 total, $300 per item
- Jewelry: $500
- Tools of trade: $1,500
- Wildcard: $1,200 plus up to $10,000 unused homestead
Social Security, veterans benefits, unemployment compensation, workers' comp, alimony, child support, crime victim funds, and retirement accounts are all fully exempt. These protections apply in every Warner Robins bankruptcy case, regardless of the chapter filed.
Filing Rules for Warner Robins
You need 730 days of Georgia residency to claim the state exemptions. That is two years. Warner Robins has a large military-connected population because of Robins Air Force Base. Service members who move to Warner Robins from other states should check whether they meet the residency requirement. If not, the prior state's exemptions may apply instead.
Re-filing limits are the same across all Georgia districts. Wait eight years after a Chapter 7 discharge before filing another Chapter 7. The gap is four years from Chapter 7 to Chapter 13, and two years between Chapter 13 filings. These time periods run from the filing date of the earlier case.
Note: Active duty military members may have additional protections under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act that affect bankruptcy timing.
Archived Warner Robins Cases
Older cases closed by the Middle District are sent to the National Archives for long-term storage. If you search PACER and the case is not there, it may be archived. Call the Macon clerk's office at 478-752-3506 to get the accession number, location number, and box number. NARA requires all of those to pull a case. Once you have them, submit your order through the NARA website.
Houston County Bankruptcy Records
Warner Robins is in Houston County. All bankruptcy filings for Houston County are handled by the Middle District of Georgia Bankruptcy Court. The Houston County Superior Court Clerk maintains state court records such as deeds, liens, and civil case filings. These state records may relate to a bankruptcy but are separate from the federal case file. The GSCCCA provides free index searches of state court records for every Georgia county, including Houston.
Nearby Georgia Cities
Macon is the closest major city and home to the Middle District's main office. Columbus and Albany are also in the Middle District. Atlanta, Augusta, and Savannah fall under other federal districts.