Bacon County Bankruptcy Records

Bacon County bankruptcy records are public documents stored in the federal court system. The county seat in Alma does not maintain these records at the local level. Instead, the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Georgia oversees all bankruptcy cases filed by Bacon County residents. You can search for filings, docket entries, and case documents online through PACER or get basic information for free by calling McVCIS. The federal clerk office in Savannah holds original case files and can provide copies on request.

Types of Bankruptcy in Bacon County

Bankruptcy cases from Bacon County come in several forms. Chapter 7 is the most common. It wipes out eligible debts through a liquidation process. Non-exempt assets get sold to pay creditors, and the rest is discharged. Most Chapter 7 cases in Bacon County wrap up within three to four months. Under 11 U.S.C., a means test decides who qualifies.

Chapter 13 lets you keep your property while paying back debts over time. A plan lasts three to five years. This is a popular choice for Bacon County residents who have a job but are behind on a mortgage or car loan. Chapter 12 is available to family farmers and fishermen. Given the rural nature of Bacon County, this chapter may apply to some local filers. Chapter 11 handles business reorganizations and is less common for individual filers.

All case types produce records that are open to the public. Docket sheets, petitions, schedules, and court orders are all accessible through the federal court system.

How to Search Bacon County Records

PACER is the primary tool. Registration is free. You can search by debtor name, case number, Social Security number (for attorneys), or other identifiers. Each search result shows case details, the full docket, and links to view filed documents. The system costs $0.10 per page. Bacon County cases are in the Southern District of Georgia database.

For a broader search, try the PACER Case Locator. It pulls results from all federal courts at once. This helps if someone who lived in Bacon County may have filed in a different state or district. You can save favorite searches and come back to check for updates on Bacon County records.

McVCIS is the phone alternative. Call 1-866-222-8029 any time of day. The system gives you case numbers, filing dates, chapter types, and names of assigned judges and trustees. Select the Southern District from the menu to search Bacon County.

Bacon County Bankruptcy Fees and Costs

Online access through PACER costs $0.10 per page. Documents of 30 pages or fewer are capped at $3.00 total. Viewing on public terminals at the clerk office is free. Printing from those terminals costs $0.10 per page.

Mail and in-person copy requests cost $0.50 per page. Certified copies are $12.00 extra per document. If the court needs to search for your Bacon County case because you don't have a number, that's a $34.00 fee. Use Form B1320 for record search requests. Payment goes by money order or certified check to "Clerk, U.S. Bankruptcy Court." Phone access through McVCIS costs nothing at all.

Federal Court for Bacon County

The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Georgia has jurisdiction over Bacon County. Three staffed offices serve this district. The Savannah office is at 124 Barnard Street, Second Floor, Savannah, GA 31401, reachable at (912) 650-4100. Augusta and Brunswick also have staffed offices. The Waycross location at 601 Tebeau Street is closer to Bacon County, but it is not always staffed. Hearings may be held there, but you should mail filings to the main office.

Visit the court's case information page to access search tools and learn about document retrieval options for Bacon County cases.

Bacon County Clerk Office

Shawna M. Carver is the Clerk of Superior Court for Bacon County. The office sits at 502 W 12th St, Suite 304, Alma, GA 31510. Phone is (912) 632-4915. Business hours run Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. This office deals with state court records, not federal bankruptcy filings.

The Bacon County clerk maintains civil case files, criminal records, property deeds, and lien records. Sometimes county records tie into bankruptcy cases. A judgment lien on Bacon County property, for instance, may show up in both county records and a federal bankruptcy petition. The GSCCCA offers statewide access to these state-level records.

The image below shows the GSCCCA page for Bacon County clerk information, a useful starting point for state court records related to bankruptcy in the county.

Remember that the clerk office in Alma only handles state records. Federal bankruptcy records for Bacon County go through the Southern District.

Georgia Exemptions for Bacon County Filers

Georgia opted out of the federal exemption scheme. Under O.C.G.A. 44-13-100, Bacon County residents must use state exemptions when filing for bankruptcy. Key protections include:

• Homestead: up to $21,500 ($43,000 for married couples in some cases)
• Motor vehicle: $5,000
• Personal property: $5,000 total, no single item over $300
• Jewelry: $500
• Tools of trade: $1,500
• Wildcard: $1,200 plus up to $10,000 of unused homestead

Social Security, veterans benefits, workers compensation (O.C.G.A. 34-9-84), and unemployment income are fully exempt with no dollar cap. Retirement accounts including 401(k) and IRA funds are also protected. These rules apply to every Bacon County bankruptcy regardless of which chapter is filed. The 730-day residency rule means you must have lived in Georgia for two years to use these exemptions. Otherwise, your prior state's exemptions may apply to your Bacon County filing.

Archived Cases from Bacon County

After a bankruptcy case from Bacon County has been closed for several years, the court transfers the records to NARA. Getting copies of archived cases requires extra steps. Call the Southern District clerk at (912) 650-4100 first. They provide the accession number, location number, and box number you need. Then you order directly from NARA. It takes longer than pulling an active record, so give yourself several weeks.

Nearby Counties

Bacon County is surrounded by several other counties in the Southern District. The same federal court handles bankruptcy cases for all of them.