Douglas County Bankruptcy Records Search

Douglas County bankruptcy records are kept by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Georgia, not at the county courthouse in Douglasville. Located just west of Atlanta, Douglas County is part of the 46-county Northern District. All bankruptcy filings, docket sheets, and discharge records from Douglas County flow through the federal court system. You can search these records online at any time using PACER or get free basic case information by phone through the McVCIS system. In-person access is available at the Atlanta clerk office, which is a short drive from Douglasville.

Northern District Court for Douglas County

Every Douglas County bankruptcy case is processed at the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Georgia. The main office sits at 75 Ted Turner Drive SW, Room 1340, Atlanta, GA 30303 inside the Richard B. Russell Federal Building. Phone is (404) 215-1000. For Douglas County residents, the drive to the Atlanta courthouse takes about 30 minutes from Douglasville, depending on traffic.

The Northern District also has a divisional office in Newnan at P.O. Box 2328, Newnan, GA 30264, phone (678) 423-3000. This office may be closer for some Douglas County residents on the south side. Chief Judge Hon. Barbara Ellis-Monro heads the court. Vania S. Allen is the Clerk. Office hours run Monday through Friday from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM at all staffed locations.

How to Find Douglas County Bankruptcy Records

Three methods exist for searching Douglas County bankruptcy records. The most complete is PACER. Register for a free account and search by debtor name or case number. PACER gives you full access to docket entries, filed documents, hearing schedules, and case status updates. The system is live 24 hours a day and updates as the court files new documents.

The PACER Case Locator searches all federal courts nationwide. Use it when you are not sure which district has a case. A Douglas County resident who previously lived elsewhere might have filings in another state or district. The locator finds them all in one search.

McVCIS offers free phone access. Call 1-866-222-8029. Follow the prompts for the Northern District of Georgia. You get the debtor name, case number, filing date, chapter type, assigned judge, trustee name, attorney name, and case status. It runs all day, every day. No registration needed.

You can also use the public computer terminals at the clerk office in Atlanta. Viewing is free. Printing is $0.10 per page.

Douglas County Bankruptcy Costs

PACER charges $0.10 per page for all searches and downloads. Documents under 30 pages have a $3.00 cap. Viewing records on the clerk office public terminals costs nothing. Printing there runs $0.10 per page.

If you request copies by mail or in person, the rate is $0.50 per page. Certified copies add $12.00 per document on top of the page cost. When you need a records search and do not have a case number, the clerk charges $34.00. Submit Form B1320 with your payment. Use money orders or certified checks made out to "Clerk, U.S. Bankruptcy Court."

Note: McVCIS phone searches are free and provide basic Douglas County case details instantly.

Types of Bankruptcy Filed in Douglas County

Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 make up the vast majority of Douglas County bankruptcy filings. Chapter 7 is liquidation. The court sells non-exempt assets and discharges remaining debts. It is the quickest type, usually wrapping up in three to four months. Many Douglas County filers choose Chapter 7 because of its speed.

Chapter 13 keeps assets in the debtor's hands. Instead of liquidation, the debtor pays back debts over a three to five year plan. This is common among Douglas County homeowners who want to save their house from foreclosure. Chapter 11 handles business reorganization. Chapter 12 is for family farmers and fishermen. All case types go into the same Northern District records system and can be searched on PACER. Under 11 U.S.C., these records are public and accessible to anyone.

Douglas County Bankruptcy Exemptions

Georgia has opted out of federal exemptions. Douglas County residents filing bankruptcy use the state exemptions listed in O.C.G.A. 44-13-100. Key protections include:

• Homestead: $21,500 (up to $43,000 for married couples, one name on title)
• Motor 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 of unused homestead

Social Security, workers compensation, unemployment, veterans benefits, child support, and alimony are fully exempt with no dollar limit in Douglas County bankruptcy cases. These cannot be reached by creditors at all.

Douglas County Clerk and Related Records

The Douglas County Clerk of Superior Court in Douglasville handles state-level court records. Civil cases, criminal records, property deeds, liens, and plats are stored at the courthouse. Bankruptcy records are not maintained there. The clerk cannot look up federal bankruptcy cases.

State records from Douglas County can sometimes overlap with a bankruptcy case. A property deed transfer might be part of a Chapter 7 liquidation. A lien on a Douglas County home could appear in both the clerk records and the federal bankruptcy filing. Use the Georgia Superior Court Clerks Cooperative Authority to search for state records online. For the bankruptcy filing itself, go to the federal court through PACER or contact the Northern District clerk.

The image below shows the Northern District of Georgia Bankruptcy Court homepage where Douglas County cases are filed.

This website provides case information, filing guidelines, and links to electronic records for all 46 counties in the Northern District.

Residency and Re-Filing Rules

Douglas County residents must have lived in Georgia for at least 730 days to use the state exemption schedule. If you moved to Douglas County from another state less than two years ago, you may have to use your old state's exemptions instead. This is the domicile rule under federal bankruptcy law.

Re-filing restrictions apply after discharge. You must wait eight years between Chapter 7 filings. A Chapter 7 followed by Chapter 13 requires four years. Chapter 13 to Chapter 13 needs a two-year gap. These time frames run from the filing date of the prior case.

Archived Douglas County Bankruptcy Cases

Older cases from Douglas County are sent to the National Archives and Records Administration after they have been closed for a number of years. When a case is not on PACER anymore, call (404) 215-1000. The clerk staff will tell you if it has been transferred to NARA and give you the accession number, location number, and box number you need to order copies. Plan for a few weeks of processing time with NARA.

Nearby Counties

Douglas County is in the western metro Atlanta area. Each neighboring county is in the Northern District, so you can search bankruptcy records for all of them through the same PACER system and Atlanta clerk office.