Greene County Bankruptcy Records

Bankruptcy records for Greene County residents are held in the federal court system. The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Georgia handles all bankruptcy filings from this central Georgia county with its seat in Greensboro. You can search Greene County bankruptcy records online using PACER or get case details at no cost through the McVCIS phone line. The Middle District keeps every petition, docket sheet, and court order filed in Greene County cases available for public access through its records system.

Middle District Court for Greene County

The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Georgia processes all Greene County bankruptcy cases. The main office is at the Thomas Jefferson Federal Building, 433 Cherry Street, Macon, GA 31201. Phone is 478-752-3506. A second staffed office operates in Columbus at One Arsenal Place, 901 Front Avenue, Columbus, GA 31902, with phone 706-649-7837. The Athens hearing location at 115 East Hancock Avenue may handle some Greene County hearings since it is closer, but that office is not regularly staffed.

Chief Judge Austin E. Carter leads the bench. Kyle George is the Clerk of Court. The Middle District covers 69 counties across central and southwest Georgia. Greene County is one of them. For mail, send documents to the Macon office address. Only the Macon and Columbus locations have full-time staff.

How to Look Up Greene County Bankruptcy Records

PACER is the primary tool for searching Greene County bankruptcy filings. It is the federal court electronic records system. Sign up for free and then search by debtor name or case number. You get docket sheets, every filed document, and real-time status updates. PACER is available around the clock.

Not sure where the case was filed? The PACER Case Locator checks every federal court nationwide. Enter a name and see results from all districts. This helps when a Greene County resident may have filed in another state or a different Georgia district.

For free phone access, dial McVCIS at 1-866-222-8029. Pick the Middle District of Georgia. The automated system gives you debtor name, case number, chapter, filing date, judge, trustee name, and case status. It runs every day, all day. You cannot get document copies by phone, but McVCIS confirms whether a Greene County bankruptcy case exists and provides its basic details.

In-person visits work too. Go to the Macon clerk office. Public terminals let you view records at no charge. Print for $0.10 per page.

Greene County Bankruptcy Filing Costs

PACER charges $0.10 per page for document access. The cap is $3.00 for documents of 30 pages or less. Using public terminals at the clerk office is free. Printing is $0.10 per page at those terminals.

Requesting copies in person or by mail costs $0.50 per page. Certified documents add $12.00 each. When you need a case search because you do not have a number, submit Form B1320 and pay the $34.00 fee. Make payments by money order or certified check to "Clerk, U.S. Bankruptcy Court." Cash works for in-person visits in Macon.

Bankruptcy Exemptions for Greene County Filers

Georgia does not allow the federal exemptions. Greene County residents who file bankruptcy follow O.C.G.A. 44-13-100 instead. The homestead exemption protects $21,500 in home equity. Married couples filing jointly can shield up to $43,000 if the property is in one spouse's name. A motor vehicle gets $5,000 of protection.

Personal property is covered up to $5,000 total, with no single item valued above $300. Jewelry gets a $500 exemption. Tools of the trade are protected to $1,500. The wildcard exemption of $1,200 can cover any asset, and you can add up to $10,000 of unused homestead exemption on top of it. Income from Social Security, workers compensation, veterans benefits, and unemployment is fully exempt with no limit.

Types of Bankruptcy Filed in Greene County

Most Greene County filings are Chapter 7 or Chapter 13. Chapter 7 is liquidation. The trustee sells non-exempt assets and uses the money to pay creditors. Most remaining debts are wiped out. This process usually takes three to four months. Chapter 13 is a repayment plan spanning three to five years. The debtor keeps property and pays back what they can.

Chapter 12 exists for family farmers. Chapter 11 handles business reorganizations. All case types are filed through the Middle District and appear in PACER. Under 11 U.S.C., these records are public and open to anyone.

Greene County Clerk and State Court Records

The Greene County Clerk of Superior Court in Greensboro manages state-level filings. This office handles civil suits, criminal cases, deeds, liens, and probate records. Bankruptcy records are not stored here. The federal court keeps those. However, records at the county level can connect to a bankruptcy case. A deed or judgment lien filed in Greene County might be referenced in a bankruptcy petition.

Search Greene County state records through the Georgia Superior Court Clerks Cooperative Authority online. For the bankruptcy filing itself, always use the federal court system or PACER.

The Middle District court website above is where all Greene County bankruptcy records are filed and maintained.

Archived Greene County Bankruptcy Records

Older closed cases from Greene County may be stored with the National Archives and Records Administration. If a PACER search comes up empty, the case might be archived. Call the Macon clerk office at 478-752-3506 for help. They can confirm the status and provide reference numbers for a NARA request. Expect several weeks for archived records to arrive.

Note: Contact the clerk office before ordering from NARA to confirm the case has been archived.

Residency Requirements for Greene County

To use Georgia exemptions, you must have lived in the state for 730 days before filing. Greene County residents who moved from another state within the last two years may need to apply their previous state's exemptions. Re-filing limits are eight years between Chapter 7 discharges, four years from Chapter 7 to Chapter 13, and two years between Chapter 13 filings. These rules are federal and apply to every case in the Middle District.

Nearby Counties

Greene County borders several central Georgia counties. Most are served by the Middle District. Searching bankruptcy records from these neighboring counties follows the same process.