Find Harris County Bankruptcy Records

Harris County bankruptcy records are managed by the federal court system, not the local courthouse in Hamilton. The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Georgia oversees all bankruptcy filings from this west-central Georgia county. Residents can search Harris County bankruptcy records online using PACER or get case information at no charge by calling McVCIS. The Middle District has a staffed office in Columbus, which is close to Harris County and serves as a convenient location for in-person access to records and court services.

Middle District Court for Harris County

The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Georgia processes all Harris County bankruptcy filings. The Columbus office at One Arsenal Place, 901 Front Avenue, Columbus, GA 31902 is the nearest staffed location. Phone: 706-649-7837. The main Macon office is at 433 Cherry Street, Macon, GA 31201, with phone 478-752-3506. Both offices are staffed Monday through Friday.

Harris County sits right next to Muscogee County, so the Columbus office is the natural choice for most residents. Chief Judge Austin E. Carter leads the Middle District. Kyle George is the Clerk of Court. The district covers 69 counties in central and southwest Georgia. Columbus is also home to a qualifying city page for residents who live near that border.

Searching Harris County Bankruptcy Records

PACER is the primary tool for finding Harris County bankruptcy records. Registration is free. You search by debtor name or case number and get docket sheets, filed documents, and case status. The system runs 24 hours a day.

The PACER Case Locator searches all federal courts with one query. Use it when you are not certain which district handled the filing. People move through the Columbus metro area, and a Harris County resident may have filed in another state or district.

McVCIS is the no-cost phone option. Dial 1-866-222-8029 and choose the Middle District of Georgia. You get the debtor name, case number, chapter type, filing date, judge, trustee, and case status. It is available 24/7, 365 days a year. No documents, but it confirms if a Harris County case exists.

In-person access is available at the Columbus clerk office. View records on public computer terminals for free. Printing is $0.10 per page.

Harris County Bankruptcy Fees

PACER charges $0.10 per page for searches and downloads. The $3.00 cap applies to documents of 30 pages or fewer. Viewing at the clerk office is free. Prints cost $0.10 per page.

Copy requests by mail or in person run $0.50 per page. Certified copies add $12.00 per document. When you need the clerk to search by name and lack a case number, file Form B1320 with a $34.00 fee. Pay by money order or certified check payable to "Clerk, U.S. Bankruptcy Court." Cash is accepted at the Columbus and Macon offices for in-person requests.

Bankruptcy Exemptions in Harris County

Georgia requires state exemptions in all bankruptcy cases. Harris County filers follow O.C.G.A. 44-13-100. The homestead exemption shields up to $21,500 in home equity. Married couples can protect $43,000 if the home is in one spouse's name. The vehicle exemption is $5,000.

Personal property is covered to $5,000 total, with no single item over $300. Jewelry has a $500 cap. Tools of the trade get $1,500 of protection. The wildcard exemption of $1,200 can apply to any asset, and you can add up to $10,000 of unused homestead on top. Income from Social Security, workers compensation, veterans benefits, and unemployment is fully exempt in Harris County bankruptcy cases.

Types of Harris County Bankruptcy Filings

Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 make up the bulk of Harris County filings. Chapter 7 is liquidation. Non-exempt assets are sold and remaining debts are discharged. It usually wraps up in three to four months. Chapter 13 creates a repayment plan lasting three to five years. Debtors keep property and pay back a portion of their debts from income. This chapter is common for Harris County homeowners trying to keep their homes.

Chapter 12 is for family farming and fishing operations. Chapter 11 handles business reorganizations. All case types are filed in the Middle District and searchable through PACER. Public access is guaranteed under 11 U.S.C.

Harris County Clerk and State Court Records

The Harris County Clerk of Superior Court in Hamilton handles state-level records. Civil cases, criminal filings, real estate deeds, and liens go through this office. Bankruptcy records are not stored here. They belong to the federal court. But state records from Harris County can connect to a bankruptcy case. A deed transfer or judgment lien might appear in both the county records and a debtor's federal bankruptcy filing.

The Georgia Superior Court Clerks Cooperative Authority provides online access to state court records from all Georgia counties, including Harris County. Use it for deed and lien searches. For the bankruptcy case documents, always go through the Middle District court or PACER.

The Middle District court website above is where Harris County bankruptcy cases are processed and stored.

Archived Harris County Bankruptcy Records

Closed cases from Harris County are eventually sent to the National Archives and Records Administration. If PACER has no results for a case, it may be archived with NARA. Call the Columbus clerk office at 706-649-7837 or the Macon office at 478-752-3506 to check. They can provide the accession and reference numbers needed for a NARA request. Archived records take several weeks to arrive.

Note: Always confirm archive status with the clerk before contacting NARA.

Residency Requirements for Harris County

Georgia state exemptions require at least 730 days of residency before your filing date. Harris County residents who moved from another state within the last two years may have to use their prior state's exemptions instead. Re-filing limits apply across the board. Eight years between Chapter 7 discharges, four years from Chapter 7 to Chapter 13, and two years between Chapter 13 filings.

Nearby Counties

Harris County sits in west Georgia near the Alabama border. Neighboring counties are served by the Middle or Northern districts. Bankruptcy records from these areas are searchable through the same PACER system.