Irwin County Bankruptcy Records

Bankruptcy records from Irwin County are managed by the federal court system, not the county courthouse in Ocilla. The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Georgia handles all bankruptcy filings from this south-central Georgia county. Residents can search Irwin County bankruptcy case records through PACER online or use the free McVCIS phone service for basic details about a filing. The Middle District has staffed offices in Macon and Columbus where court staff maintain petitions, docket sheets, and all related documents from Irwin County cases.

Middle District Court Serving Irwin County

The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Georgia processes all Irwin County bankruptcy cases. The main office is at 433 Cherry Street, Macon, GA 31201, phone 478-752-3506. Columbus has the other staffed office at 901 Front Avenue, Columbus, GA 31902, phone 706-649-7837. For Irwin County residents, Macon is the nearest staffed location.

The Middle District holds hearings in Valdosta at 401 N. Patterson Street, which is closer to Irwin County than Macon. But that office is only staffed during hearings. For regular business, you go to Macon. Chief Judge Austin E. Carter leads the district. Kyle George is the Clerk. Irwin County is one of 69 counties in the Middle District.

Searching Irwin County Bankruptcy Records

PACER is the main tool for looking up Irwin County bankruptcy records online. Registration is free. Search by debtor name or case number. You get docket sheets, filed documents, and case status. PACER runs 24/7.

The PACER Case Locator is the all-courts search tool. It checks every federal court in one query. Useful when you are not sure which district handled a case, or if the debtor may have lived in another state before coming to Irwin County.

McVCIS costs nothing. Call 1-866-222-8029 and pick the Middle District of Georgia. The automated system reads out the debtor name, case number, chapter type, filing date, judge, trustee, and status. It runs all day, every day. No documents, but it tells you if an Irwin County bankruptcy case exists.

Visit the Macon clerk office for in-person access. View records on public terminals for free. Printing is $0.10 per page.

Irwin County Bankruptcy Fees

PACER charges $0.10 per page for searches and downloads. Documents of 30 pages or less are capped at $3.00. Public terminals at the clerk office are free to use. Prints cost $0.10 per page.

Mail and in-person copy requests run $0.50 per page. Certified copies are $12.00 extra per document. If you need the clerk to search by name because you lack a case number, file Form B1320 with a $34.00 fee. Pay by money order or certified check to "Clerk, U.S. Bankruptcy Court." Cash works for in-person requests at the Macon office.

Irwin County Bankruptcy Exemptions

Georgia requires state exemptions in all bankruptcy cases. Irwin County residents follow O.C.G.A. 44-13-100. The homestead exemption protects $21,500 of 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 up to $5,000 total, each item capped at $300. Jewelry gets $500. Tools of the trade are exempt to $1,500. The wildcard exemption of $1,200 covers any property type, and you can stack up to $10,000 of unused homestead on it. Social Security, workers compensation, unemployment, and veterans benefits are fully exempt in Irwin County bankruptcy cases.

Types of Irwin County Bankruptcy Filings

Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 are the two main types filed by Irwin County residents. Chapter 7 is liquidation. The trustee sells non-exempt property and remaining debts are discharged. It closes in about three to four months. Chapter 13 is a structured payment plan running three to five years. The debtor keeps assets and pays back a portion of debts from income.

Chapter 12 exists for family farmers and fishermen. Irwin County has a strong farming community, and this chapter may be relevant for some local filers. Chapter 11 covers business reorganization. All case types are filed through the Middle District and show up in PACER. These records are public under 11 U.S.C.

Irwin County Clerk and State Records

The Irwin County Clerk of Superior Court in Ocilla manages state court records. Civil cases, criminal filings, deeds, and liens pass through this office. Bankruptcy records are federal and not stored here. But county-level records can intersect with a bankruptcy filing. A lien on property in Irwin County could appear in a debtor's bankruptcy schedules.

Use the Georgia Superior Court Clerks Cooperative Authority to search Irwin County state records online. For bankruptcy filings, always go to the Middle District court or PACER.

The Middle District court website above is where Irwin County bankruptcy records are filed and stored.

Archived Irwin County Bankruptcy Cases

Closed cases from Irwin County are eventually moved to the National Archives and Records Administration. If PACER turns up nothing, the case may be at NARA. Call the Macon clerk at 478-752-3506 to check the status. They can give you the reference numbers for a NARA request. Plan on several weeks for processing.

Note: The clerk office can tell you if a case is still in the active system or has been transferred to NARA.

Residency and Filing Rules

You need 730 days of Georgia residency to claim state exemptions. Irwin County residents who moved from another state within the last two years may need to use their old state's exemptions. Re-filing restrictions apply. Eight years between Chapter 7 filings. Four years from Chapter 7 to Chapter 13. Two years between consecutive Chapter 13 filings. These federal rules are uniform across the Middle District.

Nearby Counties

Irwin County sits in south-central Georgia near several other Middle District counties. Bankruptcy records from these areas are all searchable through the same PACER system.