Jasper County Bankruptcy Records

Bankruptcy records for Jasper County are stored in the federal court system. The local courthouse in Monticello does not handle bankruptcy cases. The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Georgia manages all bankruptcy filings from this central Georgia county. You can search Jasper County bankruptcy records through PACER online or get free case information by phone through McVCIS. The Middle District clerk office in Macon keeps all petitions, docket entries, discharge orders, and supporting documents filed in Jasper County cases available for public review.

Middle District Court for Jasper County

The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Georgia handles all Jasper County bankruptcy filings. The main office is at 433 Cherry Street, Macon, GA 31201, phone 478-752-3506. The Columbus office at 901 Front Avenue, Columbus, GA 31902 is another staffed option, phone 706-649-7837. For Jasper County, Macon is the closer court location.

Chief Judge Austin E. Carter presides. Kyle George serves as Clerk. The Middle District covers 69 counties across central and southwest Georgia. Jasper County is one of them. Only the Macon and Columbus offices have full-time staff. Other locations like Athens are used for hearings only.

How to Find Jasper County Bankruptcy Cases

The best way to search is through PACER. Registration is free. You can look up any Jasper County bankruptcy case by debtor name or case number. PACER returns docket sheets, all filed documents, and current case status. The system works 24/7.

The PACER Case Locator searches across all federal courts with a single query. Use it when you are not sure which district has the case. It is a good starting point if the person may have filed outside the Middle District.

Call McVCIS at 1-866-222-8029 for free information. Select the Middle District of Georgia from the phone menu. You get the debtor name, case number, chapter, filing date, judge, trustee, and status. It is available every hour of every day. No document copies come through the phone, but it confirms the existence and basic details of a Jasper County filing.

Jasper County Bankruptcy Record Costs

PACER is $0.10 per page for all viewing and downloading. Documents under 31 pages are capped at $3.00. The public computer terminals at the Macon clerk office are free to use. Printing costs $0.10 per page.

Copies by mail or in person cost $0.50 per page. Certified copies add $12.00 per document. A search by name when you lack a case number costs $34.00. Submit Form B1320 with payment. Money order or certified check, payable to "Clerk, U.S. Bankruptcy Court." Cash is good for walk-in requests in Macon.

Jasper County Bankruptcy Exemptions

Georgia has its own exemption schedule that overrides the federal one. Jasper County filers use O.C.G.A. 44-13-100. The homestead exemption protects up to $21,500 in home equity. A married couple can shield $43,000 if the property is titled in one spouse's name. Vehicles get $5,000 protection. Personal property is covered to $5,000 total, no item over $300.

Jewelry has a $500 exemption. Trade tools are protected up to $1,500. The wildcard is $1,200, and up to $10,000 of unused homestead exemption stacks on top of it. Workers compensation, Social Security, unemployment, and veterans benefits have no cap. They are fully protected in all Jasper County bankruptcy cases.

Note: These exemption amounts are set by Georgia law and may change with new legislation.

Bankruptcy Case Types in Jasper County

Chapter 7 liquidation and Chapter 13 repayment plans are the most common filings in Jasper County. Chapter 7 sells non-exempt assets to pay creditors, then discharges remaining debts. It typically takes three to four months. Chapter 13 keeps the debtor's property intact while setting up a payment plan over three to five years.

Chapter 12 is designed for family farmers and fishermen. Jasper County has rural farmland where this could apply. Chapter 11 is for business reorganization. All case types go through the Middle District and show up in PACER searches. Under 11 U.S.C., the public can access all of these records.

Jasper County Clerk and State Court Records

The Jasper County Clerk of Superior Court in Monticello handles state-level records only. Civil cases, criminal filings, deeds, liens, and other state court matters are managed here. Bankruptcy records are not part of the county files. The federal court handles those. Still, state records and bankruptcy cases can overlap. A lien recorded in Jasper County might appear in a debtor's bankruptcy petition.

Search Jasper County state records through the Georgia Superior Court Clerks Cooperative Authority online. For all bankruptcy documents, use PACER or the Middle District clerk in Macon.

The Middle District court website shown here is where all Jasper County bankruptcy cases are filed and maintained.

Archived Jasper County Cases

Older closed cases from Jasper County are sent to the National Archives and Records Administration. If PACER does not show a case you are looking for, contact the Macon clerk at 478-752-3506. They can confirm the archive status and provide reference numbers for a NARA order. Archived records take several weeks to arrive.

Filing Requirements for Jasper County

Georgia exemptions require 730 days of state residency before the filing date. Jasper County residents who moved from another state within the last two years may need to use their prior state's exemptions. The re-filing limits are eight years between Chapter 7 filings, four years from Chapter 7 to Chapter 13, and two years between Chapter 13 filings. These rules come from federal law and apply to every case in the Middle District.

Nearby Counties

Jasper County borders several central Georgia counties in the Middle District. Bankruptcy records from these areas are searched through the same PACER system and Macon clerk office.