Find Bankruptcy Records in Miller County

Miller County bankruptcy records are held by the federal court system, not the local courthouse in Colquitt. The Middle District of Georgia Bankruptcy Court manages all filings from this part of southwest Georgia. You can search these records through PACER or call the free McVCIS phone line to get basic case details. The clerk office in Macon processes all Miller County bankruptcy filings and stores the case documents. Public access is open to anyone who wants to look up a case, and most search tools work around the clock online.

Miller County Federal Bankruptcy Court

Miller County is part of the Middle District of Georgia Bankruptcy Court. The district covers 69 counties in the central and southwest parts of the state. Macon is home to the main office at the Thomas Jefferson Federal Building, 433 Cherry Street, Macon, GA 31201. The phone number there is 478-752-3506. A second staffed office is in Columbus at One Arsenal Place, 901 Front Avenue, Columbus, GA 31902. You can reach Columbus at 706-649-7837.

Hearings for Miller County cases may take place in Albany at the C.B. King U.S. Courthouse, 201 West Broad Avenue. Albany is not staffed full time. The court only opens that location when hearings are on the schedule. If you need to file something, mail it to the Macon office. Walking into the Albany office without a scheduled hearing is not likely to get you much help. The Middle District court info page has more on which locations are staffed and when.

Chief Judge Austin E. Carter leads the bench. Kyle George is the Clerk of Court.

How to Search Miller County Bankruptcy Records

PACER is the main way to search Miller County bankruptcy records online. Set up a free account and you can search by name or case number. Results show docket sheets, case documents, and filing dates. The cost is $0.10 per page, and no single document over 30 pages runs above $3.00. The system is live all day, every day.

Try the PACER Case Locator if you are not sure which court has the case. This tool pulls results from all federal courts at once. Someone from Miller County could have filed in another state or district. The Case Locator checks them all with a single search. It saves time and covers your bases.

McVCIS is a free phone option. Call 1-866-222-8029 from any touch tone phone. Pick the Middle District of Georgia and then search by name or case number. The system reads back the debtor name, filing date, case number, chapter, judge, and current status. There is no charge for this at all. It runs 24 hours a day except during rare maintenance windows.

Note: McVCIS gives general case data and is not the official court record.

Miller County Bankruptcy Filing Fees

PACER costs $0.10 per page to view or download documents. If you visit the clerk office in Macon, you can view records for free on the public computer terminals. Printing at those terminals costs $0.10 per page. Copies requested by mail or in person are $0.50 per page.

Certified copies of Miller County bankruptcy documents add $12.00 per document on top of the copy cost. If you don't have a case number, a records search costs $34.00. Submit Form B1320 along with payment by money order or certified check payable to "Clerk, U.S. Bankruptcy Court." Personal checks are only accepted from pro se filers. Cash works for in-person visits only.

Bankruptcy Types Filed in Miller County

Most people in Miller County file under Chapter 7 or Chapter 13. Chapter 7 is a liquidation case. The court may sell some of your assets to pay debts, then wipe the rest clean. It moves fast, usually wrapping up in a few months. Chapter 13 sets up a payment plan that lasts three to five years, letting the filer keep property while catching up on debts over time.

Chapter 11 is used by businesses to reorganize while still operating. It is less common in a rural county like Miller but still shows up in the records. Chapter 12 covers family farmers and fishermen. Given the agricultural roots in this part of Georgia, Chapter 12 cases do appear in Miller County filings more than in urban areas. All four types are managed by the same Middle District court.

Georgia Exemptions for Miller County Filers

Georgia has opted out of the federal exemption system. Miller County residents who file bankruptcy must use state exemptions set out in O.C.G.A. 44-13-100. The homestead exemption protects up to $21,500 in home equity. Married couples filing jointly can shield $43,000 if the home is in one spouse's name. Cars are protected up to $5,000.

Personal property gets a $5,000 total cap with no single item above $300 in value. Jewelry is safe up to $500. Tools of the trade are covered up to $1,500. The wildcard exemption of $1,200 can go toward any asset, and up to $10,000 of unused homestead can be stacked on top of it. That matters for renters in Miller County who don't use the homestead exemption at all.

Several types of income are fully exempt. Social Security, veterans benefits, workers comp under O.C.G.A. 34-9-84, unemployment, and alimony or child support cannot be touched. Retirement accounts like 401(k) plans and IRAs are also protected without a dollar limit.

Note: You must have lived in Georgia at least 730 days before filing to use these exemptions.

Miller County Clerk and State Records

The Miller County Clerk of Superior Court handles state records in Colquitt. This office deals with civil cases, criminal filings, property deeds, liens, and marriage records. None of these are bankruptcy records. But they can relate to a bankruptcy case. A lien on property in Miller County might appear in a debtor's bankruptcy petition. A deed transfer could happen as part of a bankruptcy settlement.

The Georgia Superior Court Clerks' Cooperative Authority provides online access to state court records from Miller County and every other county in Georgia. Use this resource when you need documents that connect to a bankruptcy case but sit in the state system instead of the federal one.

Below is the Middle District of Georgia Bankruptcy Court homepage, which serves Miller County for all federal bankruptcy filings.

This court site has forms, fee schedules, and contact details for the Macon and Columbus offices that process Miller County cases.

Archived Miller County Bankruptcy Cases

Closed bankruptcy cases from Miller County are sent to the National Archives and Records Administration after a number of years. To get copies, first call the clerk office in Macon at 478-752-3506. They will provide the accession number, box number, and location details you need. Then order directly from NARA. Processing takes a few weeks, so plan ahead if you need an old case file.

Nearby Counties

Miller County sits in the southwest corner of Georgia. Most of its neighbors are also served by the Middle District for bankruptcy filings, so the same court and clerk office handle records for the whole area.