Bankruptcy Records Search

This page is the state by state directory of bankruptcy courts. Every state has at least one federal judicial district and its own bankruptcy court, and the large states have several: Texas, California and New York each have four districts, and a case is filed in the district where the debtor lives or the business has its principal place. The state pages linked below name each district, its bankruptcy court website, the clerk's office and the trustee panel, and explain any local rules on searching the docket.

The nationwide search is the PACER Case Locator, which searches every district by name at once. The state page matters when you already know where the person lives, want the court's own free lookup tools, need the trustee handling a case or want to attend a meeting of creditors.

Official sources on this page were checked on September 25, 2026.

A bankruptcy case number reads district, year, sequence and chapter, such as 2:24-bk-10123 or 24-10123, and the district prefix tells you which court holds the file. A person files where they lived for the greater part of the 180 days before filing, so a recent move can put the case in an unexpected district. The federal court locator matches any county to its district, and each bankruptcy court's website explains its own docket access, which online means PACER, while the public terminals at the courthouse are free.

• Bankruptcy court locatorMatch a county to its federal district and bankruptcy court, checked September 25, 2026
• PACER Case LocatorNationwide search of bankruptcy cases by name, checked September 25, 2026
• Bankruptcy basicsThe chapters, the process and the forms explained by the federal courts, checked September 25, 2026
• Bankruptcy Records GuideWhat a bankruptcy file contains, PACER fees and credit reporting

Bankruptcy records are public under 11 U.S.C. 107(a), which makes a paper filed in a case and the court's docket public records open to examination at reasonable times without charge. The charge that does exist is for the delivery system, not for the right to look. There are four routes, and the right one depends on whether the case number is known and whether the documents or only the case facts are needed.

1. PACER, when the district is known

Each bankruptcy court runs its own PACER site. A registered user searches by name or case number, opens the docket and clicks any entry to read the document. The price is $0.10 per page with a cap of $3 per document, and if the account spends $30 or less in a calendar quarter the fees for that quarter are waived. Most people who look up one or two cases never pay.

2. The PACER Case Locator, when the district is unknown

The Case Locator is the national index. It searches all federal courts at once, appellate, bankruptcy and district, so a name typed once returns every bankruptcy case under it anywhere in the country, with the court and case number. It is updated once daily. The documents themselves are then opened on the court's own PACER site.

3. The courthouse, for free viewing

Electronic and paper court records kept at the court can be viewed at the courthouse for free on a public access terminal. The only charge is 10 cents per page to print. For a reader who wants to study a long set of schedules without a bill, the clerk's office is the cheapest room in the system.

4. The Voice Case Information System, for basic facts by phone

Every bankruptcy court runs a telephone information system, called the Voice Case Information System, that gives basic case information through a touchtone phone. It is free and available 24 hours a day. It gives basic case information, which is often all a researcher needs before deciding whether to pull the file.

Key Takeaway: Start with the routes that usually cost nothing. The Case Locator finds the court at 10 cents per page of results, a charge the $30 quarterly waiver usually absorbs, the Voice Case Information System confirms the case, and the courthouse terminal reads the file for nothing. PACER at home costs money only when the quarter passes $30.

• Common Mistake: searching one district. People file where they live, and people move. The Case Locator covers every district at once.
• Common Mistake: expecting the state court portal to show bankruptcies. Bankruptcy is federal. State court search sites do not index it.
• Common Mistake: paying a reseller for a document that costs 30 cents on PACER or nothing at the courthouse.

Official sources used in this section

• PACER pricing, how fees work. What it's useful for: the per page fee, the document cap and the quarterly waiver.
• PACER Case Locator, search the national index. What it's useful for: finding the court when only the name is known.
• Find a case, United States Courts. What it's useful for: free courthouse viewing and the Voice Case Information System.
• 11 U.S.C. 107. What it's useful for: the statute that makes the file public.

Each district has a panel of Chapter 7 trustees and a standing Chapter 13 trustee, appointed by the United States Trustee program of the Justice Department, and the trustee runs the meeting of creditors, while a creditor files its proof of claim with the bankruptcy court clerk or through the court's electronic claims system. Alabama and North Carolina are the exception to the trustee program: their districts use Bankruptcy Administrators appointed by the courts. The Bankruptcy Noticing Center sends the official notices, and creditors can register to receive them electronically. Published opinions of the bankruptcy courts are free on GovInfo, and the state court judgments and liens that led to a filing are in the county records.

• United States Trustee programTrustee lists by district and approved counseling agencies, checked September 25, 2026
• Bankruptcy Noticing CenterElectronic notices for creditors, checked September 25, 2026
• Federal court opinions on GovInfoFree published bankruptcy court opinions, checked September 25, 2026
• Judgments and Liens SearchCounty judgments and liens by state

Use these official and national resources before moving into a state page.

• PACER, Find a CaseOfficial federal portal for locating bankruptcy, district, and appellate court cases
• PACER Case LocatorNationwide federal case locator for searching bankruptcy cases across districts
• U.S. Courts, Bankruptcy BasicsOfficial explanation of bankruptcy chapters, eligibility, and process
• PACER Case Locator, Free Bankruptcy OpinionsFree access to published bankruptcy opinions and selected federal court materials
• CFPB, Bankruptcy on Your Credit ReportConsumer guidance on how long bankruptcy and other negative items may appear on credit reports
• PublicRecordCenter.com Home

How to Use This Portal

• Bankruptcy is federal. Cases are filed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court, so PACER and federal court district sites are the main sources for records and dockets.
• Find the right district. Large states may have multiple bankruptcy districts with different self-help pages, local rules, calendars, and filing systems.
• Check related records. Credit reports, judgments and liens, business filings, and court dockets may provide additional context when researching bankruptcy matters.