Bankruptcy in Texas

Resources for filing bankruptcy in Texas

Welcome to the Bankruptcy in Texas page, your source for Texas-related bankruptcy resources and information.

Be aware that bankruptcy laws and requirements differ from state to state. If you are not a resident of Texas, please consult the bankruptcy resources for your state via the links on the left side of this page.

Texas Bankruptcy Law

Provides an overview of bankruptcy laws in Texas as well as common Texas bankruptcy exemptions.

Texas Bankruptcy Exemptions

The U.S. Bankruptcy Code allows individuals to exempt certain property from creditors based on either federal or state-level exemptions. Specific exemptions (and amounts) vary from state to state.

Texas bankruptcy law allows residents to choose between using either the federal set of exemptions or the state set of exemptions. Texas bankruptcy exemptions include:

Homestead	100% homestead exemption
Automobile	One vehicle 100% exempt (value included in the personal property exemption of $60,000)
Other Property	Personal property in the aggregate amount of $60,000 – can include firearms, livestock, home furnishings, clothing, jewelry (with some restrictions), and farming/ranching vehicles
Other	Pensions, public benefits, and insurance

For more detailed information regarding exemptions and bankruptcy laws in Texas, your best bet is to consult with a Texas bankruptcy attorney.

Bankruptcy Attorney Texas

In case you don’t want to go it alone, detailed resources and referral links assisting you in finding a Texas bankruptcy attorney. Includes resources and links for several major Texas cities.

It’s feasible to file bankruptcy on your own, but there are advantages of both convenience and expertise to using the services of a bankruptcy attorney. Texas bankruptcy lawyers can help make your life a whole lot simpler in a relatively short time.

To find a Texas bankruptcy attorney in your area, you have a few options.

One option is to contact your local county bar association. A partial list of local bar associations in Texas is maintained here.

You can also contact the State Bar of Texas:

State Bar of Texas
1414 Colorado St.
Austin, TX 78701
Telephone: (512) 427-1463
Toll Free: (800) 204-2222

The State Bar of Texas also maintains an online lawyer referral service.

Based on income, free bankruptcy advice and representation may also be obtained in the state of Texas. See the Texas Lawyers Help’s website for a list of organizations that provide legal services to low-income clients in Texas.

Debt Management Credit Counseling Texas

All bankruptcy filers are required by law to receive pre-bankruptcy credit counseling as well as post-filing debtor education. Find approved Texas credit counseling providers and approved Texas debtor education agencies here.

As part of the bankruptcy laws that were put into place in 2005, individuals filing bankruptcy in Texas (with some limited exceptions) are required to receive mandatory credit counseling.

Texas Credit Counseling Debtor Education Agencies

Per the new bankruptcy laws of 2005, Texas residents seeking to file bankruptcy must:

• Complete a credit counseling course from an approved Texas credit counseling provider prior filing bankruptcy (within six months of filing); and
• Complete a debtor education course from an approved Texas debtor education agency prior to receiving a bankruptcy discharge (within 45 days of the 341 meetings with creditors for Chapter 7 filers).

In layman’s terms, you’re simply required to receive pre-filing and post-filing credit counseling. The sessions or courses are pretty straightforward. The pre-filing credit counseling typically takes less than two hours; the post-filing debtor education course is a little more involved and may take a bit longer.

The counseling course and the education course each typically costs $50 or less (spouses must each receive their own certificate), although if your income is less than 150% of the federal poverty level, you may qualify for a reduction or waiver for both courses.

One question a lot of people have is what impact will be receiving credit counseling have on their credit score? The answer? None. And just because you get credit counseling, doesn’t mean you have to file bankruptcy.

If you’re struggling with debt and not sure what to do, credit counseling may be something to seriously consider. You get non-biased information from a nonprofit agency, allowing you to learn more about bankruptcy as well as alternatives to bankruptcy.

Texas Bankruptcy Means Test

Do you qualify to file Chapter 7 bankruptcy in Texas? Review the Texas Bankruptcy Means Test requirements here.

Texas Bankruptcy Court

Texas Bankruptcy Courts are first divided into four districts and then further divided into numerous divisions. This page provides detailed contact information to assist you in determining where you would file.

Bankruptcy courts in Texas are divided into four districts: Northern, Southern, Western, and Eastern. Each district is comprised of several divisions, and each division covers numerous counties.

Generally, it will be your county of residence that determines in which Texas bankruptcy district and division that you would file your bankruptcy petition. Be aware that if either the location of your principal place of business or the location of your primary assets is different from your county of residence, those may be a factor in determining where you should file.

Texas Bankruptcy Court – Northern District

Counties of Jurisdiction:

• Abilene Division – Callahan, Eastland, Fisher, Haskell, Howard, Jones, Mitchell, Nolan, Shackelford, Stephens, Stonewall, Taylor and Throckmorton Counties
• Amarillo Division – Armstrong, Briscoe, Carson, Castro, Childress, Collingsworth, Dallam, Deaf Smith, Donley, Gray, Hall, Hansford, Hartley, Hemphill, Hutchinson, Lipscomb, Moore, Ochiltree, Oldham, Parmer, Potter, Randall, Roberts, Sherman, Swisher and Wheeler Counties
• Dallas Division – Dallas, Ellis, Hunt, Johnson, Kaufman, Navarro and Rockwall Counties
• Fort Worth Division – Comanche, Erath, Hood, Jack, Palo Pinto, Parker, Tarrant and Wise Counties
• Lubbock Division – Bailey, Borden, Cochran, Crosby, Dawson, Dickens, Floyd, Gaines, Garza, Hale, Hockley, Kent, Lamb, Lubbock, Lynn, Motley, Scurry, Yoakum and Terry Counties
• San Angelo Division – Brown, Coke, Coleman, Concho, Crockett, Glasscock, Irion, Menard, Mills, Reagan, Runnels, Schleicher, Sterling, Sutton and Tom Green Counties
• Wichita Falls – Archer, Baylor, Clay, Cottle, Foard, Hardeman, King, Knox, Montague, Wichita, Wilbarger, and Young

DIVISION	STREET ADDRESS	MAILING ADDRESS	TELEPHONE
Abilene	Cases and pleadings need to be filed at the Lubbock office (information below).
Amarillo	U.S. Bankruptcy Court 624 South Polk – Suite 100 Amarillo, TX 79101-2389	Same	(806) 324-2302
Dallas	U.S. Bankruptcy Court Earle Cabell Building, U.S. Courthouse 1100 Commerce Street Room 1254 Dallas, TX 75242-1496	Same	(214) 753-2000
Fort Worth	U.S. Bankruptcy Court Eldon B. Mahon U.S. Courthouse 501 W. Tenth Street Fort Worth, TX 76102-3643	Same	(817) 333-6000
Lubbock	U.S. Bankruptcy Court 306 Federal Building 1205 Texas Avenue Lubbock, TX 79401-4002	Same	(806) 472-5000
San Angelo	Cases and pleadings need to be filed at the Lubbock office (information above).
Wichita Falls	Cases and pleadings need to be filed at the Dallas office (information above).

Texas Bankruptcy Court – Southern District

Counties of Jurisdiction:

Brownsville Division – Cameron and Willacy Counties

Corpus Christi Division – Aransas, Bee, Brooks, Duval, Jim Wells, Kenedy, Kleberg, Live Oak, Nueces and San Patricio Counties

Galveston Division – Brazoria, Chambers, Galveston and Matagorda Counties

Houston Division – Austin, Brazos, Colorado, Fayette, Fort Bend, Grimes, Harris, Madison, Montgomery, San Jacinto, Walker, Waller and Wharton Counties

Laredo Division – Jim Hogg, La Salle, McMullen and Zapata Counties

McAllen Division – Hidalgo and Starr Counties

Victoria Division – Calhoun, DeWitt, Goliad, Jackson, Lavaca, Refugio and Victoria Counties

DIVISION	STREET ADDRESS	MAILING ADDRESS	TELEPHONE
Brownsville	U.S. Bankruptcy Court U.S. Courthouse 600 E. Harrison Street Suite 101 Brownsville, TX 78520	Same	(956) 548-2500
Corpus Christi	U.S. Bankruptcy Court 1133 N. Shoreline Blvd. Corpus Christi, TX 78401	Same	(361) 888-3484
Galveston	U.S. Bankruptcy Court 601 Rosenberg, Room 411 Galveston, TX 77550	U.S. Bankruptcy Court PO Drawer 2300 Galveston, TX 77553	(409) 766-3530
Houston	U.S. Bankruptcy Court 515 Rusk Avenue Houston, TX 77002	U.S. Bankruptcy Court PO Box 61010 Houston, TX 77208	(713) 250-5500
Laredo	U.S. Bankruptcy Court U.S. Courthouse 1300 Victoria Street, Suite 1131 Laredo, TX 78040	Same	(956) 723-3542
McAllen	U.S. Bankruptcy Court Bentsen Tower 1701 W. Bus. Hwy. 83 Suite 1011 McAllen, TX 78501	U.S. Bankruptcy Court PO Box 5059 McAllen, TX 78501	(956) 618-8065
Victoria	U.S. Bankruptcy Court Martin Luther King Jr. Federal Building 312 S. Main, Room 406 Victoria, TX 77901	U.S. Bankruptcy Court PO Box 1638 Victoria, TX 77902	(361) 788-5009

Texas Bankruptcy Court – Western District

Counties of Jurisdiction:

Austin Division – Bastrop, Blanco, Burleson, Burnet, Caldwell, Gillespie, Hays, Kimble, Lampasas, Lee, Llano, Mason, McCulloch, San Saba, Travis, Washington and Williamson Counties

El Paso Division – El Paso County

Midland Division – Andrews, Brewster, Crane, Culberson, Ector, Hudspeth, Jeff Davis, Loving, Martin, Midland, Pecos, Presidio, Reeves, Upton, Ward and Winkler Counties

San Antonio Division – Atascosa, Bandera, Bexar, Comal, Dimmit, Edwards, Frio, Gonzales, Guadalupe, Karnes, Kendall, Kenney, Kerr, Maverick, Medina, Real, Terrell, Uvalde, Val Verde, Wilson and Zavala Counties

Waco Division – Bell, Bosque, Coryell, Falls, Freestone, Hamilton, Hill, Leon, Limestone, McLennan, Milam, Robertson and Somervell Counties

DIVISION	STREET ADDRESS	MAILING ADDRESS	TELEPHONE
Austin	U.S. Bankruptcy Court Homer J. Thornberry Federal Judicial Bldg. 903 San Jacinto Blvd., Suite 322 Austin, TX 78701	Same	(512) 916-5237
El Paso	U.S. Bankruptcy Court 8515 Lockheed El Paso, TX 79925	U.S. Bankruptcy Court PO Box 971040 El Paso, TX 79997	(915) 779-7362
Midland	U.S. Bankruptcy Court U.S. Post Office Annex 100 East Wall Street Room P-163 Midland, TX  79701	Same	(432) 683-1650
San Antonio	U.S. Bankruptcy Court U.S. Courthouse 615 East Houston Street, Room 137 San Antonio, TX 78205	U.S. Bankruptcy Court PO Box 1439 San Antonio, TX 78295	(210) 472-6720
Waco	U.S. Bankruptcy Court 800 Franklin Avenue Suite 140 Waco, TX 76701	Same	(254) 750-1513

Texas Bankruptcy Court – Eastern District

Counties of Jurisdiction:

• Beaumont Division – Hardin, Jasper, Jefferson, Liberty, Newton and Orange Counties
• Lufkin Division – Angelina, Houston, Nacogdoches, Polk, Sabine, San Augustine, Shelby, Trinity and Tyler Counties
• Marshall Division – Camp, Cass, Harrison, Marion, Morris and Upshur Counties
• Sherman Division – Collin, Cooke, Delta, Denton, Fannin, Grayson, Hopkins and Lamar Counties
• Texarkana Division – Bowie, Franklin, Red River and Titus Counties
• Tyler Division – Anderson, Cherokee, Gregg, Henderson, Panola, Rains, Rusk, Smith, Van Zandt and Wood Counties

DIVISION	STREET ADDRESS	MAILING ADDRESS	TELEPHONE
Beaumont	U.S. Bankruptcy Court Suite 100 300 Willow Street Beaumont, TX 77701	Same	(409) 839-2617
Lufkin	U.S. Bankruptcy Court Suite 100 300 Willow Street Beaumont, TX 77701	Same	(409) 839-2617
Marshall	U.S. Bankruptcy Court 9th Floor 110 North College Ave Tyler, TX 75702	Same	(903) 590-3200
Sherman	U.S. Bankruptcy Court Suite 300B 660 North Central Expressway Plano, TX 75074	Same	(972) 509-1240
Texarkana	U.S. Bankruptcy Court Suite 300B 660 North Central Expressway Plano, TX 75074	Same	(972) 509-1240
Tyler	U.S. Bankruptcy Court 9th Floor 110 North College Ave Tyler, TX 75702	Same	(903) 590-3200