Johnson County Bankruptcy Records
Johnson County bankruptcy records are filed with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Texas, Fort Worth Division. If you need to search for a bankruptcy case filed by a resident or business in Johnson County, the federal court system handles all filings. Cases can be found through PACER, the federal courts' online access system. The county seat is Cleburne, and anyone living or doing business in Johnson County falls under the jurisdiction of the Fort Worth Division. This page walks you through how to find records, what they contain, and how the filing process works.
Johnson County Overview
Federal Court for Johnson County
Johnson County is served by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Texas, Fort Worth Division. The Fort Worth Division handles all bankruptcy cases for Johnson County residents and businesses. The court sits at the Eldon B. Mahon U.S. Courthouse, 501 W. 10th Street, Fort Worth, TX 76102. All petitions, schedules, and related filings go through this court.
The Northern District of Texas covers a wide swath of the state. The Fort Worth Division serves Johnson County alongside Tarrant, Parker, Hood, Somervell, Erath, and other surrounding counties. If you have a case number or a debtor name, you can pull up the full docket from this division's records. Phone contact for the Northern District clerk's office is (214) 753-2000.
| Court | U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Northern District of Texas |
|---|---|
| Division | Fort Worth Division |
| Address | Eldon B. Mahon U.S. Courthouse 501 W. 10th Street Fort Worth, TX 76102 |
| Phone | (214) 753-2000 |
| Website | txnb.uscourts.gov |
Johnson County Bankruptcy Records Lookup
The main tool for finding Johnson County bankruptcy records is PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records). PACER gives you access to case files, dockets, and documents from all federal bankruptcy courts, including the Northern District. You need a PACER account to search. Registration is free, but document downloads cost a small per-page fee. You can search by debtor name, Social Security number, or case number.
Under 11 U.S.C. ยง 107, most bankruptcy papers are public records. That means anyone can look them up. Some items may be sealed by court order, but the bulk of a case file is open. Petitions, schedules of assets and debts, meeting of creditors notices, and discharge orders are all accessible through PACER for Johnson County cases.
The Northern District also maintains a PACER Case Locator that lets you search across all federal districts at once. This is useful if you are not sure which court handled a particular filing. For Johnson County, cases filed before electronic records were common may require a visit or a written request to the Fort Worth courthouse.
The Johnson County government maintains local records such as property deeds and tax data at the Johnson County Government offices in Cleburne. Those records are separate from bankruptcy filings but can be relevant when reviewing a debtor's assets.
The Northern District of Texas handles bankruptcy filings for Johnson County through its Fort Worth Division. The court's official site lists local rules, forms, and filing requirements for all cases in the district.
All Johnson County filings go through the Northern District. Local rules and filing procedures are posted on the court's website.
How to File Bankruptcy in Johnson County
Filing bankruptcy in Johnson County means going through federal court. You file your petition with the Northern District of Texas, Fort Worth Division. The filing fee for a Chapter 7 case is $338. A Chapter 13 case costs $313 to file. You can request to pay in installments if you cannot pay all at once, or ask the court to waive the fee if your income is low enough.
Most people use an attorney to file. You are not required to have one, but the forms and rules are complex. The Northern District requires electronic filing through CM/ECF for attorneys. Pro se filers (people without lawyers) may file paper documents at the clerk's office. Before you file any chapter, you must complete a credit counseling course from a court-approved provider. You can find the list on the Northern District forms page. After filing, you have to complete a debtor education course before the court can grant your discharge.
Chapter 7 is a liquidation bankruptcy. It wipes out most unsecured debt like credit cards and medical bills. Chapter 13 lets you keep assets and pay back debts over three to five years. Which one works better depends on your income, what you own, and what type of debt you have. The U.S. Trustee's office, part of Region 6, oversees trustees and monitors cases in Johnson County.
Note: The means test determines whether you qualify for Chapter 7. If your income is above the median for Texas households of your size, you may be required to file Chapter 13 instead.
Johnson County Government and Records
The Johnson County Clerk's office in Cleburne keeps county-level public records. This includes property deeds, liens, and tax records. These records are separate from bankruptcy filings but often come up during a bankruptcy case. If a debtor owns property in Johnson County, the county deed records will show that. Creditors and trustees often check county records to verify asset claims.
The county courthouse is located in Cleburne. You can visit in person or check their website at johnsoncountytx.org for contact info and available services. Property records and tax appraisal data may be searchable online through the county's portals. These records are public and can be used alongside PACER data when reviewing a bankruptcy case.
Nearby Counties in the Fort Worth Division
These counties are near Johnson County and are also served by the Northern District of Texas bankruptcy court system.