National rank: 17th of 94 by total case volume (83th percentile). See all rankings below.
Section 01Filing Volume
Annual federal bankruptcy filings in N.D. Cal., FY 2010–2026. The most recent fiscal year is rendered with a muted marker to indicate its incomplete status.
Section 02Chapter Mix
Distribution of cases filed in N.D. Cal. by bankruptcy chapter. Computed over the 651,559 cases with a non-blank chapter code in the FJC IDB.
| Chapter | Purpose | Cases | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chapter 13 | Wage-earner plan | 392,620 | 60.26% |
| Chapter 7 | Liquidation | 247,780 | 38.03% |
| Chapter 11 | Reorganization | 10,560 | 1.62% |
| Chapter 12 | Family farmer / fisherman | 435 | 0.07% |
| Chapter 15 | Cross-border / ancillary | 90 | 0.01% |
| Chapter 9 | Municipality | 42 | 0.01% |
Section 03Case Dispositions
Of cases filed in N.D. Cal. from FY 2005 onward, 279,891 have a terminal disposition recorded in the FJC Integrated Database (43.6% of 641,744 in-window cases). 361,853 remain unclassified — either still open at the last FJC extract or not yet coded.
| Outcome | Cases | Share of classified |
|---|---|---|
| Discharged | 211,102 | 75.42% |
| Dismissed | 49,283 | 17.61% |
| Converted to another chapter | 16,806 | 6.0% |
| Other disposition | 2,687 | 0.96% |
Section 04Prior-Filer Rate (Chapter 13)
Of Chapter 13 cases in N.D. Cal. with a coded prior-filing flag in the FJC IDB, 20.05% (74,197 cases) carry a recorded prior bankruptcy filing. This metric is relevant to 11 U.S.C. § 1328(f) discharge eligibility.
National rank on Chapter 13 prior-filer rate: 74th of 94 (22th percentile).
Classified subset: 370,137 of 392,620 Chapter 13 cases. How this is computed.
Section 05Pro Se Filing Rate
Of classified N.D. Cal. filings, 8.66% (54,512 cases) were filed without an attorney of record.
National rank on pro se rate: 11th of 94 (89th percentile).
Classified subset: 629,347 of 651,559 cases. How this is computed.
Section 06National Rank
How N.D. Cal. compares to the other 93 US federal bankruptcy districts on the metrics above. A higher percentile indicates a higher value of the metric (e.g., 95th percentile on total volume means top 5% by case count).
Section 07Peer Districts
Three districts in the Ninth Circuit closest in total case volume to N.D. Cal..
Section 08Sitting Judges
Judges listed on the official court website at https://www.canb.uscourts.gov. Names and roles only; OBP does not publish qualitative characterizations of judges.
| Role | Name |
|---|---|
| Chief Judge | Johnson |
| Judge | Blumenstiel |
| Judge | Lafferty |
| Judge | Montali |
| Judge | Novack |
Section 09Local Rules & Filing Fees
Statutory federal filing fees are uniform across all US bankruptcy districts: $338 for Chapter 7, $313 for Chapter 13, $1,738 for Chapter 11, and $278 for Chapter 12 (current as of 2025). N.D. Cal. administers its local rules at the following location:
Current rule set effective December 1 2023.
Section 10Privacy Rule (FRBP 9037) Context
Federal Rule of Bankruptcy Procedure 9037 requires that Social Security Numbers, dates of birth, financial account numbers, and minor-child identifiers be redacted in bankruptcy filings. The Federal Judicial Center’s April 2024 empirical study, Unredacted Social Security Numbers in Federal Court PACER Documents, measured compliance across the federal court system.
A small number of documents account for a disproportionate share of exposure: 45% of unredacted SSNs (10,042) appeared in just 17 documents, which the authors frame as evidence of systemic actors rather than widespread filer error. The study also documented 54 violations involving Bankruptcy Form 121 — the form the court tells debtors “will not make publicly available.”
The Federal Judicial Center’s findings are not broken out by district, and OBP does not publish per-district compliance rates. The FJC study measures appearance of noncompliance, not adjudicated Rule 9037 violations. See the methodology page for why that distinction matters.
Primary source: Unredacted Social Security Numbers in Federal Court PACER Documents (FJC, April 2024).
Section 11RECAP Coverage
Of the 651,559 cases recorded for N.D. Cal. in the FJC IDB, 20 dockets (0.0%) are available free of charge in the Free Law Project’s RECAP Archive. Every case link on this site resolves to a free CourtListener page — no PACER fee, no paywall, no login required.
If the coverage number is lower than you’d expect, you can help. Installing the free RECAP browser extension contributes any PACER documents you already pay for to the public archive, at no cost to you.
Section 12Frequently Asked Questions
How many federal bankruptcy cases have been filed in N.D. Cal.?
According to the Federal Judicial Center Integrated Database, 651,559 cases have been filed in United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of California. N.D. Cal. ranks 17 of 94 US bankruptcy districts by total filing volume (83th percentile).
What is the chapter mix of bankruptcy filings in N.D. Cal.?
Of classified filings in N.D. Cal.: Chapter 13 accounts for 60.26% (392,620 cases), Chapter 7 for 38.03% (247,780 cases). The remaining filings consist of Chapter 11 reorganizations, Chapter 12 family farmer cases, and occasional cross-border proceedings.
What happens to bankruptcy cases in N.D. Cal.?
Of 279,891 cases with recorded outcomes (filed FY 2005 onward), 75.42% ended in discharge and 17.61% in dismissal. The remaining cases were converted to a different chapter or closed for other reasons. Cases still open at the last FJC extract are counted separately and excluded from these percentages.
What is the prior-filer rate on Chapter 13 cases in N.D. Cal.?
Of Chapter 13 cases in N.D. Cal. with prior-filing flags coded, 20.05% had a recorded prior bankruptcy filing. This metric is relevant to 11 U.S.C. § 1328(f) and refiling screening; see the methodology page for detail on how the flag is assigned.
What percentage of bankruptcy cases in N.D. Cal. are filed pro se?
Of N.D. Cal. filings with representation status coded, 8.66% were filed without an attorney of record.
How many N.D. Cal. cases are available in the free RECAP Archive?
CourtListener's RECAP Archive contains 20 dockets for N.D. Cal., representing 0.0% of FJC IDB-counted cases in this district. RECAP is operated by the Free Law Project; see free.law for attribution and how to contribute.