Rule 3015.1. Requirements for a Local Form for Plans Filed in a Chapter 13 Case

Notwithstanding Rule 9029(a)(1), a district may require that a Local Form for a plan filed in a chapter 13 case be used instead of an Official Form adopted for that purpose if the following conditions are satisfied:

(a) a single Local Form is adopted for the district after public notice and an opportunity for public comment;

(b) each paragraph is numbered and labeled in boldface type with a heading stating the general subject matter of the paragraph;

(c) the Local Form includes an initial paragraph for the debtor to indicate that the plan does or does not:

(1) contain any nonstandard provision;

(2) limit the amount of a secured claim based on a valuation of the collateral for the claim; or

(3) avoid a security interest or lien;

(d) the Local Form contains separate paragraphs for:

(1) curing any default and maintaining payments on a claim secured by the debtor's principal residence;

(2) paying a domestic-support obligation;

(3) paying a claim described in the final paragraph of §1325(a) of the Bankruptcy Code; and

(4) surrendering property that secures a claim with a request that the stay under §§362(a) and 1301(a) be terminated as to the surrendered collateral; and

(e) the Local Form contains a final paragraph for:

(1) the placement of nonstandard provisions, as defined in Rule 3015(c), along with a statement that any nonstandard provision placed elsewhere in the plan is void; and

(2) certification by the debtor's attorney or by an unrepresented debtor that the plan contains no nonstandard provision other than those set out in the final paragraph.

(Added Apr. 27, 2017, eff. Dec. 1, 2017.)

Committee Notes on Rules-2017

This rule is new. It sets out features required for all Local Forms for plans in chapter 13 cases. If a Local Form does not comply with this rule, it may not be used in lieu of the Official Chapter 13 Plan Form. See Rule 3015(c).

Under the rule only one Local Form may be adopted in a district. The rule does not specify the method of adoption, but it does require that adoption of a Local Form be preceded by a public notice and comment period.

To promote consistency among Local Forms and clarity of content of chapter 13 plans, the rule prescribes several formatting and disclosure requirements. Paragraphs in such a form must be numbered and labeled in bold type, and the form must contain separate paragraphs for the cure and maintenance of home mortgages, payment of domestic support obligations, treatment of secured claims covered by the "hanging paragraph" of §1325(a), and surrender of property securing a claim. Whether those portions of the Local Form are used in a given chapter 13 case will depend on the debtor's individual circumstances.

The rule requires that a Local Form begin with a paragraph for the debtor to call attention to the fact that the plan contains a nonstandard provision; limits the amount of a secured claim based on a valuation of the collateral, as authorized by Rule 3012(b); or avoids a lien, as authorized by Rule 4003(d).

The last paragraph of a Local Form must be for the inclusion of any nonstandard provisions, as defined by Rule 3015(c), and must include a statement that nonstandard provisions placed elsewhere in the plan are void. This part gives the debtor the opportunity to propose provisions that are not otherwise in, or that deviate from, the Local Form. The form must also require a certification by the debtor's attorney or unrepresented debtor that there are no nonstandard provisions other than those placed in the final paragraph.