(a) After an estate is fully administered and the court has 
discharged the trustee, the court shall close the case.
    (b) A case may be reopened in the court in which such case was 
closed to administer assets, to accord relief to the debtor, or for 
other cause.

(Pub. L. 95-598, Nov. 6, 1978, 92 Stat. 2569; Pub. L. 98-353, title III, 
Sec. 439, July 10, 1984, 98 Stat. 370.)


                      Historical and Revision Notes

                        senate report no. 95-989

    Subsection (a) requires the court to close a bankruptcy case after 
the estate is fully administered and the trustee discharged. The Rules 
of Bankruptcy Procedure will provide the procedure for case closing. 
Subsection (b) permits reopening of the case to administer assets, to 
accord relief to the debtor, or for other cause. Though the court may 
permit reopening of a case so that the trustee may exercise an avoiding 
power, laches may constitute a bar to an action that has been delayed 
too long. The case may be reopened in the court in which it was closed. 
The rules will prescribe the procedure by which a case is reopened and 
how it will be conducted after reopening.


                               Amendments

    1984--Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 98-353 substituted ``A'' for ``a''.


                    Effective Date of 1984 Amendment

    Amendment by Pub. L. 98-353 effective with respect to cases filed 90 
days after July 10, 1984, see section 552(a) of Pub. L. 98-353, set out 
as a note under section 101 of this title.

                  Section Referred to in Other Sections

    This section is referred to in sections 554, 703, 901 of this title.