New Mexico Court Records
How New Mexico's courts are organized, where their records are kept and how to search them.
New Mexico's state courts share a statewide case management system, and the public can search district, magistrate and Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court cases for free through the Case Lookup site.
Probate and municipal courts are run locally and are not fully covered by the statewide search.
New Mexico's Case Lookup has been free and statewide since the courts finished moving onto the Odyssey case management system, and it covers criminal, civil, domestic relations and probate cases filed in district court, plus magistrate and Metropolitan Court cases. Documents are not generally available online, but the docket shows filings, hearings and outcomes.
How New Mexico's courts are organized
New Mexico has two appellate courts and several kinds of trial courts.
New Mexico Supreme Court
Five justices hear appeals in life sentence cases, review Court of Appeals decisions and oversee the courts.
New Mexico Court of Appeals
Hears most appeals from the district courts.
District courts
The general jurisdiction trial courts, in 13 judicial districts. They hear felonies, larger civil cases, family, juvenile and contested probate cases.
Magistrate courts and Metropolitan Court
Magistrate courts in each county hear misdemeanors, traffic and smaller civil cases. In Bernalillo County (Albuquerque), the Metropolitan Court fills that role.
Probate and municipal courts
County probate courts handle uncontested estates; municipal courts handle city ordinance and traffic cases.
Searching New Mexico court records online
Case Lookup is the starting point for New Mexico state court cases.
- New Mexico Courts Case LookupFree statewide search of district, magistrate, Metropolitan and appellate court cases.
- New Mexico CourtsCourt directories, opinions, forms and self-help.
Getting records from the clerk's office
For copies of case files, contact the clerk of the district court, magistrate court or Metropolitan Court where the case was filed. Clerks provide copies and certified copies for set fees.
Deeds are kept by the county clerk.
District court clerks can provide copies of documents in public cases, and many district courts accept records requests by email. Magistrate court records come from the magistrate court for the county, and the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court has its own records office in Albuquerque.
- New Mexico court directoryFind any New Mexico court.
What is public, and what is not
Most New Mexico court records are public, but juvenile, adoption, mental health and some family records are confidential. Court rules govern sealing and personal identifiers.
New Mexico's Criminal Record Expungement Act allows expungement of arrest records and many convictions after a waiting period. Expunged records are removed from public access.
The New Mexico Supreme Court's rules on public access to court records make most case records public, while sealing requires a court order based on specific findings. Children's Court records (juvenile delinquency and abuse and neglect cases) and adoption files are confidential.
- New Mexico Courts: ExpungementForms and information on expungement are available from the courts' self-help pages.
Older and archived records
Historical court records, including territorial-era files, are held by the New Mexico State Records Center and Archives in Santa Fe.
Much of New Mexico's territorial court history, including Spanish and Mexican era records, is preserved at the State Records Center and Archives in Santa Fe.
- New Mexico State Records Center and ArchivesHistorical state and court records.
Criminal history and background records
A court file tells you what happened in one case in one court. A criminal history record (often called a rap sheet) pulls together arrests, charges and outcomes reported from across the state, so it is a different product kept by a different agency.
The New Mexico Department of Public Safety keeps the state's criminal history records. Checks generally require fingerprints or the subject's consent.
- NM DPS criminal recordsInformation on criminal history records and background checks.
- New Mexico sex offender registryPublic search of registered sex offenders.
- New Mexico Corrections Department offender searchInformation about people in state custody.
Federal court records in New Mexico
Federal cases, including federal crimes, bankruptcies, and lawsuits over federal law or between citizens of different states, are not filed in New Mexico's state courts. New Mexico is a single federal judicial district, and each has its own clerk's office:
Federal case files are searched through PACER, the federal judiciary's records system. PACER charges a small fee per page, but you pay nothing if your charges stay under the quarterly fee-waiver threshold, court opinions are free, and every federal courthouse has public terminals you can use at no cost. Many PACER documents have also been copied into the free RECAP Archive on CourtListener. Appeals from New Mexico's federal courts go to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit.
Tips for a faster search
- New Mexico case numbers start with a court code, such as D-202 for the Second Judicial District Court in Albuquerque.
- If a case is from a municipal court or probate court, contact that court directly.
- Expunged cases will not appear in Case Lookup.
- Case Lookup lets you filter by court type and county; district court case numbers begin with D followed by a court code, which tells you which judicial district heard the case.
- Have the full names of the parties, the county and a rough date range ready. A case number is the fastest way in if you have one.
- Online indexes are not the official record. If a decision depends on it, get a copy (or a certified copy) from the clerk's office that holds the file.
Legal help and law libraries
Clerks and law librarians can explain how to find a record, but they cannot give legal advice. These organizations can point you in the right direction:
- New Mexico Supreme Court Law LibraryPublic law library in Santa Fe.
- New Mexico Legal AidFree civil legal help for eligible residents.
This guide is general information about public records, not legal advice. Court websites, fees and rules change, so confirm details with the court before you rely on them. Civics-Online.org is not affiliated with any court or government agency.