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Lea County, New Mexico Public Records

Find the right office in Lea County. Court cases, deeds and parcels, sheriff and jail records, vital records and county filings, each linked to the office that keeps them.

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Showing 11 official sources

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County court

New Mexico Federal Cases

The United States District Court for the District of New Mexico: federal civil and criminal cases filed in the state, with case records searched through PACER.

nmd.uscourts.gov
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State records

New Mexico Unclaimed Property

The New Mexico Taxation and Revenue Department runs the state's unclaimed property program, where owners search for money held in their name and file a claim.

tax.newmexico.gov
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New Mexico DPS Law Enforcement Records Bureau

Request a copy of a New Mexico State Police crash report, get fingerprint background checks, file a public records request, and find concealed carry license contacts and state crime reports.

dps.nm.gov
Open official site New Mexico DPS Law Enforcement Records Bureau
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New Mexico Licensing

Find info on alcohol and gaming licenses, private investigation regulations, financial institutions licensing status and more.

rld.nm.gov
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Local record guide

About public records in Lea County

County profile

Lea County at a glance

State
New Mexico
County seat
Lovington
Population
74,455
Area
4,394 sq mi
Founded
1917
Cities and towns
9

Lea County offices and records

Sheriff & Law Enforcement. Lea County Sheriff's Office is responsible for law enforcement in the unincorporated areas of Lea County.

Police Departments. Lea County is served by several law enforcement agencies, including Lea County Sheriff's Office and municipal police departments in cities such as Hobbs, Lovington, Eunice, and Jal.

Law Enforcement & Arrests. Lea County Sheriff's Office, headquartered at 1700 North Dal Paso Street in Hobbs, NM 88240, is the primary law enforcement agency for unincorporated areas of Lea County. Inmate information can be obtained by calling the detention center or visiting the Sheriff's Office in person; current inmate rosters may be available through the facility or by direct inquiry. The Hobbs Police Department is located at 410 North Shipp Street, Hobbs, NM 88240, and can be contacted through the office’s website. Arrest records in Lea County are considered public records under the New Mexico Inspection of Public Records Act (NMSA 1978, §§ 14-2-1 to 14-2-12), which grants citizens the right to inspect public records with limited exceptions.

Arrest Records. Arrest records in Lea County are maintained by Lea County Sheriff's Office and the respective municipal police departments.

Mugshots & Booking Photos. Mugshots in Lea County are taken and retained by Lea County Sheriff's Office during the booking process.

Abandoned mine records

Old mine workings in Lea County

Where the workings are, and the office that holds the mine maps.

From the old mine records

What is on record in Lea County

Old mine sites
6
Sites with no status in the records
543
Still producing
16
Worked underground, in the mine records
2
Main minerals
construction sand and gravel; Potassium
Holes drawn on the old survey maps
728
Shafts and tunnels
2
What they are
gravel pit, quarry, mine shaft, gravel/borrow pit - undifferentiated
Maps surveyed
1962 to 1985
Records behind them
1,307 records for 1,293 sites, the rest are the same working written down more than once

Is an old working under a property here?

The mine records hold 565 named mine sites inside the county, 6 of them worked out or abandoned; the old survey maps add 728 holes drawn inside the county, 2 of them shafts or tunnels. The minerals the records name are construction sand and gravel; Potassium.

A point in either file is a location, not a property line: the sheet shows the opening on the surface, not the rooms under it. The record that shows what runs under a parcel is the mine map. The OSMRE National Mine Map Repository holds scanned underground mine maps and answers requests for a named mine or an area.

600 of 734 shown
Lea County: the boundary from the Census Bureau, and one dot for each old mine or hole on record inside it. The purple dots come off the old survey maps and the darkest of those are shafts and tunnels; the red, green and orange ones are mine records. Hover a dot for its name.
New Mexico mine map and abandoned mine records
Named workings recorded in Lea County (200 shown, 365 more named and 728 unnamed on the map)

Disclaimer: The mine information here is for general information only. Old mine records can be incomplete, outdated or wrong, and finding nothing here does not mean there is nothing there. Check with the mine map office named here before you rely on it, and have a qualified engineer look at any ground you are worried about. PublicRecordCenter.com assumes no responsibility or liability for any errors, omissions, or consequences arising from the use of this information.

Straight answers

Lea County public-records FAQs

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Where can I find mugshots or booking photos in Lea County, New Mexico?

Booking photos are kept by the agency that made the arrest, such as the Lea County Sheriff or a city police department in Lea County. Ask that agency for its record.

How do I get a criminal background check in Lea County, New Mexico?

The New Mexico criminal history record comes from the New Mexico Department of Public Safety, Law Enforcement Records Bureau. Send a notarized DPS Authorization for Release of Information form with a money order or cashier's check payable to the Department of Public Safety to see your own arrest record (Section 29-10-6(A) of the Arrest Record Information Act). Fee: $15.00 per record check.

How can I look up sex offenders in Lea County, New Mexico?

Search the New Mexico DPS Sex Offender Registry, or every state at once on the National Sex Offender Public Website run by the U.S. Department of Justice.

How do I register to vote in Lea County, New Mexico?

Register with the county clerk or through the New Mexico Secretary of State. You can also register online with the state online registration. Voter registration closes 28 days before an election (Section 1-4-8 NMSA 1978); same day registration is available in person at an early voting or Election Day polling location.

How do I look up property records in Lea County, New Mexico?

Deeds and other recorded land documents in Lea County are kept by the Lea County clerk. Property values are set by the county assessor, and tax bills come from the county treasurer. Source: official state page.

How do I get a birth or death certificate in Lea County, New Mexico?

Certified birth and death certificates for New Mexico come from the New Mexico Department of Health, Bureau of Vital Records and Health Statistics. Many New Mexico Public Health Offices offer Vital Records services and can issue birth certificates; death certificates must be ordered through the Santa Fe office. By mail with a certified check or money order payable to New Mexico Vital Records to Post Office Box 26110, Santa Fe, NM 87502, or online or by phone through VitalChek, the authorized expediting service. Fee: $10 search fee per certified birth certificate; $5 per certified death certificate.

How do I find business license records in Lea County, New Mexico?

Business entity filings are searched with the New Mexico Secretary of State.

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Cities, towns and neighboring counties

Use the city page when a record was created by a municipal police department or city office; use the county page for courts, deeds, vital records and jail custody.