New Mexico People Search

New Mexico courts share one free statewide case lookup, so a search can start there and with these state offices before going to the county clerk and assessor. Bernalillo County, the most populous, is listed here and the others further down.

• New Mexico Secretary of State business searchCorporations, LLCs and nonprofits with agents and officers
• NM Courts Case LookupFree statewide search of district, magistrate and Metro court cases
• NM Corrections Department offender searchState inmates and people on probation or parole
• NM Department of Public Safety sex offender registryLaw Enforcement Records Bureau page with the registry search
• Bernalillo County ClerkDeeds, mortgages and marriage licenses for Albuquerque
• NM Bureau of Vital Records and Health StatisticsBirth and death certificates for eligible requesters

New Mexico's public records law is the Inspection of Public Records Act (IPRA, NMSA 14-2-1). A search here combines a free statewide court lookup, county property records that can go back to Spanish land grants, and federal, state and tribal courts that overlap.

The state is comparatively small by population (~2.1 million) but large by geography (5th largest by area). It contains 33 counties, 13 judicial districts, 19 Pueblos, the Navajo Nation (which extends into Arizona and Utah), and the Jicarilla Apache and Mescalero Apache reservations. Federal land, BLM, national forests, national monuments, and military installations, covers roughly a third of the state, which shifts many records into federal systems (BLM, BIA, DoD).

The statewide court lookup and county recorder systems make New Mexico one of the more open states in the Southwest; the key is knowing which level of government keeps the record.

New Mexico's executive branch records are concentrated in a handful of agencies. The Secretary of State handles corporate and election records; the Taxation and Revenue Department manages tax and motor vehicle records; and the State Records Center and Archives holds historical government documents.

• New Mexico Secretary of StateBusiness filings, notaries, lobbyists, campaign finance and elections
• NM Taxation and Revenue DepartmentState taxes and the Motor Vehicle Division; MVD records are restricted
• New Mexico Campaign Finance Information SystemPolitical contributions, spending and lobbyist reports

New Mexico operates a unified three-tier trial court system: District Courts (general jurisdiction, felonies, civil over $10,000, domestic relations), Magistrate Courts (misdemeanors, civil up to $10,000, small claims), and the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court (a distinct court for Albuquerque handling misdemeanors, DWI, traffic, and small civil). Probate is handled in Probate Courts (county-elected lay probate judges) for informal matters or in District Court for formal probate.

Why the NM Courts Case Lookup matters

New Mexico courts use one statewide case system, so the free NM Courts Case Lookup, linked in Where to Look, covers most public cases in every county. Sealed and juvenile cases are not shown.

• Supreme Court of New MexicoOpinions, orders and appellate dockets
• U.S. District Court for the District of New MexicoFederal civil and criminal cases; records on PACER

Property ownership in New Mexico is documented at the county level through a two-office structure: the County Clerk records deeds, mortgages, and liens; the County Assessor values real and personal property for tax purposes. County Treasurers collect property taxes. Many NM counties provide free online search portals; several use third-party platforms (Beacon/Schneider, True Automation, Tyler).

• Bernalillo County AssessorOwnership, values and parcel maps for Albuquerque
• Santa Fe CountyClerk and assessor records for the capital area
• Doña Ana CountyClerk and assessor searches for Las Cruces and southern New Mexico
• Sandoval CountyClerk, assessor and treasurer for Rio Rancho and the northwest metro

Researcher Tip: Spanish Land Grants. Property chains in northern NM counties (Taos, Rio Arriba, Mora, San Miguel, Santa Fe) frequently trace to Spanish or Mexican land grants pre-dating statehood. The State Records Center and Archives holds the original grant documents, while the U.S. Court of Private Land Claims (1891, 1904) records are at the National Archives.

New Mexico's professional licensing is handled primarily by the Regulation and Licensing Department (RLD), which oversees more than 30 boards and commissions. Medical professionals are licensed by the NM Medical Board; attorneys by the State Bar of New Mexico.

• NM Regulation and Licensing DepartmentContractor, real estate, cosmetology and other licenses
• New Mexico Medical BoardPhysician and physician assistant licenses with discipline
• State Bar of New MexicoAttorney directory with bar number and status

• Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locatorPeople held in federal custody

Birth and death certificates in New Mexico are restricted to the person of record, immediate family, and legal representatives (non-public). Marriage licenses are issued by and searchable through County Clerks. Divorce decrees are part of the district court record (searchable via the NM Courts Case Lookup).

NM voter registration is administered by the Secretary of State. A basic voter registration lookup is available for self-verification; the full voter file is available to political parties, candidates, and certain researchers under statutory restrictions.

• New Mexico voter registration informationSecretary of State help to check and update your registration

• New Mexico State Records Center and ArchivesState, Spanish and Mexican colonial, territorial and court records
• New Mexico's Digital Collections, UNMDigitized newspapers, photographs and oral histories
• Chronicling America, New Mexico newspapersHistoric New Mexico newspapers from the Library of Congress

New Mexico's 33 counties range from Bernalillo (Albuquerque, ~670,000 residents) down to Harding County (~700 residents). Five counties contain the majority of the state's population and commercial activity.

Bernalillo County (Albuquerque)

The state's largest county and the jurisdiction of the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court, a unique court for Albuquerque handling misdemeanors, DWI, and civil matters up to $10,000. Second Judicial District Court handles felonies and civil cases above the Metro threshold.

• Bernalillo County Metropolitan CourtMisdemeanors, DWI, traffic and civil cases up to $10,000

Doña Ana County (Las Cruces)

New Mexico's second most populous county; home to New Mexico State University and White Sands Missile Range. Third Judicial District Court serves the county.

Doña Ana County clerk and assessor records are linked under Property and Tax Records, and Third Judicial District cases are in the statewide Case Lookup.

Santa Fe County (State Capital)

Home to the state capital and First Judicial District Court. Historic Spanish land grant county with extensive archival records.

Sandoval County (Rio Rancho)

Rapidly growing Albuquerque-metro county; Thirteenth Judicial District Court serves Sandoval, Cibola, and Valencia counties.

San Juan County (Farmington)

Northwest NM, oil and gas country; Eleventh Judicial District Court. Significant interaction with Navajo Nation.

Other populous counties

Valencia (Los Lunas), McKinley (Gallup, near the Navajo Nation), Lea (Hobbs, Permian Basin oil and gas), Otero (Alamogordo, Holloman AFB), Eddy (Carlsbad, Permian Basin and WIPP), Chaves (Roswell), Taos, Grant (Silver City), Curry (Clovis and Cannon AFB), Luna (Deming), Rio Arriba (Española), Cibola (Grants) and Los Alamos, a combined city and county around Los Alamos National Laboratory.

Researcher Tip: Tribal Jurisdiction. Many NM counties overlap with sovereign tribal lands. Cases involving tribal members on tribal lands may fall under tribal court jurisdiction, federal court under the Major Crimes Act, or state court, depending on the parties, location, and charge. Always check for federal PACER entries and inquire with the relevant tribal court clerk when state and county records come up empty.

Start with the statewide Case Lookup. For most New Mexico searches, this one free search saves checking 33 county systems one by one.

Know which court tier applies. Magistrate courts handle misdemeanors and small civil; District courts handle felonies, large civil, and divorce; the Metro Court only operates in Bernalillo County.

Check federal PACER. New Mexico's federal district court handles a disproportionately high volume of immigration, border, and tribal-member cases. Civilian and criminal matters involving federal land, military bases, or Indian Country often appear only in PACER.

Remember the probate split. Informal, uncontested probates are handled by elected county Probate Judges (often lay judges); formal and contested probates go to District Court.

For Spanish surnames, check variant and phonetic spellings in older records; the State Records Center and Archives and the UNM digital collections help most for research before 1950.

Common Mistake: Skipping Tribal and Federal Records. Researchers who limit their search to state courts and county clerks will miss a significant portion of New Mexico-relevant records. Always check federal PACER and, where appropriate, reach out to sovereign tribal court clerks for cases involving tribal members on tribal land.

New Mexico's open records law is the Inspection of Public Records Act (IPRA, NMSA 1978 14-2-1 and following). Records are presumed open: an agency must answer within three business days and make records available within 15 calendar days. Exceptions cover law enforcement investigations, attorney-client material, protected health data and records sealed by court order.

New Mexico has no general consumer privacy law like California's CCPA or Colorado's CPA. Federal laws (HIPAA, FERPA, GLBA, DPPA) apply, and driver and vehicle records are restricted under the DPPA (18 U.S.C. 2721).

Expungement options are limited. The Criminal Record Expungement Act (NMSA § 29-3A-1, effective 2020) allows expungement for certain misdemeanors and non-violent felonies after waiting periods. Sealed cases are not visible on the NM Courts Case Lookup.

Privacy Note: the Secretary of State runs Safe at Home, formerly the Confidential Address Program, which lets survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking receive mail at a Secretary of State address instead of their home.

• Safe at Home, New Mexico Secretary of StateAddress confidentiality program and how to apply