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Otero County, New Mexico Public Records

Find the right office in Otero 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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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.

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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.

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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.

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New Mexico Licensing

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

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Local record guide

About public records in Otero County

County profile

Otero County at a glance

State
New Mexico
County seat
Alamogordo
Population
67,839
Area
6,628 sq mi
Founded
1899
Cities and towns
15

Otero County offices and records

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

Police Departments. In addition to Otero County Sheriff's Office, law enforcement in Otero County is provided by several municipal police departments.

Law Enforcement & Arrests. Otero County Sheriff's Office, headquartered at 1000 New York Avenue, Suite 103, Alamogordo, NM 88310, is the primary law enforcement agency for unincorporated areas of Otero County. To look up current inmates at Otero County detention facility, the public can contact the facility directly or visit the Sheriff's Office website at www.co.otero.nm.us for inmate search information. Arrest records in Otero County are considered public records under the New Mexico Inspection of Public Records Act (NMSA 1978, Sections 14-2-1 through 14-2-12).

Arrest Records. They are maintained by the arresting agency, primarily the County Sheriff's Office and municipal police departments.

They provide an inmate lookup service where you can find information about current detainees. You can visit their facility at 1958 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Alamogordo, NM, or call them at (575) 443-2945 for more details.

Abandoned mine records

Old mine workings in Otero County

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

From the old mine records

What is on record in Otero County

Old mine sites
42
Sites with no status in the records
86
Still producing
28
Worked underground, in the mine records
55
Main minerals
Iron; construction sand and gravel; Copper
Holes drawn on the old survey maps
280
Shafts and tunnels
44
What they are
prospect pit, gravel pit, mine shaft, adit
Maps surveyed
1947 to 2004
Records behind them
475 records for 436 sites, the rest are the same working written down more than once

Is an old working under a property here?

The mine records hold 156 named mine sites inside the county, 42 of them worked out or abandoned; the old survey maps add 280 holes drawn inside the county, 44 of them shafts or tunnels. The minerals the records name are Iron; construction sand and gravel; Copper.

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.

Otero 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 Otero County (176 shown, 260 unnamed on the map)

Rows taken off the old survey maps open the USGS record of what sits at that spot, because no single feature on those maps has a page of its own. Rows from the mine records open their own USGS page.

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

Otero County public-records FAQs

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

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

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

Deeds and other recorded land documents in Otero County are kept by the Otero 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 Otero 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 Otero 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.