Santa Fe County Court Clerk Office
The First Judicial District Court Clerk's Office says virtually all court and case documents flow through the clerk. The office issues, records, and files case documents under New Mexico statutes and court rules. It also receives and accounts for filing fees, fines, forfeitures, bonds, and related financial matters. For Santa Fe County District Court, records are kept at the courthouse where the case was filed.
The Court Clerk's Office for Santa Fe County is at 225 Montezuma Ave., Santa Fe, NM 87501. The public hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and the main phone number is 505-455-8250. The location page also lists fax filing at 505-455-8280 and the public-record email sfedrequests@nmcourts.gov. Mail records requests to First Judicial District Court, Attn: Records Custodian, P.O. Box 2268, Santa Fe, NM 87504.
Court Clerk's Office
225 Montezuma Ave.
Santa Fe, NM 87501
505-455-8250
sfedrequests@nmcourts.gov
Mon-Fri 8 a.m.-4 p.m.
The Court Clerk source is shown in the official clerk office page.
That page is the controlling source for court copy requests, case number examples, and the distinction between court files and non-court records.
Santa Fe County Court Clerk Duties
The Court Clerk's Office is not the elected Santa Fe County Clerk. It is part of the First Judicial District Court and handles court case work. In a Santa Fe County Court Clerk records request, that difference matters because New Mexico Courts warn that they do not conduct public criminal background checks and do not maintain law-enforcement records, driving records, or marriage licenses. A broad request sent to the wrong clerk can miss the record entirely.
- Processes filings, pleadings, orders, judgments, and other case documents.
- Receives filing fees, fines, forfeitures, bonds, and court-related financial items.
- Provides inspection and copy access for court files at the courthouse where filed.
- Routes court public-record requests through the New Mexico Courts IPRA path.
- Provides certified court copies when the record and fee requirements are met.
Request Santa Fe County Court Clerk Records
Court case records may be inspected in person at the clerk's office in the courthouse where the case was filed. For Santa Fe County, that is the Santa Fe County District Courthouse. The online request path is the New Mexico Courts IPRA form, where the requester should identify First Judicial District as the records location. Mail requests go to the records custodian at the First Judicial District Court mailing address.
| Request Channel | How It Works | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Online IPRA form | Submit through New Mexico Courts and identify the First Judicial District. | Web copy requests and written court-record requests. |
| In person | Inspect the file at the clerk's office where the case was filed. | Viewing files, checking older cases, or confirming details. |
| Send request to First Judicial District Court, Attn: Records Custodian. | Written copy requests with enough case detail. | |
| Public-record email | Use sfedrequests@nmcourts.gov for local public-record contact. | Follow-up and routing questions tied to Santa Fe court records. |
Request Santa Fe County Certified Copies
Certified court copies are used when a document must show it came from the official court file. The research identifies a certification fee and a per-page photocopy fee. It also says requesters must identify records with reasonable particularity. A case number helps most, but names, case type, filing year, court location, and document title can also narrow the request.
- Search New Mexico Case Lookup first if the case number is not known.
- Identify the court location as Santa Fe County in the First Judicial District.
- List the case number, party names, document title, and whether certification is needed.
- Submit the request online through IPRA, by mail, or in person at the clerk's office.
- Pay copy, certification, mailing, and storage-device costs that apply.
- Use acceptable payment forms because the First Judicial District does not accept personal checks.
Santa Fe County Clerk Request Fields
The New Mexico Courts IPRA request page and First Judicial District guidance identify the core request fields. The record description should be narrow enough for staff to find the document. For a Santa Fe County Court Clerk records search, the most useful details are the court, case number, parties, case type, and specific document requested.
| Field | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Requester name | Yes | Required content for written requests. |
| Address | Yes | Used for response and mailing when needed. |
| Telephone number | Yes | Required by the court request instructions. |
| Records described with reasonable particularity | Yes | Include case number, parties, document type, and court location if known. |
| Certification request | Optional | State whether a certified copy is needed. |
| Delivery method | Optional | Mailing and storage-device fees can apply. |
Santa Fe County Court Clerk Fees
District Court fees and copy costs are published by the First Judicial District. The court page says personal checks are not accepted. Payment can be made by cash, cashier's check, approved company check, or money order payable to First Judicial District Court. Mailing and storage-device costs may be added when those services are needed.
| Item | Fee or Rule |
|---|---|
| Civil case filing, including name change, probate PB, guardianship/conservatorship PQ, and adoption SA categories | $132.00 |
| New and reopened domestic case | $137.00 |
| Magistrate criminal appeal | $35.00 |
| Municipal appeal | $20.00 |
| Jury demand, six person | $150.00 per day |
| Jury demand, twelve person | $300.00 per day |
| Tape or CD duplication | $4.00 per tape or CD |
| Photocopies | $0.35 per page |
| Certification | $1.50 each |
The District Court fee source is shown in the First Judicial District fees and costs page.
The fee page supports copy costs, certification costs, jury demand fees, appeal fees, and payment restrictions for court-file requests.
Santa Fe County Court Clerk Case Numbers
Case numbers help the Court Clerk find the right file. The First Judicial District examples include D-101-CV-9801525, where D means District Court, 101 means Santa Fe County, CV means civil, 98 means filing year, and 01525 is the sequence. A newer self-help example uses D-0101-DM-2010-98765, where DM means domestic matter. Older documents may show an older style such as SF 98-1525(C).
If the case number is unknown, New Mexico Case Lookup can help identify it before a clerk copy request. If the file was created before electronic conversion or does not appear online, the requester should contact the courthouse where the case was filed. Santa Fe County cases should not be assumed to be in Rio Arriba or Los Alamos files simply because all three counties are in the First Judicial District.
Court Clerk vs Santa Fe County Clerk
Santa Fe County has a split clerk structure for record search purposes. Court case files belong with the Court Clerk's Office. Recorded documents, marriage applications, ClerkTrackWeb research, county probate clerk support, elections, and Board of County Commission records belong with the elected Santa Fe County Clerk. Katharine E. Clark is the elected County Clerk for the 2025-2028 term.
ClerkTrackWeb is a County Clerk tool, not a District Court case-file portal. The public credentials disclosed in the research are PUBLIC/PUBLIC for viewing and purchasing documents, INDEX/INDEX for index-only use, and PROBATE/PROBATE for probate records. County Clerk staff-conducted research costs $40 for the first 15 minutes and $40 per hour after that, and results are unofficial. Those costs do not replace District Court copy fees.
The County Clerk public records page is shown in the official County Clerk research source.
The county source is useful when a request is really for a recorded document, marriage application, probate clerk file, or county public record.
The ClerkTrackWeb login page is shown in the official ClerkTrackWeb source.
ClerkTrackWeb should be used for County Clerk records, while the Court Clerk's Office remains the source for District Court case copies.
The County Clerk services page is shown in the Santa Fe County Clerk source.
That office is linked in the final manifest because New Mexico separates court case clerk work from county recording, marriage, elections, commission, and probate support.