| District Court Clerk | Chaves County District Court (Fifth Judicial District) |
|---|---|
| County Clerk (probate) | Chaves County Clerk — Probate Records |
| Clerk address | Chaves County District Court, 400 N Virginia Ave, Roswell, NM 88201 |
| Phone | (575) 622-2212 |
| Hours | Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–noon and 1–5 p.m. (closed for lunch); no financial transactions after 4:30 p.m. |
| Earliest records noted | Varies by court — older files may be on paper or microfilm |
| Plain copy fee | $0.35 per page |
| Certified copy fee | $1.50 per document |
Chaves County, centered on Roswell in southeastern New Mexico, is part of the Fifth Judicial District along with Lea and Eddy counties. The Chaves County District Court at the courthouse on North Virginia Avenue in Roswell hears the county's felonies, civil suits, divorce and custody cases, and contested probate. Lea County cases are filed in Lovington and Eddy County cases in Carlsbad, so a Roswell case will not be found at those courthouses even though the same judges may rotate among them.
Misdemeanors, DWI, traffic citations, small civil claims, and felony first appearances are heard by the Chaves County Magistrate Court in Roswell, a separate court with its own clerk. Tickets written by Roswell police inside city limits go to Roswell Municipal Court, a city court that is not part of the state case-management system and keeps its own records.
The Chaves County Clerk does not hold court case files, but it does keep the paperwork for informal, uncontested probate cases heard by the county's elected Probate Judge, in addition to recorded documents, marriage licenses, and election records. Contested estates move to district court.
Search Chaves County court records online
District Court Clerk
Chaves County District Court (Fifth Judicial District)
- Cost
- Free case search on Case Lookup; copy fees set by the court
- Coverage
- District-court felony, civil, domestic-relations, and contested-probate cases for Chaves County, filed in Roswell
- Records
- Civil, Criminal, Family, Probate
The Fifth Judicial District also covers Lea County (Lovington) and Eddy County (Carlsbad); each county's district court keeps its own files. No financial transactions after 4:30 p.m.
County Clerk (probate)
Chaves County Clerk — Probate Records
- Cost
- Copy fees set by the county clerk
- Coverage
- Informal, uncontested probate files heard by the Chaves County Probate Judge, plus recorded documents, marriage licenses, and election records; no court case files
- Records
- Probate
The county website blocks automated requests, so this page could not be fetched directly; the URL comes from search-engine listings of chavescounty.gov. Confirm hours by phone before visiting.
Other courts
Chaves County Magistrate Court (Roswell)
- Cost
- Free case search on Case Lookup; copy fees set by statute
- Coverage
- Misdemeanors, DWI/DUI, traffic citations, civil claims up to $10,000, and felony first appearances for Chaves County
- Records
- Civil, Criminal, Traffic
A separate court and clerk from the district court. Statutory copy fee is $0.50 per photocopied page or $1.00 per electronically produced page (NMSA 1978 § 35-6-1).
Other courts
Roswell Municipal Court
- Coverage
- Misdemeanor criminal and traffic offenses under Roswell city ordinances, filed by the police department, code enforcement, and animal services
- Records
- Traffic
A city court, not on Case Lookup. Located at 420 N Richardson Ave, Roswell, NM 88201, (575) 624-6725; Monday–Thursday 7:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. No online case search; contact the court administrator for records.
Other courts
New Mexico Courts Case Lookup
- Cost
- Free
- Coverage
- Statewide index search covering the Chaves County District Court and the Chaves County Magistrate Court
- Records
- Civil, Criminal, Family, Probate, Traffic
Lea and Eddy County cases from the same judicial district appear in the same results; check the county and city on each case.
What is available online
Case Lookup shows docket entries for Chaves County district and magistrate cases without document images. Attorneys of record and registered self-represented parties can view filings in their own cases through re:Search®NM. Roswell Municipal Court has no online case search and is not in the state system. Informal probate files are paper records held by the County Clerk.
Which clerk has your record
In New Mexico, the clerk who keeps a file depends on which court heard the case. Check the court name on the case notice, citation, or order, then use the office and coverage details above to identify the record holder. Court names and responsibilities differ by state; a county clerk may not keep court case files. For federal cases, see the PACER guide. The full court structure is on the New Mexico page.
| Court | Typical cases | Records kept by |
|---|---|---|
| District Courts (13 judicial districts) | Felony criminal cases; Civil suits of any amount; Divorce, custody, and other domestic-relations cases | District Court Clerk of the judicial district |
| Magistrate Courts and Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court | Misdemeanors; DWI/DUI; Traffic citations | Magistrate Court Clerk (Metropolitan Court Clerk in Bernalillo County) |
| Probate Courts | Informal, uncontested probate of wills; Small estates | County Probate Judge |
| Municipal Courts | City ordinance violations; Petty misdemeanors; Traffic tickets issued inside city limits | Municipal Court Clerk of the city |
Request records in person or by mail
Chaves County clerk offices
Chaves County District Court, 400 N Virginia Ave, Roswell, NM 88201
Phone: (575) 622-2212
Hours: Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–noon and 1–5 p.m. (closed for lunch); no financial transactions after 4:30 p.m.
Contact details were taken from the office's website and are re-checked on a schedule; confirm hours before visiting.
District Court records. Request copies from the Chaves County District Court clerk at 400 N Virginia Ave, Roswell, NM 88201, in person or by mail. Include the case number or party names and approximate year, the documents you need, and whether you need certification. The clerk stops taking payments at 4:30 p.m.; confirm the current copy fee by phone before mailing payment.
Magistrate Court records. Contact the Chaves County Magistrate Court in Roswell directly for misdemeanor, DWI, and traffic files. Statutory copy fees are $0.50 per photocopied page or $1.00 per computer-generated page.
City tickets. Roswell Municipal Court records are requested from the court administrator at 420 N Richardson Ave; the court has no online lookup.
Informal probate. Contact the Chaves County Clerk's Office in Roswell. Contested estates are in district court.
Online. Start with the New Mexico Courts Case Lookup to identify the court and case number, then use ipra.nmcourts.gov for anything the public portals do not cover.
Fees
| Item | Typical cost in New Mexico |
|---|---|
| Plain copy | $0.35 per page |
| Certified copy | $1.50 per document |
Confirmed on the Second Judicial District (Bernalillo County) Clerk's Office fee schedule under the authority of NMSA 1978 §§ 34-6-40 and 34-6-43. Each judicial district and each magistrate/metropolitan court adopts its own fee schedule, so amounts can differ outside Bernalillo County; confirm with the specific clerk before sending payment.
Need a copy an agency will accept? See how to get certified copies of court records.
Sealed and restricted records
New Mexico court records are open to the public under the common-law right of access and the Inspection of Public Records Act, but Rule 1-079 NMRA (and its counterparts for magistrate, metropolitan, and municipal courts) governs sealing and lets a court close all or part of a record's docket, case type, or documents by order. A record's basic case number and case type generally may not be sealed without a specific court order, even when the file itself is confidential.
The New Mexico guide lists every category of sealed and restricted record, and our guide to expunging or sealing a criminal record explains how to remove one from public view.
Frequently asked questions
Is Chaves County its own judicial district?
No. It shares the Fifth Judicial District with Lea and Eddy counties, but each county has its own district courthouse and files. Chaves County cases are at the Roswell courthouse on North Virginia Avenue.
Which court has my Roswell traffic ticket?
If a Roswell police officer wrote it, Roswell Municipal Court, a city court not on Case Lookup. If a sheriff's deputy or state police officer wrote it, the Chaves County Magistrate Court.
Does the Chaves County Clerk keep court records?
Only informal probate files heard by the county Probate Judge. Felony, civil, family, and contested-probate cases are at the district court; misdemeanor and traffic cases are at the magistrate court.
Can I pay a copy fee at the Chaves County District Court late in the day?
The clerk's office is open until 5 p.m. but does not accept financial transactions after 4:30 p.m., and it closes from noon to 1 p.m. Plan copy requests that require payment accordingly.
Sources
- Chaves County District Court — Fifth Judicial District — https://fifthdistrict.nmcourts.gov/jury-duty/chaves-county-district-court/
- Chaves County Magistrate Court Docket — Roswell — Fifth Judicial District — https://fifthdistrict.nmcourts.gov/about-this-district/court-dockets/chaves-county-magistrate-court-docket-roswell-nm/
- Chaves County Clerk's Office — Probates — https://www.chavescounty.gov/your-county/departments/clerk-s-office/probates
- Roswell Municipal Court — https://roswell-nm.gov/550/Municipal-Court
- NMSA 1978 § 35-6-1 — Magistrate costs; schedule — https://law.justia.com/codes/new-mexico/chapter-35/article-6/section-35-6-1/
- New Mexico Courts Case Lookup — https://caselookup.nmcourts.gov/caselookup/app
- New Mexico Courts — Courts in New Mexico — https://nmcourts.gov/courts-in-new-mexico/
- New Mexico Courts — Public Access and re:Search®NM — https://selfrepresentation.nmcourts.gov/self-representation/public-access-and-researchnm/
- New Mexico Courts — IPRA Records Request — https://ipra.nmcourts.gov/
- NM Department of Public Safety — Fingerprinting and Background Checks — https://www.dps.nm.gov/law-enforcement-records-bureau/fingerprinting-and-background-checks/
- NMOneSource.com — https://www.nmonesource.com/nmos/en/nav.do
- Rule 1-079 NMRA — Public Inspection and Sealing of Court Records (District Court Civil) — https://supremecourt.nmcourts.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/10/Rule-1-079-NMRA.pdf
- NMSA 1978, Chapter 29, Article 3A — Criminal Record Expungement Act — https://law.justia.com/codes/new-mexico/2019/chapter-29/article-3a/section-29-3a-1/
- NMSA 1978 § 34-6-40 — District Courts; Finance; Fees — https://law.justia.com/codes/new-mexico/2024/chapter-34/article-6/section-34-6-40/
- United States District Court for the District of New Mexico — https://www.nmd.uscourts.gov/
See also: all New Mexico counties.