| District Court Clerk | Otero County District Court (Twelfth Judicial District) |
|---|---|
| County Clerk (probate) | Otero County Clerk — Probate Records |
| Clerk address | Otero County District Court, 1000 New York Ave, Alamogordo, NM 88310 |
| Phone | Listed on the clerk website |
| Hours | Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–4 p.m. (open through the lunch hour) |
| 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 |
Otero County, home to Alamogordo, Holloman Air Force Base, and part of the Mescalero Apache Reservation, makes up the Twelfth Judicial District together with Lincoln County to its north. The Otero County District Court in Alamogordo hears the county's felonies, civil suits, divorce and custody cases, and contested probate; Lincoln County cases are filed separately in Carrizozo. The court is unusual among New Mexico district courts in staying open through the lunch hour.
Misdemeanors, DWI, traffic citations, small civil claims, and felony first appearances are heard by the Otero County Magistrate Court, a separate court with its own clerk in Alamogordo. Tickets written by Alamogordo police inside city limits go to Alamogordo Municipal Court, which is a city court outside the state's case-management system. Cases arising on the Mescalero Apache Reservation may be in tribal court, which is also outside the state system.
The Otero County Clerk does not hold court case files. It records deeds and other documents, issues marriage licenses, runs elections, and serves as ex-officio clerk to the county Probate Judge for informal, uncontested estates.
Search Otero County court records online
District Court Clerk
Otero County District Court (Twelfth 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 Otero County, filed in Alamogordo
- Records
- Civil, Criminal, Family, Probate
The Twelfth Judicial District also covers Lincoln County from a separate courthouse in Carrizozo. The clerk's office has a dedicated extension for copy requests.
County Clerk (probate)
Otero County Clerk — Probate Records
- Cost
- Copy fees set by the county clerk
- Coverage
- Informal, uncontested probate files opened before the Otero County Probate Judge, plus recorded documents, marriage licenses, and election records; no court case files
- Records
- Probate
The clerk serves as ex-officio clerk to the Probate Judge. Located at 1104 N White Sands Blvd, Suite C, Alamogordo, NM 88310, (575) 437-4942; Monday–Friday 7:30 a.m.–6 p.m., financial transactions until 5:30 p.m.
Other courts
Otero County Magistrate Court (Alamogordo)
- 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 Otero 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
Alamogordo Municipal Court
- Coverage
- City ordinance violations, petty misdemeanors, and traffic citations issued by Alamogordo police inside city limits
- Records
- Traffic
A city court, not on Case Lookup. Located at 1376 E 9th St, Alamogordo, NM 88310, (575) 439-4225; Monday–Friday 8 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Records requests go through the city's public-records portal rather than the court counter.
Other courts
New Mexico Courts Case Lookup
- Cost
- Free
- Coverage
- Statewide index search covering the Otero County District Court and the Otero County Magistrate Court
- Records
- Civil, Criminal, Family, Probate, Traffic
Lincoln County cases from the same judicial district appear in the same results; check the county on each case.
What is available online
Case Lookup shows docket entries for Otero 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. Alamogordo Municipal Court and Mescalero Apache tribal court cases are outside 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
Otero County clerk offices
Otero County District Court, 1000 New York Ave, Alamogordo, NM 88310
Hours: Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–4 p.m. (open through the lunch hour)
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 Otero County District Court clerk at 1000 New York Ave, Alamogordo, NM 88310, in person or by mail; the clerk's office has a dedicated phone extension for copy requests. Include the case number or party names and approximate year, the documents you need, and whether you need certification. The Twelfth Judicial District publishes its own fee schedule; confirm the current copy fee before mailing payment.
Magistrate Court records. Contact the Otero County Magistrate Court in Alamogordo 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. Alamogordo Municipal Court records are requested through the City of Alamogordo's online public-records portal, not at the courthouse.
Informal probate. Contact the Otero County Clerk at 1104 N White Sands Blvd, Suite C, Alamogordo, (575) 437-4942. 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 Otero County its own judicial district?
No. It shares the Twelfth Judicial District with Lincoln County, but each county has its own district courthouse and files. Otero County cases are at the Alamogordo courthouse on New York Avenue.
Which court has my Alamogordo traffic ticket?
If an Alamogordo police officer wrote it, Alamogordo Municipal Court, a city court not on Case Lookup. If a sheriff's deputy or state police officer wrote it, the Otero County Magistrate Court.
Does the Otero County Clerk keep court records?
Only informal probate files, as ex-officio clerk to 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.
Is the Otero County District Court closed at lunch?
No. Unlike several other New Mexico district courts, the Alamogordo courthouse stays open through the lunch hour, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Sources
- Otero County District Court — Twelfth Judicial District — https://twelfthdistrict.nmcourts.gov/court/otero-county-district-court/
- Otero County Magistrate Court Docket — Alamogordo — Twelfth Judicial District — https://twelfthdistrict.nmcourts.gov/about-this-district/court-dockets/otero-county-magistrate-court-docket-alamogordo-nm/
- Otero County Clerk's Office — https://co.otero.nm.us/225/Clerk
- Alamogordo Municipal Court — https://ci.alamogordo.nm.us/259/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.