Dona Ana County
Dona Ana County is the second-most populated county in New Mexico. As of the 2020 census, its population was 219,561. The county has a land area of 3,808 square miles, and its county seat is Las Cruces.
The Dona Ana County court system comprises probate, magistrate, municipal, and district courts. The county's Probate Court hears informal estate matters, appoints administrators for estates, and admits wills. The Dona Ana County Magistrate Court handles county ordinance violations and some misdemeanor cases. It also hears civil cases with less than $10,000 in claims and preliminary hearings for criminal cases. Dona Ana County Magistrate Court has three locations: Anthony Circuit, Divisions I-VI, and Hatch Circuit.
The Dona Ana County municipal courts hear municipal ordinance violations. There are five municipal courts in Dona Ana County:
- Anthony Municipal Court
- Hatch Municipal Court
- Las Cruces Municipal Court
- Mesilla Municipal Court
- Sunland Park Municipal Court
The Dona Ana County District Court is the court of general jurisdiction in the county. It handles all cases beyond the jurisdiction of other courts, such as major misdemeanors, felonies, domestic relations, civil cases involving claims exceeding $10,000, juvenile delinquency, appeals from administrative agencies, and formal probate proceedings.
Dona Ana County public court records consist of court filings, writs, transcripts, orders, legal proceedings, and judgments of the county's courts. The New Mexico State Judiciary (New Mexico Courts) maintains all public court records from the county's Magistrate, Municipal, and District Courts. In contrast, the Dona Ana County Clerk maintains those of the Probate Court. They prepare, index, present, and store the county's public court records in compliance with state laws and regulations.
The New Mexico State Judiciary and the Dona Ana County Clerk provide access to these types of court records:
- Criminal Case Records
- Probate Case Records
- Civil Case Records
- Family Law Case Records
Dona Ana Clerk's Office prioritizes online requests for court records via the Official Records Search webpage. Similarly, individuals can find Dona Ana County probate records on the County Clerk's Documents Online website. However, registration is required before a probate search can be done. If a record is not found online, one can fill out the Document Request Form to request it.
