Otero County
Established in 1899, Otero County was carved out from portions of Lincoln, Ana, Socorro, and Dona counties of New Mexico and named after Miguel Antonio Otero, the territorial governor at the time of creating the county. The county is home to at least 68,000 people and spans about 6,627 square miles, making it the third-largest county in New Mexico.
The New Mexico Twelfth Judicial District presides over Otero County and operates through the county's Magistrate and District Courts. The Otero County Magistrate Court has jurisdiction over misdemeanors, traffic violations, contracts, real property rights, felony preliminary hearings, tort, and DWI/DUI. On the flip side, the District Court has general jurisdiction over all criminal and civil cases but typically attends to matters beyond other court's jurisdiction. Otero County also has a Probate Court. This court has limited jurisdiction over informal estate and informal probate matters.
The Twelfth Judicial District Court in Otero County is the repository for all public court records of legal proceedings processed within the county. Public court records, including those of cases listed below, can be accessed in person or requested via mail from the applicable court clerk's office:
- Criminal cases
- Civil cases
- Probate cases
- Traffic infraction cases
The Twelfth Judicial District of New Mexico Courts maintains a Case Lookup Portal that allows interested persons to view electronic court records of legal proceedings from Otero County courts. Both name search and case number search are permitted on the portal.
