New Mexico Public Records: How to Perform a New Mexico Public Records Search

New Mexico is one of the states that allow residents and nonresidents of the state to access public records without needing to provide a reason for needing access to the record. 

This is explicitly stated in the state's Inspection of Public Records Act.

On the flip side, the Inspection of Public Records Act does not mandate government agencies to respond within set periods. 

Also, there is no administrative appeals process in case a request is denied, and record custodians typically do not grant fee waivers.

To counterbalance this, applicable fees for obtaining New Mexico public records are mandated to be minimal. 

In addition, if a public records request in New Mexico is illegally denied, the requester may file suit against the issuing agency. 

New Mexico Public Records Search

Public records in New Mexico are typically disseminated by designated record custodians affiliated with the particular agency or department in charge of maintaining the records. 

To get public documents in the state of New Mexico, a formal records request must be made to the designated record custodian.

Requests for New Mexico public records may be made verbally or in writing. Written requests may be sent in person or by mail. 

Both of these methods are used by record custodians in the state to respond to requests for public documents.

Public records in New Mexico can sometimes be accessed online. 

Formal requests are unnecessary when dealing with these agencies. Unofficially, New Mexico public documents are also accessible on third-party websites.

New Mexico Public Records: Vital Records 

Births, deaths, marriages, and divorces in the state of New Mexico are documented in New Mexico's vital records. 

Once the record subject has passed away or the record's statutory period of confidentiality has passed, the public can view these records, but only then. 

In New Mexico, however, vital records are typically exclusively accessible to those who are identified on the record or who have legal authorization to access them.

People who want to obtain certified vital records in New Mexico under circumstances other than either of the aforementioned ones must present a valid government-issued ID, proof of a relationship with the subject of the record, or any other evidence that supports their eligibility claim. 

They will also be expected to pay any fees that might be necessary.

New Mexico Public Records Search: Vital Records 

The Vital Records and Health Statistics Division of New Mexico's Department of Health is the official custodian of vital records in the state. 

Persons interested in obtaining birth or death records in the state, must petition this department in writing, and submit their application in person or via mail to the Bureau.

Requesters should note that the Bureau of Vital Records and Health Statistics neither maintains nor disseminates marriage and divorce records. 

These records may only be obtained by contacting the county clerk in the county where the event took place.

To request New Mexico birth or death records, interested and eligible persons must fill out and sign the appropriate application form, attach a valid ID, enclose the application in a self-addressed, stamped envelope, and submit the application in person or by mail to:

New Mexico Vital Records
P.O. Box 25767
Albuquerque, NM 87125

New Mexico Public Records: Criminal Records

Criminal records in New Mexico contain a wealth of information relating to offenders in the state. 

These records are accessible to interested members of the public, and the New Mexico Department of Public Safety (NMDPS) organizes and maintains them in record depositories. 

New Mexico Public Records Search: Criminal Records

Interested individuals who are named on the record, as well as employers or financial providers are qualified to request certified New Mexico Criminal records. 

To obtain personal or third-party criminal history information from the NMDPS, interested parties may request a fingerprint-based criminal records search.

Unofficially, members of the public may also perform name-based public criminal records checks for free through New Mexico courts. 

New Mexico Public Records: Court Records

Court records in New Mexico, with the exception of certain records, are available to members of the public. In most cases, these records are available for free and can be found online. 

New Mexico Public Records Search: Court Records

New Mexico court records are maintained and disseminated by a designated record custodian (typically the court clerk) assigned to a specific court. 

So, the first thing that people interested in obtaining New Mexico court records must do is to identify the court that maintains the record sought and to contact the county court clerk. 

Applications can be made online, in person, or via mail.

Alternatively, interested individuals may use the New Mexico Court Case Lookup tool. 

To use this tool, requesters must provide the name or case number of the parties involved in the case. 

New Mexico Public Records: Inmate Records

Inmate records are provided for inmates, parolees, and people under probation in New Mexico. 

These records contain personal and administrative information about their subjects. 

New Mexico Public Records Search: Inmate Records

New Mexico inmate records are maintained by the New Mexico Corrections Department (NMCD), which provides a public offender search tool. 

Members of the public may find records of inmates incarcerated in any of the state's penitentiaries by carrying out a name-based or ID number-based search on the platform.