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IPRA

Registros públicos

Citizens in a democracy have a fundamental right to have access to public records.

This right is recognized by the New Mexico Legislature through the Inspection of Public Records Act (IPRA), NMSA 1978, Sections 14-2-1 to -12 (2013), and by the New Mexico Supreme Court, which stated in 1977 that a citizen’s right to know is the rule and secrecy is the exception.

Most state court records are in the custody of a District Court, the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court or a local Magistrate Court.  Case file records may be inspected in person at the courthouse where the records are located. There may be fees for copies. Contact the court clerk’s office for assistance. For a directory of New Mexico courts, click here . Use the form below for an online request for records.


Instructions for Online Request Form

  1. Name of the person requesting the records.
  2. Email address of the person requesting the records
  3. Phone number of the person requesting the records.
  4. Location of the court which has custody of the records.
  5. Address of the person requesting the records.
  6. Specifically describe the requested records.

IMPORTANT: Specify with as much detail the records you are requesting. In describing the records, provide a case number if possible and the name of a party in the case.

To find a case number and identify possible records, click here.

After finding the case, click on the case number to view a summary and register of actions that that should assist you in identifying specific records in the case and the court that maintains the records.

Examples of possible records could be a criminal complaint for armed robbery against John Doe, or an order granting a divorce petition involving John and Jane Doe.


What the law requires

NMSA 1978, Section 14-2-8(D) states that a written request to inspect public records “shall provide the name, address and telephone number of the person seeking access to the records and shall identify the records sought with reasonable particularity.”