About the San Miguel County Clerk's Office
San Miguel County has a split records environment. Court case records are maintained through New Mexico Courts for District Court, Magistrate Court, Municipal Court, appellate matters, and some probate-related case information. County Clerk records are maintained by the elected San Miguel County Clerk. The county page names Louanna Ortega as County Clerk, with Jacob Gonzales as Chief Deputy, Gary Padilla as Administrative Assistant and Probate Clerk, Michelle Lujan as Senior Deputy Clerk, Arleen Ortiz as Recording Clerk II, Andrew Madrid as Election Specialist, and one vacant Voter Information Clerk role.
The County Clerk is separate from the Clerk of Court. The court clerk function is tied to the state judiciary and court case files. The County Clerk records land and county documents, issues marriage licenses and certificates, handles public records related to the clerk's functions, and supports election and voter registration duties.
San Miguel County Clerk
Clerk: Louanna Ortega
500 W. National Ave., Suite 113
Las Vegas, NM 87701
505-425-9331
Fax: 505-454-1799
Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
What the Clerk Does in San Miguel County
The official clerk page lists issuing licenses, recording records, and elections as the core work. Specific examples include marriage licenses, marriage certificates and certified copies, mortgages, Uniform Commercial Code filings, liquor licenses, property deeds, liens, satisfaction of mortgages, map surveys, voter registration changes, and certification of voting machines. Those are county clerk records and services, not District Court pleadings or criminal case files.
- Issues marriage licenses and handles marriage certificates and certified copies.
- Records real-property documents such as deeds, mortgages, liens, satisfactions, and map surveys.
- Handles UCC filings and other recorded commercial or county documents listed by the office.
- Supports elections, voter registration changes, and voting-machine certification.
Public Records Index and Recorded Documents
San Miguel County navigation links a Public Records Index to a recorder web portal. The portal header lists Clerk Louanna G. Ortega, the Suite 113 address, phone 505-425-9331, and office hours Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Research did not reliably capture static search fields from the recorder portal, so field names should not be assumed. Use the portal as the county's recorded-document index and call the clerk if a search cannot be completed online.
Under NMSA 14-8-9.1, the clerk page states that documents recorded in the county clerk's office are public records, subject to inspection and disclosure. The same research notes important limits for veteran discharge papers and death certificates or vital records. A recorded document being public does not mean the clerk will conduct a detailed title search for a requester.
Real Estate Search Limits
The San Miguel County Clerk page is explicit that the office is not licensed or bonded to conduct detailed real-estate searches. It directs detailed searches to a local abstract or title company and says the office will not assume liability for searches conducted by others. That warning should shape expectations for deeds, liens, mortgages, satisfactions, and survey map research. The clerk can provide access to recorded documents, but a chain-of-title analysis or opinion about ownership is a title-search task.
How to Request a Clerk Copy
For a recorded document or marriage certificate copy, identify the document type before contacting the clerk. Useful details include names on the record, approximate recording or license date, document type, book and page or instrument number if known, number of copies, whether certification is needed, and how the requester wants to receive the copy. The research confirmed a county public-record copy charge but did not locate a separate certified county-clerk copy price beyond the marriage license fee and the public-records form charge.
- Decide whether the record is a County Clerk record or a court case record.
- Search the public records index if the record is a recorded document.
- Call or visit the County Clerk with the document type, names, and approximate date.
- Ask whether the copy can be plain or must be certified for the intended use.
- Confirm the current fee before mailing or submitting payment.
Public Records Request Form Fields
The county public-records request PDF is the fallback for county-held records not available through the clerk counter or public records index. It asks the requester to identify records with reasonable particularity and submit the completed form to the SMC Manager's Office at 500 W. National Ave., Suite 201, Las Vegas, NM 87701. The form includes requester fields and an internal office-use section that tracks approval, deadlines, completion, copy count, and cost.
| Field | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Records requested | Unspecified | Describe the records with reasonable particularity. |
| Name of requester | Unspecified | Print clearly. |
| Date | Unspecified | Blank date line. |
| Signature | Unspecified | Requester signature line. |
| Telephone number | Unspecified | Used for follow-up and fee contact. |
| Address | Unspecified | Street address. |
| City, state, ZIP | Unspecified | Combined location line. |
| Email address | Optional or unspecified | Blank line provided. |
| Fax number | Optional or unspecified | Blank line provided. |
| Approved or disapproved | Office use | Internal section includes reason for disapproval. |
| 3 day notice and 15 day deadline | Office use | Tracks the county response process. |
| Date completed, copies, cost | Office use | Documents completion and copying charges. |
San Miguel County Clerk Fees
The researched fee details are narrow. The marriage license fee increased from $25 to $55 beginning June 20, 2025. The public-records request form says the requester agrees to pay copying charges of $1.00 per page, may be called if charges exceed a blank threshold, and may be asked to pay copy fees in advance before copies are made. Certified county-clerk copy prices for recorded documents or marriage certificates were not located in official sources.
| Item | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Marriage license | $55 beginning June 20, 2025 | San Miguel County Clerk notice. |
| County public-record copy | $1.00 per page | County public-records request form. |
| Certified marriage certificate copy | Not located | Service confirmed, price not published in research. |
| Recorded-document certified copy | Not located | Confirm with the Clerk before ordering. |
| Advance copy fee | May be required | Public-records form says copy fee may be required in advance. |
Common Clerk Forms and Channels
The researched county channels include the Clerk page, the Public Records Index, and the county public-records request PDF. Use the clerk office for marriage licenses and recorded documents. Use the public-records request form when a county-held record is not available online or at the counter. Use New Mexico Courts Case Lookup or the Clerk of Court path for court case records because those are not County Clerk recordings.
- County Clerk page - clerk contact, staff, services, and NMSA 14-8-9.1 public-records notice.
- Public Records Index - recorded-document index linked from county navigation.
Mail, Online, and In-Person Access
Online access begins with the public records index when the record is a recorded document. In-person service is through the Clerk's office in Suite 113 during weekday hours. The county public-records request form routes to the SMC Manager's Office in Suite 201 when the request is a broader county records request. For court files, traffic cases, criminal cases, divorce decrees, or District Court probate litigation, use New Mexico Courts or the courthouse instead of the County Clerk.