Valencia County, with a land area of 1,066 square miles, is the second-smallest county in New Mexico by land area. It was created in 1852 and has an estimated population of 76,205. Los Lunas is its largest city and county seat.
Courts in Valencia County
The Valencia County court system comprises probate, magistrate, municipal, and district courts. The 13th Judicial District Court is the highest court in Valencia County and has general jurisdiction over all cases. It handles cases beyond the jurisdiction of other courts, such as felonies, major misdemeanors, domestic relations, juvenile delinquency, civil cases involving claims exceeding $10,000, appeals from administrative agencies, and formal probate proceedings.
The Valencia County Magistrate Court hears county ordinance violations and some misdemeanors. It also hears civil cases with less than $10,000 in claims and felony preliminary hearings. The court has two locations: Divisions I & III in Los Lunas and Division II in Belen.
The Valencia County Probate Court handles probate matters, such as appointing administrators for estates and admitting wills.
Municipal courts in Valencia County hear municipal ordinance violations and traffic infractions. The five municipal courts in the county are in Rio communities, Peralta, Los Lunas, Bosque Farms, and Belen.
Where to Find Public Court Records in Valencia County
Public court records in Valencia County are records that can be examined and copied by anyone. These records include warrants, court filings, writs, court proceedings, and judgments from the county courts. The New Mexico State Judiciary maintains all public court records from the county’s Magistrate, Municipal, and District Courts, while the Valencia County Clerk maintains those of the Probate Court. Anyone can visit the county courts to view and request copies of nonconfidential court records. They can also search for Valencia public court records on the New Mexico Case Lookup portal.
Types of Public Court Records in Valencia County
Access to public court records improves the people's knowledge of and trust in the judicial system in Valencia County. The following types of court records are available to the public in Valencia County unless sealed by court orders:
- Criminal Court Records: includes court proceedings and judgments for felony and misdemeanor cases
- Civil Court Records: includes breach of fiduciary duty, business torts, personal injury cases, contract indebtedness, professional malpractices, product liabilities, slander, libel, trade secrets, mortgage foreclosures, automobile negligence, real property, eminent domain, and employment disputes
- Probate Court Records: such as documentation of estates, trusts, wills, and codicils
- Family Court Records: includes divorce decrees, emancipation, legal separation, annulments, and custody judgments
Confidential Court Records in Valencia County
In Valencia County, confidential court records include those sealed by court orders or by default under New Mexico law. They are sealed for privacy or security reasons and can only be accessible to authorized persons or by court orders. While most court documents are available to the public in the state, parts or all of the following are usually excluded from public access:
- Grand jury proceedings and records
- Medical and mental health records
- Financial information
- Certain sexual assault victim records
- Expunged or sealed records
- Eligible misdemeanor or felony convictions after certain years
- Identifying information about confidential informants in criminal prosecutions
- Personally identifiable information such as license Social Security number, plate number, and driver’s license number
- Certain records of victims of domestic violence
- Adoption records
- Most juvenile records
- Identifying information about jurors.
Juvenile Delinquency in Valencia, NM
Unfortunately, in many areas of the Valencia County, juvenile delinquency crimes are on the rise. There are many reasons for the increase in youth offenders. The juvenile sentence in New Mexico often depends on the severity of the crime, the number of offenses, and other family matters.
In 2017, a total of 507 juvenile cases were reported for every 100,000 people age 10 to adulthood in the jurisdiction of Valencia County. Of that total, 46% of those proceedings were delinquencies which equaled 233 court cases. Another 0% were dependency cases that accounted for 0 of the juvenile cases.
A lot of counties, including, Valencia County, are focusing on family health and relationships rather than punishment for juvenile crimes. Future Valencia County juvenile delinquency statistics will show whether or not this approach is working.
| Juvenile Cases | Number of cases |
|---|---|
| Delinquency | 10,161 |
| Dependency | 0 |
| Status | 2,253 |
Government of Valencia County, NM
| County Seat: | Los Lunas |
| Government Type: | County |
| Authority: | Dillon's Rule |
| Year Organized: | 1852 |
| Total Square Miles: | 1,068 |
| 2019 Population: | 75,940 |
| Persons/Square Mile: | 0.01 |
| County Contact: | PO BOX 1119
County Courthouse Los Lunas , NM 87031-1119 http://www.co.valencia.nm.us/ |
Valencia County, NM Courts
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Thirteenth Judicial District Court - Valencia
Address: 1835 Hwy 314 SW, Los Lunas, NM 87031
Phone: 505-865-2400