Rio Arriba District Court Overview
Rio Arriba County is in New Mexico's First Judicial District with Santa Fe and Los Alamos counties. The First Judicial District is the official court system source for local District Court contacts, dockets, records requests, public access routes, and judge information. In New Mexico, District Court is a general-jurisdiction trial court. It can hear felony criminal cases, divorce, name change, civil matters over $10,000, child support, kinship guardianship, orders of protection, real-estate foreclosure, mental-health, juvenile, estate, and lower-court appeal matters.
The Rio Arriba County District Courthouse is at 7 Main St., Tierra Amarilla, NM 87575. The First Judicial District location page lists the courthouse phone as 505-455-8335, fax as 575-588-9898, and mailing address as P.O. Box 40, Tierra Amarilla, NM 87575. Published hours are Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., closed during lunch. Court users should distinguish this courthouse from the county administration complex and the County Clerk archive building.
The image below comes from the First Judicial District judges page, the official source for District Court judge assignments.
Judge assignment matters because Rio Arriba civil and adult criminal matters are tied to the First Judicial District's published division information.
Rio Arriba County Court Table
The required District Court table is narrow because Rio Arriba County has one primary District Court courthouse, but users also need the related lower courts to avoid going to the wrong place. Magistrate and Municipal Courts handle many matters that people commonly mistake for District Court cases. The Rio Arriba County Probate Court is also separate for informal, uncontested estate matters, with contested estates moving to District Court.
| Court | Type | Address | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rio Arriba County District Courthouse | District Court | 7 Main St., Tierra Amarilla, NM 87575 | 505-455-8335 |
| Rio Arriba County - CC Magistrate Courthouse | Magistrate Court | 2332 Highway 17, Chama, NM 87520 | 505-984-3975 |
| Rio Arriba County - I Magistrate Courthouse | Magistrate Court | 1127 Santa Clara Peak Road, Espanola, NM 87532 | 505-984-3955 |
| Espanola Municipal Court | Municipal Court | 1316 Calle Adelante, Suite D, Espanola, NM 87532 | 505-747-6033 |
| Chama Municipal Court | Municipal Court | Village Hall, 1512B State Hwy 17, Chama, NM 87520 | 575-756-2184 |
| Rio Arriba County Probate Court | Probate Court | County Administration Complex / Clerk support through Espanola office | 505-753-1780 for probate clerk appointment |
Rio Arriba District Court Judge
The First Judicial District judges page lists District Judge Anastasia R. Martin, Division VIII, for Rio Arriba civil and adult criminal work. Research lists the Tierra Amarilla court address as 7 Main Street, P.O. Drawer 40, Tierra Amarilla, NM 87575, and also lists the Santa Fe court address at 225 Montezuma Ave., P.O. Box 2268, Santa Fe, NM 87504-2268. Published phone contacts are 505-455-8290 or 505-455-8325, and the proposed text email listed in the research is sfeddiv8proposedtxt@nmcourts.gov.
Judge and division information should be used for case management, hearing preparation, and proposed orders only as the official court pages instruct. For copies of case-file documents or hearing audio, the First Judicial District public-records and request pages route users to the court clerk process, not directly to a judge's chambers.
District, Magistrate, Municipal, Probate
Rio Arriba County has no separate county court handling trial cases like some states do. The local split is District Court, Magistrate Court, Municipal Court, and Rio Arriba County Probate Court. The correct forum depends on jurisdiction, location, amount in dispute, and whether the case is contested, criminal, traffic, family, civil, or probate-related.
| District Court | Magistrate Court | Municipal Court | Rio Arriba County Probate Court | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Civil scope | Civil over $10,000, real property, foreclosure, domestic relations, and other general jurisdiction matters. | Landlord-tenant and civil matters from $0 to $10,000. | City or village ordinance matters within municipal limits. | Informal and uncontested estate matters. |
| Criminal scope | Felony criminal cases and related District Court proceedings. | Misdemeanors, DWI/DUI, felony first appearances, and preliminary hearings. | Petty misdemeanors, DWI/DUI, traffic, and municipal ordinance violations. | No criminal jurisdiction noted in the research. |
| Family or probate | Divorce, child support, kinship guardianship, protection orders, contested estate cases. | Marriages and limited lower-court matters as listed by the court finder. | Municipal schedule and compliance matters, not divorce or probate. | Wills, personal representatives, and special administrators in informal cases. |
| Public access route | Case Lookup, re:SearchNM, First Judicial District copy request, court IPRA, or clerk counter. | Case Lookup, Magistrate docket pages, court IPRA, or specific court clerk. | Municipal court pages and direct municipal clerk contact; Case Lookup municipal data is limited. | Probate appointment and County Clerk probate support; contested cases go to District Court. |
Rio Arriba Case Flow
Case flow in Rio Arriba County depends on the type of case. A felony may begin with arrest, detention, and a Magistrate Court first appearance before the District Attorney files by information or seeks indictment. A civil case over the Magistrate Court limit starts in District Court with a petition or complaint, then moves through answer, motions, hearings, trial or settlement, judgment, and appeal. A contested estate may move from local probate limits to District Court.
Criminal flow: Arrest › Magistrate first appearance › Preliminary hearing, indictment, or information › District Court arraignment › Pretrial motions › Plea or trial › Disposition and sentencing › Appeal.
Civil flow: Petition or complaint filed › Answer or response › Motions and discovery › Mediation or hearing › Trial or judgment › Post-judgment action › Appeal.
Traffic and municipal flow: Citation › Penalty assessment or court appearance decision › Magistrate or Municipal Court arraignment › Plea, trial, payment, compliance, or warrant event.
Note: A missed traffic or municipal setting may create a bench warrant, so confirm the issuing court before appearing.
Rio Arriba District Court Records
District Court records are court records, not County Clerk records. The First Judicial District public-records page links copy requests, IPRA, Case Lookup, and re:SearchNM. Case Lookup is useful for public electronic case information, but it does not provide documents. re:SearchNM may provide Odyssey case information and documents to registered users based on profile and policy. For case-file copies or hearing audio, the First Judicial District directs users to email sfedrequests@nmcourts.gov.
The First Judicial District public-records page is one official hub for these access channels, and the broader Rio Arriba County court records page separates court files from County Clerk records. Older records before 1997, juvenile matters, Family Violence Protection Act order-of-protection cases, sealed records, and expunged records may not display in ordinary online tools. When using the New Mexico Courts IPRA form, choose First District and the specific Rio Arriba court believed to have custody.
Rio Arriba District Court Dockets
The First Judicial District publishes a Rio Arriba County District Court docket page for the Tierra Amarilla court. The research states that the page covers today's docket plus six future days. It is a hearing schedule, not the full file. If a setting is missing or unclear, the court should be contacted directly. District Court users should also distinguish District Court dockets from Chama and Espanola Magistrate Court dockets and from municipal schedules.
Location and contact data is essential because docket confirmation, copy requests, and courthouse visits depend on the specific court named in the case record.
District Attorney and Defense
The First Judicial District Attorney serves Santa Fe, Rio Arriba, and Los Alamos counties. Research identifies Mary Carmack-Altwies as District Attorney and lists the Rio Arriba office mailing address as P.O. Box 1209, Espanola, NM 87532-1209, with street address 1122 Industrial Park Rd., Espanola, NM 87532. Phone is 505-753-7131 and fax is 505-753-7133. The DA role matters in District Court because felony charges are prosecuted through that office once filed in the case.
The image below comes from the Administrative Office of District Attorneys First Judicial District page.
DA information helps explain who files and prosecutes criminal charges that later appear in Rio Arriba County District Court records.
The image below comes from the First Judicial District Attorney website's about page.
The office serves all three First Judicial District counties, so Rio Arriba cases may involve regional prosecution contacts as well as local court contacts.
For indigent defense, the New Mexico Law Offices of the Public Defender Santa Fe Trial and Administration office covers the First Judicial District. Research lists the District Defender as Julie A. Ball, address 301 N. Guadalupe St., Ste 200, Santa Fe, NM 87501, phone 505-395-2888, and email lopd-sftrialsupportstaff@lopdnm.us. Applications are accepted at Espanola Magistrate Court every Wednesday from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at 1127 Santa Clara Peak Rd.
Rio Arriba Lower Courts
Magistrate and Municipal Courts are often the first stop for lower-level Rio Arriba matters. Chama Magistrate Court and Espanola Magistrate Court hear traffic citations, criminal misdemeanors, DWI/DUI, landlord-tenant and civil cases under $10,000, and felony preliminary hearings. Espanola Municipal Court handles municipal traffic, petty misdemeanor, city ordinance, compliance, arraignments, trials, and bond-related matters. Chama Municipal Court handles village municipal court matters with Judge Josephine R. Elbrock listed in the research.
These courts affect District Court records in two ways. First, a felony can start in Magistrate Court before a District Court filing. Second, appeals or related reviews may move through higher state courts depending on the case type and governing procedure. Users should avoid assuming that every Rio Arriba hearing is at the Tierra Amarilla District Courthouse. The court named on the notice, citation, summons, or Case Lookup result should control.
Rio Arriba District Court Appeals
New Mexico's statewide hierarchy places the Supreme Court at the top, then the New Mexico Court of Appeals, then District Court, Magistrate Court, Municipal Court, and Probate Court. Rio Arriba District Court cases may appeal to the Court of Appeals or Supreme Court depending on the case type and jurisdiction. Magistrate and Municipal cases may be appealed or reviewed under New Mexico court rules through higher courts, with the exact route depending on whether the issue is trial de novo, record appeal, or statutory review.
The image below comes from the First Judicial District Attorney website source in the manifest.
Regional justice-system sources help place Rio Arriba District Court within the larger First Judicial District, even when the case itself remains local.