Documents submitted for recording are processed during regular business hours
8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday thru Friday

• Property must be identified with Grantor (seller) and Grantee (buyer). On Deeds, grantor(s) must sign document.

• A complete legal description is required for transfer of property. Contact the County Assessor’s Office at (505) 662-8030 If you do not know the legal description. Street addresses will not be accepted.

• Notary information must be complete. Signature, date, seal and expiration date is required. (NMSA 14-8-4)

• 1” x 4” space is required for the recording label. If space is not available, an additional page will be required.

• Uniform Commercial Code Filings (Formerly called Chattel Filings)
  Effective July 1, 2001, Chapter 139 revised Article 9 to standardize the UCC laws and filing procedures throughout the state. Extracted minerals (such as oil and gas, timber) and fixture filings will continue to be filed in the local county clerks offices. Farm products (livestock and crops) and equipment will be filed in the Office of the New Mexico Secretary of State. For more information on those types of UCC Filings, please call (505) 827-3600 or click here to visit their website.
  
  

  Military Discharge Filings (DD214's)
  The County Clerk shall, upon presentation to them, record free of charge the discharge papers of any soldier, sailor, marine, aviator, army nurse or yeomanette who was accepted for service and served in the armed forces of the United States for thirty days or more. (NMSA 14-8-17)

  Copies of military discharge papers filed with the County Clerk are available free of charge only to the following individuals: the veteran, veteran’s next of kin, veteran’s properly appointed personal representative or executor, a person holding the veteran’s general power of attorney, or a person designated in writing by the veteran to receive the records. (NMSA 14-2-1A)
  
  

  Plat and Boundary Filings

  The County Clerk’s Office records and files Real Estate Subdivision Plats and serves as the custodian of these records.

  Plats are filed and indexed by legal description and are available for inspection and/or purchase at our office. The recording and filing fee for a Plat is $25.00. The plat must be on Mylar and legible. The original is scanned and returned to the submitter. Boundary's may not exceed a size of 18" x 24" and be at least 8 1/2" x 11". (NMSA 61.23.28.2)

  Copies of a Plat or Boundary Survey up to 24" x 36" in size may be purchased for $9.00 per page. Copies of a Plat or Boundary Survey up to 11" x 17" in size may be purchased for $1.00 per page. Other maps are sold at various rates depending on the size. Please see our Plat Copy Fee Schedule for more details.

  For property surveys or homebuilding blueprints, contact the previous land surveyor and/or the original homebuilder. The Los Alamos County Community & Economic Development Department and/or the Los Alamos County Engineering & Project Management Department may have information on some of the original government homes. A previous owner or the realtor is also another possible source for this information.

  Los Alamos County Community & Economic Development can be reached at (505) 662-8120. Los Alamos County Engineering & Project Management Department can be reached at (505) 662-8111.

• The following fees must be included (NMSA 14-8-15), we accept: cash, check or money order payable to the Los Alamos County, along with:

    $25.00 per document, with 1-10 index entries
$25.00 for each additional block of 10 index entries 

If recording in person-bring the original document, certified copy of the original, OR duplicate with affidavit, to the County Clerk’s Office, located at 1000 Central Avenue, Suite 240, Los Alamos, New Mexico, 87544, during business hours. If your document meets all of the requirements and you pay the appropriate fees, your document will be recorded in the order it was received. We advocate that you try and avoid recording during our busiest times (3:30-4:30 p.m. every day). Once the document is scanned and the image is verified, our office will return the original back to you.

If submitting documents by mail–please include a check or money order for the appropriate amount, please see our recording fee schedule. Make checks payable to: Los Alamos County, and mail the document along with payment to the Los Alamos County Clerk’s Office,1000 Central Avenue, Suite 240, Los Alamos, New Mexico, 87544. Once we have received your document(s) and payment, we will determine if it will be accepted or rejected. If it is rejected, your document and payment will be mailed back to you unrecorded with an explanation of why it was rejected. Accepted documents will follow the procedure as stated above.

Recording Fees:

Recording fees are statutorily established. Los Alamos County may reject documents for incorrect fees. If you have additional questions regarding fees, please call our office at (505) 662-8010.Please see our fee schedule for a detailed explanation of the various fees to file and record documents in our office.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Effective July 1, 2019, our office will charge recording fees in accordance with the NEW Recording Fee Schedule. Please take some time to review the new schedule, and call our office should you have any questions.

Plat & Boundary Survey Copy Fees:

Copies of a Plat or Boundary Survey up to 24" x 36" in size may be purchased for $9.00 per page. Copies of a Plat or Boundary Survey up to 11" x 17" in size may be purchased for $1.00 per page.

Other Plats are sold at various rates depending on the size. Please see our Plat Copy Fees for more details.

 

How to View Index information for a Recorded Document:

To view record index information online, please visit our Online Records Website.

How to Request a Copy of a Recorded Document:

Copies of recorded documents may be obtained in person, by mail, by e-mail or phone. The fee for a regular copy is $1.00 per page.The fee for a certified copy is $1.00 for the certification and seal, and $1.00 per page of the document.  

PLEASE NOTE: Record requests are normally fulfilled within 24 hours, 
however, complex requests may require additional time.

One or more of following information is needed to locate the record on file:

• Name of the Grantor/Grantee
• Document Number
• Book & Page
• Date of Recording
• Type of Document 

Property Description Information
The Los Alamos County Assessor’s Office maintains property files by legal or street addresses. For more information regarding property descriptions, please contact their office at (505) 662-8030, or visit their office at 1000 Central Avenue, Suite 210, Los Alamos, NM 87544.

In-Person Requests:
Los Alamos County Clerk
1000 Central Ave,Suite 240
Los Alamos, NM 87544

Preventing Rejected Documents

Help prevent your documents submitted for recording from being rejected. Please follow these guidelines to prevent the delays associated with the return of rejected documents.

Before submitting your recordings, please make sure:                

Fees are Correct
Recording fees are statutorily established. Los Alamos County may reject documents for incorrect fees. Please see our fee schedule for accurate calculation.

Quality of Document is Good and Text is Readable
Please remember that bad originals produce poor public records. Documents that are illegible will be rejected. Documents that are somewhat illegible may be accepted and will be marked with a note.

 

Deeds Contain a Valid Grantee Address
Deeds should include a notation of the legal (mailing) address of the grantee. This address is used to determine where tax statements should be mailed after a property is sold. Submitter should verify the accuracy and completeness of such address before recording a deed.

Sufficient Space for Recording Label
Please provide sufficient space to place a 1” x 4” label containing the recording information. If there is not sufficient space on the first page of the document, an additional page will be required. Plats also have specific legal requirements for size and paper.

 

Checks are Payable to the “Los Alamos County ” or “LAC"
If checks are made out to the wrong party, the check along with all documents attached to it will be rejected and returned to the submitter.

 

Checks are Signed
Unsigned or stale dated checks, along with all documents attached thereto, will be rejected and returned to the submitter.

  

Notary Seals are Darkened
Embossed seals on documents will not show up on the image if they are not darkened or “inked.” Submitter's should ensure all embossed seals are visible before submitting for recording.

Not sure if your document meets our guidelines, please call our office at (505) 662-8010.