About the Santa Fe County Clerk
Santa Fe County was organized in 1852, and its seat, Santa Fe, is the oldest state capital in the country, founded around 1610 as the seat of Spanish colonial government -- centuries before the county itself was drawn. The name comes directly from the Spanish 'Santa Fe,' meaning Holy Faith. Layered Native, Spanish/Mexican, and Anglo-American history shows up everywhere here, from Pueblo communities like Tesuque and Pojoaque to centuries-old farming villages such as Chimayó and Galisteo along the Rio Grande's tributaries. The county's terrain climbs from the river valley up to Santa Fe Baldy at over 12,600 feet, and its economy leans heavily on state government, tourism, and the arts market that has made Santa Fe internationally known. It is New Mexico's third-most-populous county and has voted reliably Democratic in presidential elections since 1972.
Cities and Communities Served
Recording jurisdiction runs countywide, not by city limits — if the property sits anywhere within Santa Fe County, this is the Santa Fe County Clerk that will accept the deed. That includes:
Incorporated cities: Santa Fe (county seat), Española (partial), Edgewood (partial).
Unincorporated communities: Chimayó, Pojoaque, Tesuque, Madrid, Galisteo.
Office Details
Address: 100 Catron Street, Santa Fe, NM 87501
Phone: (505) 986-6280
Hours: Monday - Friday, 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM (in-person recording and research by appointment)
Recording Fee: New Mexico charges a flat, statute-set recording fee per document, with an added fee once a document runs past a set number of index entries -- not a percentage of the property's value. Contact the county clerk's office for current amounts.
E-recording: Santa Fe County accepts electronic recording through both Simplifile and CSC; each of those third-party services adds its own convenience fee on top of the county's standard recording costs.
Good to know before you go: In-person recording and records research at the Santa Fe County Clerk's office runs by appointment, though walk-ins are still accepted; staff can also notarize a document on the spot if you bring valid photo ID.
How to File a Document
- Sign in Front of a Notary -- In Person or Remotely: New Mexico requires the grantor's signature to be acknowledged before a notary public before the Santa Fe County Clerk will accept a deed for recording. New Mexico has permitted remote online notarization on a permanent basis since January 1, 2022, under the state's Revised Uniform Law on Notarial Acts (NMSA 1978, Sections 14-14A-1 to 14-14A-32) -- the notary handling it must be commissioned and physically located in New Mexico at the time, even if you're signing from somewhere else.
- Attach a Full Legal Description, Not Just an Address: A street address alone won't satisfy New Mexico's requirements -- the deed needs the property's actual legal description (a metes-and-bounds description, a government survey reference, or a platted lot and block, depending on how the parcel was originally surveyed and subdivided), plus a reference to the prior deed that brought the property into the grantor's name, to keep the chain of title intact. You can usually copy the legal description directly from the deed that transferred the property to you.
- Get Both Spouses to Sign if It's Community Property: New Mexico is a community property state, and state law (NMSA 1978, Section 40-3-13) generally requires both spouses to join in a deed transferring community real property -- even when only one spouse's name appears on the title. Skipping the second signature doesn't necessarily void the transfer outright, but it leaves the deed open to being challenged, so it's worth confirming with the Santa Fe County Clerk or an attorney whether your specific situation calls for both signatures before you file.
- File a Real Property Transfer Declaration Affidavit With the Assessor: For most residential property transfers, New Mexico law (NMSA 1978, Section 7-38-12.1) also requires a separate Real Property Transfer Declaration Affidavit to be filed with the county assessor's office -- not the Santa Fe County Clerk -- within thirty days of recording the deed. It's a distinct step from recording itself, used to keep the assessor's records current for property tax purposes, and the assessor's office can supply the current form.
- Record With the County Clerk: Bring, mail, or (where the county supports it) e-file the signed, notarized deed with the Santa Fe County Clerk for the county where the property sits. New Mexico charges a flat, statute-set recording fee per document, with an added fee once a document runs past a set number of index entries -- never a percentage of the property's value -- and the state has no separate real estate transfer tax on top of it. The first page needs roughly an inch and a half of blank space at the top for the clerk's recording stamp, with the document's title placed just below it.
Still Have Questions About Filing With the Santa Fe County Clerk?
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Other Counties in New Mexico
Filing somewhere else in the state? Here are a few other county pages:
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