Quay County District Court Overview
Quay County District Court is part of New Mexico's District Court system, the general-jurisdiction trial-court level. District Courts hear felony criminal cases, civil matters outside the lower-court limit, divorce and domestic relations, juvenile matters, mental health matters, lower-court appeals, and contested estate issues. Quay County is in the Tenth Judicial District with De Baca and Harding Counties.
The Quay County District Court page is the official county source assigned in the image manifest for this District Court profile.
The county page confirms the local District Court role within the Tenth Judicial District and supports the contact-focused access path for Quay County District Court records.
Quay County District Court Contacts
Quay County has one District Court location in Tucumcari. The Tenth Judicial District describes itself as the smallest District Court in New Mexico, with one District Judge who travels to two outlying counties. The judge page lists Honorable Timothy Rose as Chief Judge serving Quay, De Baca, and Harding Counties.
| Court / Office | Type | Address | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quay District Court | General jurisdiction trial court | 300 S. Third St., 2nd Floor, Room 200, Tucumcari, NM 88401 | 575-461-2764 |
| Chief Judge Timothy Rose | Tenth Judicial District Judge | 300 S. Third St., Tucumcari, NM 88401; mail P.O. Box 1067 | 575-461-4422 |
| District Court Clerk counter | Case records, filings, copies, and court contact | 300 S. Third St., Room 200, Tucumcari | 575-461-2764 |
| Tenth Judicial District public email | Records and court communication channel | tenthjdcpublic@nmcourts.gov | Fax 575-461-4498 |
Quay District Court is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to noon and 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. The researched remote access link for Quay District Court is meet.google.com/hzo-uvzc-cne. Parties should still confirm remote hearing rules with the court because a meeting link is not permission to appear remotely in every case.
District Court vs Lower Courts
New Mexico does not use a county court or justice of the peace structure for Quay County trial matters. The lower-court comparison is District Court, Magistrate Court, Municipal Court, and Probate Court. Each court keeps the records for cases filed there, so the correct custodian depends on the case type.
| Issue | District Court | Magistrate Court | Municipal Court |
|---|---|---|---|
| Civil cases | Civil matters outside lower-court limit and appeals | Tort, contract, and landlord-tenant from $0 to $10,000 | City ordinance matters, not general civil jurisdiction |
| Criminal cases | Felony criminal, probation, serious criminal, and related appeals | Misdemeanor, DWI/DUI, traffic, and felony preliminary hearings | Petty misdemeanor, municipal DWI/DUI, and ordinance cases |
| Family and juvenile | Divorce, domestic relations, juvenile, mental health, and orders of protection | Not the main family court | Not the family court |
| Traffic | Felony, appeal, or serious traffic-related criminal matters | County traffic and DWI/DUI cases | Tucumcari city traffic and municipal violations |
Quay County Case Flow
Criminal and civil cases can move between Quay County courts. A felony may begin with arrest or complaint and have early proceedings in Magistrate Court before moving to District Court. A misdemeanor or traffic case may stay in Magistrate Court or Municipal Court unless an appeal, probation issue, or more serious charge changes the path. Civil matters are filed according to the amount and subject matter, with larger or specialized matters in District Court.
Criminal flow: Arrest or complaint › Magistrate first appearance or preliminary stage › District Court information or indictment › arraignment › pretrial hearings › plea or trial › disposition and sentencing › appeal.
Civil flow: Complaint or petition filed › summons and response › motions and hearings › settlement or trial › judgment › post-judgment enforcement or appeal.
Note: Probate is local and limited when informal or uncontested, but contested estates go to District Court.
Quay County District Case Types
District Court criminal records can include felony charges, motions, orders, hearing notices, pleas, disposition, judgment and sentence, probation terms, fines, fees, and appeal notices. Family records include divorce, custody and time-sharing, child support, kinship guardianship, name change, and orders of protection. Public access can be limited for juvenile matters, Family Violence Protection Act order-of-protection cases, personal identifiers, sealed records, and document images.
District Court civil records can include complaints, summonses, answers, motions, orders, judgments, garnishments, liens, satisfaction filings, and appeals. Some records can be searched in New Mexico Case Lookup, but document images are not available in the public Case Lookup view. Registered users may use re:SearchNM based on profile permissions, and ordinary public users may inspect records at the filing court or use the judiciary IPRA form.
Tenth Judicial District Records
Quay County District Court records are held by the court where the case was filed, not by the county clerk. For online public case information, Case Lookup uses District Court location 1010 - TUCUMCARI. For records requests through the New Mexico Courts IPRA portal, choose Tenth District and then District Court - Quay County (Tucumcari). The Administrative Office of the Courts is not the custodian of case files maintained by local courts.
The Tenth Judicial District fee schedule is the second successful manifest image source for the Quay County District Court page.
The fee schedule supports copy, certification, filing, appeal, and packet cost planning for District Court records and filings.
District Court Fees
The Tenth Judicial District fee schedule includes civil, domestic, appeal, copy, certification, and packet costs. Personal checks are not accepted. Acceptable forms are cash, money order, cashier's check, and debit or credit cards. If paying cash, the court requires the exact amount because change is not provided. Money orders should be made payable to the 10th Judicial District Court.
| Item | Fee / Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Civil cases | $132.00 | Tenth Judicial District fee schedule. |
| Domestic cases | $137.00 | Divorce filings fall here. |
| Municipal appeal cases | $20.00 | Appeals from municipal matters. |
| Magistrate civil appeal cases | $117.00 | Appeals from Magistrate Court civil cases. |
| Photocopies | $0.35 per page | Plain paper copies. |
| Certification and seal | $1.50 per pleading | Certified court copy cost. |
| Exemplified copies | $4.50 per pleading | Higher authentication copy. |
Quay County Lower Courts
Quay County Magistrate Court is at 122 W. Center St. in Tucumcari, phone 575-461-1700, fax 575-461-4522, with email qcmc-grp@nmcourts.gov. The Magistrate Court judge page lists Noreen Hendrickson as Quay County Magistrate Judge. Magistrate Court handles misdemeanors, DWI/DUI, traffic violations, landlord-tenant matters, limited civil cases, and felony preliminary hearings.
Tucumcari Municipal Court handles city ordinance, petty misdemeanor, traffic, animal control, code enforcement, and municipal DWI/DUI matters. Official sources conflict between 205 and 215 E. Center Street for the Municipal Court address, while the phone number is listed as 575-461-6375. Probate Court is separate and handles informal, uncontested estate matters through the Quay County Probate Judge. Contested probate goes to District Court.