Eddy County Clerk Cara Cooke
The State Court Structure Map separates the District Court Clerk from the County Clerk. Eddy County Clerk Cara Cooke handles recorded instruments, marriage licenses, elections, county commission clerk duties, and probate support. Those records are not the same as District Court case files. A user looking for a deed, mortgage, lien, recorded document, marriage license, probate packet, or county recording fee should start with the County Clerk, while a user looking for a felony case, civil lawsuit, divorce decree, or District Court order should use the District Court Clerk page.
The Eddy County Clerk official page lists the Clerk's Office as the place for marriage licenses and other important legal documents. It also links online record viewing and purchasing options. The research lists the main County Clerk's Office at 325 S. Main Street, Carlsbad, NM 88220, phone 575-885-3383, fax 575-234-1793. The Artesia Sub Office is listed at 602 S. 1st Street, Artesia, NM 88210, phone 575-746-2541, fax 575-746-6525.
Eddy County Clerk's Office
Clerk: Cara Cooke
325 S. Main Street
Carlsbad, NM 88220
575-885-3383
Fax: 575-234-1793
Monday-Friday 7 a.m.-6 p.m.
Artesia Sub Office
602 S. 1st Street
Artesia, NM 88210
575-746-2541
Fax: 575-746-6525
Monday 1 p.m.-5 p.m.; Tuesday-Friday 8 a.m.-noon
Eddy County Clerk Duties
The Clerk page and research identify five core County Clerk roles. These roles explain why the office appears in marriage, probate, recording, election, and county commission contexts. The county clerk is a county records office, not a trial court case file clerk.
- Ex-officio clerk for the Board of County Commissioners.
- Ex-officio clerk of the Probate Court.
- Chief Election Official for Eddy County.
- Recorder of real estate records and other recorded instruments.
- Marriage license issuer for Eddy County applicants.
The Clerk FAQ says staff are not licensed or bonded to perform title searches and recommends contacting a title company for title-search work. That warning is important for real property research because the office can record and provide access to instruments, but it does not give legal title opinions.
Search Eddy County Recorded Documents
Eddy County's official recorded-document search is powered by Neumo. The quick search supports searching for grantor or grantee, subdivision, document type, or document number. The portal has quick search and advanced search tabs, search and reset buttons, Property Alert, cart, register, sign-in, and help tools. The research also captured a notice that index-only search uses indexed information, while full-text OCR search uses document contents as a phrase when two or more words are entered.
The Eddy County Official Records Search is the public route for recorded instruments. The Clerk FAQ says index records went live March 11, 2019 and that the recorded-document list is current up to 6 p.m. the previous day. The current portal shows search features, cart, sign-in, register, and powered-by-Neumo text. Image access may depend on record type and access status.
| Quick Search Field | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Department | Dropdown or display | Real Property visible as selected department in captured inspection. |
| Search Term | Text | Grantor, grantee, subdivision, document type, or document number. |
| Date Range | Date range | Two recorded-date fields with start and end dates. |
| Recorded Date quick filters | Preset buttons | Last 24 hours through last 1 year options captured. |
| Search scope | Choice | Search Index Only or Search Index & Full Text OCR. |
Eddy County Neumo Search Fields
The advanced search provides more specific fields for real property, marriage, probate, and other county record groups. Use advanced search when a quick search returns too much, when a document number is known, or when the record type is marriage or probate rather than a general real property instrument.
| Advanced Field | Use | Format Note |
|---|---|---|
| Department | Select record group | Real Property, Index Books, Marriage, Meeting Minutes, Probates. |
| Party Names | Names tied to records | Token entry in LASTNAME FIRSTNAME format. |
| Grantor / Grantee | Real property parties | Used for recorded instruments. |
| Recorded Date Range | Date narrowing | MM/DD/YYYY start and end dates. |
| Book / Page | Older index references | Useful when a prior citation gives book and page. |
| Document Types | Type filter | Filter document types before searching. |
| Document Number | Specific item | Single number or number range. |
| Document Image OCR | Phrase in document image | Enter a search phrase where OCR is available. |
| Legal Description | Real-property search | Expandable field set for property descriptions. |
Eddy County Recording Requirements
The County Clerk FAQ gives two practical recording rules. Documents must be original documents or certified copies from another agency. They must also include a proper notary acknowledgment with the word "acknowledged" in the notary statement. Documents that do not meet recording requirements may be delayed or rejected.
The mailing address for recording documents is 325 S. Main St., Carlsbad, NM 88220. The research says cash or checks are accepted for Clerk payments, although marriage license applications are cash only. Recording fee calculation can depend on document type and the number of grantors, grantees, or legal descriptions. Complex recordings should be priced directly with the Clerk's Office before mailing or presenting the document.
Eddy County Clerk Fees
The County Clerk fee information in the research includes recording fees, UCC fees, marriage license notes, certified marriage copies, probate support charges, and packet fees. District Court copy fees are not listed here because those belong to the District Court Clerk.
| Item | Amount | Source Note |
|---|---|---|
| Recording documents with 1-10 index entries | $25 | County Clerk page cites NMSA 14-8-15B. |
| Each additional block of 10 indexed entries | $25 | County Clerk page cites NMSA 14-8-15C. |
| UCC-1 and UCC-3 national standard forms, 1-10 pages | $25 | Non-standard form fees may be more. |
| UCC additional block of 10 indexed entries | $25 | County Clerk fee note. |
| Marriage license | Likely $55 cash; official text conflict with $25 | Confirm current cash amount before arrival. |
| Certified marriage copy after recording | $2 per copy | County Clerk marriage record copy. |
| Probate form packet | $5 | Packet from County Clerk or Probate Judge channel. |
| Probate document copy | $1 per page | Probate Judge fee schedule. |
| County Clerk probate certification | $1 per certification | Certified probate document. |
| County Clerk notarization services | $5 each | Probate Judge fee schedule. |
Request Certified County Clerk Copies
Certified County Clerk copies are used when the record is a recorded instrument, recorded marriage license, or probate-related county document. A District Court decree or judgment should be requested from the District Court Clerk instead. Before asking for a certified county copy, search the Neumo portal for a document number, book, page, applicant names, recorded date, or probate case information.
- Identify the record type: recorded instrument, marriage license, probate document, or other county clerk record.
- Search the Neumo quick or advanced portal for names, document number, book, page, recorded date, marriage date, or deceased name.
- Write down the result details, including department, document type, recorded date, and page count if shown.
- Contact the Carlsbad Clerk office or the Artesia sub office and state whether plain copies or certified copies are needed.
- Confirm the fee, payment method, and whether the copy can be mailed, picked up, or purchased through the portal cart.
Marriage and Probate Clerk Records
The advanced search includes a Marriage department. Captured marriage record columns include Applicant 1, Applicant 2, Doc Type, Book, Page, Recorded Date, Marriage Date, Application Date, and License Number. Detail labels include License Number, Number of Pages, Book, Page, Recorded Date, Marriage Date, Application Date, Document Status, Official Name, Applicant 1, and Applicant 2. The document type example captured was MRLC for Marriage Application.
The Probates department includes Party Names, Deceased Name, Recorded Date Range, Death Date Range, Document Types, and Document Number Range. Captured result columns include Case Number, Case Type, Name, and Filing Date. Detail labels include Document Number, Number of Pages, Recorded Date, Death Date, Case Status, Closing Date, Remarks, Parties, and Docket. For full Probate Court process, use Eddy County Probate Court content because contested matters may move to District Court.
Eddy County Clerk Public Requests
County public-records requests are separate from court IPRA. The research says the Eddy County NextRequest portal helps requesters communicate with the county about what documents they need and provides a Make Request link. The form metadata captured Date Range and Case Number fields and format choices such as fax, email, in person, phone, web, mail, and import.
Use Eddy County NextRequest for county records that are not found through the recorded-document portal or that require a formal county request. Use the New Mexico Courts IPRA portal for District Court and Magistrate Court records.
Note: The County Clerk's official records portal is best for recorded instruments, while NextRequest is a broader county public-records request channel.