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New Mexico County
Curry County, New Mexico
Clovis - where Buddy Holly recorded "That'll Be the Day" - from Norman Petty Studios in Clovis (the recording studio where Buddy Holly and the Crickets recorded "That'll Be the Day," "Peggy Sue," and a dozen other rock and roll classics that defined the genre - Norman Petty's Clovis studio, located far from the major recording centers of the era, produced some of the most important recordings in American music history, and the studio is preserved as a National Historic Landmark) to Clovis Man (the Clovis archaeological culture - whose distinctive fluted stone points were first identified near Clovis in the 1930s - represents one of the earliest confirmed human cultures in North America, making the Clovis area one of the most archaeologically significant sites in the Western Hemisphere).
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Office: Clovis/Curry County Office of Emergency Management – 321 N Connelly St, Clovis, NM 88101 | (575) 763-9494 | [email protected].
Sheriff: Curry County Sheriff’s Office – Clovis, NM 88101 | (575) 769-2335; Sheriff Michael Reeves (also referenced as Sheriff Brockett in newer material – confirm current officeholder).
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911. The county contact form on currycountynm.gov is NOT a substitute for contacting the Sheriff directly.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-60/84 and US-70 serve Clovis, the county seat and largest city, on New Mexico’s eastern plains, 8 miles from the Texas border.
Notes: Curry County, created 1909, is named for George Curry, New Mexico’s territorial governor from 1907-1910.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Curry County Courthouse – 700 block of Main St, Clovis, NM 88101; genuinely NRHP-listed (1987), an Art Deco building (1936, expanded 1954) designed by Robert E. Merrell of Schaefer & Merrell.
Notes: Clovis is genuinely, significantly the birthplace of the “Clovis Sound” – a pivotal chapter in early rock and roll history. Local producer Norman Petty converted a family grocery store on West 7th Street into a recording studio, and in 1957 recorded Buddy Holly and the Crickets’ “That’ll Be the Day” there, along with hits by Roy Orbison, Buddy Knox, Waylon Jennings, and others. The studio (1313 W 7th Street) is preserved today largely unchanged, offering appointment-only tours, alongside the Norman & Vi Petty Rock ‘n’ Roll Museum.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Curry County Veterans Service – confirm current contact via currycountynm.gov. A Curry County Veterans Memorial and Naval Service Veterans Memorial are located in Clovis’s Veterans Park.
Federal: Albuquerque VA Medical Center (long distance).
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Clovis: Clovis-Carver Public Library – 701 N. Main Street, Clovis, NM 88101 | library.cityofclovis.org.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The Norman Petty Recording Studios and Rock ‘n’ Roll Museum, Hillcrest Park (with the Clovis Aquatic Center and dog parks), and Colonial Park Golf Course are the county’s premier attractions.
Notes: The genuine “Clovis Sound” rock and roll heritage – connecting directly to Buddy Holly’s career – is one of the most musically significant local facts covered anywhere in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Curry County Assessor – confirm current contact via currycountynm.gov.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Clovis Animal Services / City of Clovis Animal Shelter – 2203 E. Brady Avenue, Clovis, NM; Supervisor Larry Jacquez, (575) 769-7893; Saturday public hours 8 AM-12 PM in addition to weekday hours.
Curry County Animal Control – intake contracts with the Sheriff’s Department, Texico, and Melrose; roughly 60 dog and 18 cat capacity, plus small livestock.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Curry County – confirm current contact via currycountynm.gov.
NOTES: Curry County is the sixth county in the New Mexico v3 A+ sourced redo’s first batch (Bernalillo, Catron, Chaves, Cibola, Colfax, Curry, De Baca). The genuine “Clovis Sound” and its direct connection to Buddy Holly’s recording career are among the most musically significant local facts covered anywhere in this project. All contact information above was sourced via web search as of early August 2026 and should be reconfirmed directly with the relevant office before a visit, deadline-sensitive filing, or emergency-adjacent decision.
About Curry County
Curry County is where Buddy Holly recorded and where the first Americans left their mark – Norman Petty’s Clovis studio produced rock and roll classics that changed music, and the Clovis archaeological culture’s distinctive stone points define one of the earliest confirmed human presences in North America.
Clovis (the county seat, population ~40,000) is anchored by Cannon Air Force Base and serves as the commercial hub for the eastern New Mexico Llano Estacado plateau.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Curry County Assessor at 700 N. Main Street, Suite 8, Clovis, NM 88101, phone 575-763-6816. NM assessed at one-third of market value.
Courts & Legal
Curry County District Court at 700 N. Main Street, Clovis, NM 88101, phone 575-742-7777, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
700 N. Main St., Clovis, NM 88101
(575) 763-5591
COUNTY CLERK — ELECTIONS
700 N. Main St., Clovis, NM 88101
(575) 763-5591
Genealogy
PRIMARY STATEWIDE RESEARCH CENTERS (same across all New Mexico counties)
New Mexico State Records Center and Archives, 1205 Camino Carlos Rey, Santa Fe, NM 87507.
New Mexico Genealogical Society, P.O. Box 8283, Albuquerque, NM 87198.
County-level record sources
Curry County Probate Court, Clovis (probate case files – see Probate section above).
The 1936 Curry County Courthouse, NRHP-listed, is a significant local landmark.
Local societies
No dedicated Curry County genealogical society was confirmed in available directories.
Probate & Estate
Losing someone and having to deal with courts and paperwork at the same time is hard. This section won’t make that easier, but it should tell you what to expect, what it costs, and where to go – so at least you’re not walking in blind.
Curry County was founded February 25, 1909, named for territorial governor George Curry, in eastern New Mexico, seated in Clovis. The 1936 Curry County Courthouse, Art Deco in style, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Step 1: figure out which path applies
New Mexico adopted the Uniform Probate Code. New Mexico has a dual court system: the county PROBATE COURT handles informal, uncontested probate matters with minimal court involvement, and has concurrent jurisdiction with the DISTRICT COURT over informal proceedings. The District Court alone handles formal probate – contested cases, determinations of heirship, and trust matters.
Small Estate Affidavit / Affidavit of Successor in Interest (N.M. Stat. § 45-3-1201) – available when the value of the entire estate (after liens and encumbrances) does not exceed $50,000 and does NOT include any real property. At least 30 days must have passed since death. This skips probate court entirely – the affidavit is presented directly to banks, the DMV, or other institutions holding the property.
Homestead Transfer Affidavit for Surviving Spouse (N.M. Stat. § 45-3-1205) – available 6 months after death, when the surviving spouse and decedent owned a homestead as community property valued at $500,000 or less (for property tax purposes). The affidavit is recorded with the county clerk and can avoid formal probate for the residence, but only if funeral expenses, expenses of last illness, and all unsecured debts have already been paid.
Informal Probate – the most common path for uncontested estates, filed with either the Probate Court or the District Court in the county where the decedent was domiciled. No hearing required.
Formal Probate – required for contested cases, disputes over heirship, or trust matters. Only the District Court can hear these.
Step 2: filing for informal or formal probate
File a petition with the Probate Court or District Court in the county where the decedent was domiciled. A probate may be started up to 3 years after death.
The court appoints the personal representative and issues Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration.
The personal representative notifies creditors; New Mexico’s creditor claim period is 2 months from notice to creditors – one of the shortest in the country.
The personal representative inventories the estate’s assets, pays debts and expenses, and distributes the remaining assets according to the will or New Mexico’s intestacy statute.
The estate is closed, typically within 6 to 12 months for straightforward, uncontested cases.
What it costs
The filing fee for probate in Probate Court is generally around $30 – notably lower than in most states. District Court filing fees run higher, commonly $100–$232 depending on the county and complexity.
New Mexico does not set a fixed statutory percentage for personal representative compensation; courts typically look to a reasonable guideline of about 2–4% of the estate’s value.
New Mexico has no state estate tax and no state inheritance tax. Only the federal estate tax could apply, and only to very large estates.
Probate filings, estate administration, and guardianship matters are handled by the following office(s):
Public Safety & Arrests
Arrest records, inmate search, and law enforcement services are handled by the following office(s):
SHERIFF
700 N. Main St., Clovis, NM 88101
(575) 769-2311
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK — ELECTIONS
700 N. Main St., Clovis, NM 88101
(575) 763-5591
ELECTIONS
700 N. Main St., Clovis, NM 88101
(575) 763-5591
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
NM HSD — Curry
(575) 769-1931
Plains Regional Medical Center
plainsregional.com (Clovis — quality regional hospital; major eastern NM anchor)
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Curry County Health/Human Services – confirm current contact via currycountynm.gov.
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