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New Mexico County
Guadalupe County, New Mexico
Santa Rosa - the City of Natural Lakes and Blue Hole - from Santa Rosa's Blue Hole (the perfectly circular 60-foot-wide natural artesian pool in Santa Rosa - 80 feet deep with crystal-clear 64-degree water and a constant flow of 3,000 gallons per minute - is one of the premier scuba diving destinations in the American Southwest, drawing divers from across the region to a natural wonder that sits in the middle of a Route 66 high desert town) to Santa Rosa's Route 66 heritage (the stretch of original Route 66 through Santa Rosa retains its mid-century commercial character, and the City of Natural Lakes' multiple swimming holes fed by artesian springs make it a beloved Route 66 oasis).
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Office: Guadalupe County Administration/Emergency Management – 130 S 4th St, Santa Rosa, NM 88435 | Emergency Manager Noah Jansson, (575) 472-3306, [email protected].
Sheriff: Guadalupe County Sheriff’s Office – 117 5th St (also listed 565 River Road Suite 1), Santa Rosa, NM 88435 | (575) 472-3711 | Fax: (575) 472-4043; Sheriff Lorenzo Mata. Oversees the Guadalupe County Detention Center.
City police: Santa Rosa Police Department – 21 N. 4th St, Santa Rosa, NM 88435; provides 24-hour patrol, criminal investigations, and animal control within city limits.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: I-40 (Exit 275) and historic Route 66 pass directly through Santa Rosa, the county seat, in eastern New Mexico.
Notes: Santa Rosa’s economy centers on hospitality, fuel, and retail along I-40, alongside ranching and small-scale manufacturing.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Guadalupe County – confirm current phone via guadalupecountynm.org.
Notes: Santa Rosa is genuinely, internationally famous for the Blue Hole – a natural artesian spring lake roughly 80 feet deep with crystal-clear water year-round, drawing scuba divers, triathletes, and Route 66 travelers from around the world. The city sits directly on the historic alignment of Route 66. The Guadalupe County Correctional Facility, a medium-security state prison for men (opened 1997, operated by GEO Group under contract with the New Mexico Corrections Department), is located at 1039 Agua Negra Road, Santa Rosa – relevant for readers with an incarcerated loved one there.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Guadalupe County Veterans Service – confirm current contact via guadalupecountynm.org.
Federal: Albuquerque VA Medical Center (long distance).
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Santa Rosa: Public library – open six days a week; offers broadband access, passport photo services, workforce-development classes, and an extensive Route 66 history collection. Confirm current address/phone via santarosanm.org.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The Blue Hole (a genuine world-famous scuba diving destination), historic Route 66, and Santa Rosa’s clear artesian lakes are the county’s premier attractions.
Notes: The genuine, internationally known Blue Hole is one of the most distinctive local facts covered anywhere in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Guadalupe County Assessor – confirm current contact via guadalupecountynm.org.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Within Santa Rosa city limits, animal control is handled by the Santa Rosa Police Department, 21 N. 4th St, Santa Rosa, NM 88435. No dedicated county-wide animal shelter was confirmed in this search for unincorporated areas – confirm directly via guadalupecountynm.org.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: City of Santa Rosa – manages water production, wastewater, and streets directly; service connections and bulk water sales available through the City Clerk at City Hall.
NOTES: Guadalupe County is the eleventh county in the New Mexico v3 A+ sourced redo’s second batch (Doña Ana, Eddy, Grant, Guadalupe, Harding, Hidalgo, Lea). The genuine, world-famous Blue Hole scuba diving site is a distinctive local fact, and the Guadalupe County Correctional Facility is directly relevant to InmateAid readers. 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 Guadalupe County
Guadalupe County is Santa Rosa’s Blue Hole county – the perfectly circular artesian pool with crystal-clear 64-degree water is one of the Southwest’s premier scuba diving destinations, a natural wonder in a Route 66 desert town that has made Santa Rosa the City of Natural Lakes.
Santa Rosa (the county seat, population ~2,700) is a beloved Route 66 stop – the Blue Hole, Lake Santa Rosa, and the Pecos River access draw travelers off I-40.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Guadalupe County Assessor at 420 Parker Avenue, Suite 4, Santa Rosa, NM 88435, phone 575-472-3738. NM assessed at one-third of market value.
Courts & Legal
Guadalupe County District Court at 420 Parker Avenue, Santa Rosa, NM 88435, phone 575-472-3888, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
420 Parker Ave., Santa Rosa, NM 88435
(575) 472-3791
COUNTY CLERK — ELECTIONS
420 Parker Ave., Santa Rosa, NM 88435
(575) 472-3791
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
Guadalupe County Probate Court, Santa Rosa (probate case files – see Probate section above).
The 1909 Guadalupe County Courthouse, NRHP-listed, is a significant local landmark.
Local societies
No dedicated Guadalupe 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.
Where to go
Guadalupe County Probate Court 1448 Historic Route 66, Santa Rosa, NM 88435 (575) 472-3791
Guadalupe County is in northeastern New Mexico, seated in Santa Rosa. The 1909 Guadalupe County Courthouse, Richardsonian Romanesque 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
420 Parker Ave., Santa Rosa, NM 88435
(575) 472-3232
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK — ELECTIONS
420 Parker Ave., Santa Rosa, NM 88435
(575) 472-3791
ELECTIONS
420 Parker Ave., Santa Rosa, NM 88435
(575) 472-3791
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
NM HSD — Guadalupe
hsd.state.nm.us
Guadalupe County Hospital
guadalupecountyhospital.com (Santa Rosa — quality critical access hospital)
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Guadalupe County Hospital – 117 Camino de Vida, Santa Rosa, NM | (575) 472-3417; 10 inpatient beds, Emergency Department coverage, rural health services.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Santa Rosa
Population: 4,500
Area: 3,030 sq mi
Established: 1891
Tier: 3
Public Records
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Search public records for Guadalupe County residents.
