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New Mexico County
Luna County, New Mexico
Columbus - the last foreign attack on US soil - from Pancho Villa's 1916 Columbus Raid (on March 9, 1916, Francisco "Pancho" Villa led approximately 485 Mexican revolutionary fighters across the border and attacked the town of Columbus and Camp Furlong - killing 18 Americans - in the last foreign attack on US soil in the continental United States - the raid prompted General John "Black Jack" Pershing's Punitive Expedition into Mexico, a year-long military campaign that failed to capture Villa but trained the officers who would lead American forces in World War I) to Deming's Great American Duck Race (the annual August festival in Deming featuring the Great American Duck Race - one of the Southwest's most charmingly eccentric community celebrations, where trained racing ducks compete on a custom track).
Affiliate disclosure: This page contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you use them, at no extra cost to you. Our editorial recommendations are independent of these relationships.
What do you need to do?
Tell us your goal and we'll guide you step-by-step to the right office, forms, and official resources.
Office: Luna County Office of Emergency Management – confirm current contact via lunacountynm.us.
Sheriff: Luna County Sheriff’s Office – Deming, NM 88030 | (575) 546-2655 | Fax: (575) 936-2580.
Dispatch: Luna County Central Dispatch – 16 certified Public Safety Telecommunicators, handles all 911 calls for Luna County including the City of Deming and Village of Columbus; provides pre-arrival medical instructions.
City police: Deming Police Department – 700 E. Pine St, Deming, NM 88030 | (575) 546-3011 | Fax: (575) 546-0503; Chief Sergio Lara. Code Enforcement message line: (575) 567-1036.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: I-10 serves Deming, the county seat and largest city, in southwestern New Mexico on the Mexican border.
Notes: Luna County, formed 1901 from parts of Grant and Doña Ana counties, is named for politician Solomon Luna, who advocated for the county’s independence amid a rivalry between Deming and Silver City.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Luna County Courthouse – 700 S. Silver Ave., Deming, NM 88030; genuinely NRHP-listed (1977), built 1910 in Greek Revival style by architect W.B. Corwin.
Notes: Luna County’s Village of Columbus is genuinely the site of a historically extraordinary event: on March 9, 1916, Mexican revolutionary general Francisco “Pancho” Villa led roughly 485-1,500 fighters across the border in a surprise raid on Columbus and the adjacent Camp Furlong – the only ground invasion of the continental United States since the War of 1812. Roughly 18 Americans were killed; the raid triggered General John J. Pershing’s nine-month Punitive Expedition into Mexico. The event is preserved today at Pancho Villa State Park, built on the former Camp Furlong site, with surviving structures including the 1902 U.S. Customs House (now a visitor library) and the 1916 Camp Furlong Recreation Hall, both NRHP-listed. Deming is also home to the annual Great American Duck Race festival and Rockhound State Park.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Luna County Veterans Service – confirm current contact via lunacountynm.us.
Federal: Albuquerque VA Medical Center (long distance).
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Confirm current library address/hours via lunacountynm.us or cityofdeming.org.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Pancho Villa State Park (site of the 1916 raid), Rockhound State Park, and the Great American Duck Race festival are the county’s premier attractions.
Notes: The genuine 1916 Pancho Villa raid on Columbus – the only ground invasion of the continental U.S. since the War of 1812 – is one of the most historically extraordinary local facts covered anywhere in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Luna County Planning & Community Development – confirm current contact via lunacountynm.us.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Confirm current animal shelter/control contact via lunacountynm.us or cityofdeming.org.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Luna County Road Department – confirm current contact via lunacountynm.us.
NOTES: Luna County is the third county in the New Mexico v3 A+ sourced redo’s third batch (Lincoln, Los Alamos, Luna, McKinley, Mora, Otero, Quay). The genuine 1916 Pancho Villa raid on Columbus – the only ground invasion of the continental U.S. since the War of 1812 – is one of the most historically extraordinary 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 Luna County
Luna County is where the last foreign attack on US soil occurred – Pancho Villa’s 1916 Columbus raid killed 18 Americans and launched Pershing’s year-long Punitive Expedition into Mexico, and Pancho Villa State Park in Columbus preserves the site of the only foreign military attack on the continental US in the 20th century.
Deming (the county seat, population ~14,000) serves the I-10 corridor and the border region, and hosts the Great American Duck Race – one of the Southwest’s most beloved eccentric festivals.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Luna County Assessor at 700 S. Silver Avenue, Deming, NM 88030, phone 575-546-0226. NM assessed at one-third of market value.
Courts & Legal
Luna County District Court at 855 S. Platinum Avenue, Deming, NM 88030, phone 575-546-9611, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
700 S. Silver Ave., Deming, NM 88030
(575) 546-0491
COUNTY CLERK — ELECTIONS
700 S. Silver Ave., Deming, NM 88030
(575) 546-0491
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
Luna County Probate Court, Deming (probate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Luna 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
Luna County Probate Court 700 South Silver Avenue, Deming, NM 88030 (575) 574-0071 Luna County is in southwestern New Mexico, seated in Deming.
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 S. Silver Ave., Deming, NM 88030
(575) 546-2656
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK — ELECTIONS
700 S. Silver Ave., Deming, NM 88030
(575) 546-0491
ELECTIONS
700 S. Silver Ave., Deming, NM 88030
(575) 546-0491
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
NM HSD — Luna
(575) 546-2791
Mimbres Memorial Hospital
mimbresmemorial.com (Deming — quality community hospital)
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Luna County Health/Human Services – confirm current contact via lunacountynm.us.
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