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.
New Mexico County
Quay County, New Mexico
Tucumcari - the neon motel capital of Route 66 - from Tucumcari's Route 66 neon heritage (Tucumcari's stretch of historic Route 66 retains more original neon motel signs than almost any other city on the Mother Road - the glowing Tee Pee Curios, Blue Swallow Motel, and Palomino Motel signs that light up Tucumcari's main strip at night are among the finest surviving examples of 1950s roadside commercial architecture and neon artistry in America, and the "Tucumcari Tonight" billboard campaign that once promised 2,000 motel rooms is one of Route 66's most remembered slogans) and Tucumcari Mountain's geological prominence above the Llano Estacado.
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: Quay County Emergency Management – 300 S. Third Street, PO Box 1246, Tucumcari, NM 88401 | (575) 461-8535 | Hours: Mon-Thu 7 AM-6 PM (including lunch).
Sheriff: Quay County Sheriff’s Office – 300 S. Third Street, PO Box 943, Tucumcari, NM 88401 | (575) 461-2720 | Fax: (575) 461-2369 | Hours: Mon-Thu 8 AM-5 PM (closed 12-1 PM).
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: I-40 and historic Route 66 run directly through Tucumcari, the county seat and largest city, in eastern New Mexico.
Notes: Quay County, created 1903, is named for Pennsylvania Senator Matthew Quay, who supported New Mexico statehood. Tucumcari, founded 1901 as a Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad camp nicknamed “Six Shooter Siding” after frequent shootings, predates the county by two years.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Quay County Courthouse – Tucumcari, NM 88401; confirm current phone via quaycounty-nm.gov.
Notes: Tucumcari is genuinely one of the most iconic Route 66 towns in America, historically promoted by the famous “Tucumcari Tonight!” billboard campaign that lured mid-century travelers off the highway – at its peak the town had over 2,000 motel rooms. When I-40 bypassed the town center in 1981, business dropped sharply, but Tucumcari has become a celebrated preservation destination, with the New Mexico Route 66 Association headquartered there and volunteer-led restoration of the town’s historic neon signage. The town is named for nearby Tucumcari Mountain, a distinctive mesa landmark.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Quay County Veterans Service – confirm current contact via quaycounty-nm.gov.
Federal: Albuquerque VA Medical Center (long distance).
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Confirm current library address/hours via quaycounty-nm.gov.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Historic downtown Tucumcari’s Route 66 neon signs and murals, the Mesalands Dinosaur Museum, the New Mexico Route 66 Museum, Tucumcari Historical Museum, Conchas Lake State Park, and Ute Lake State Park are the county’s premier attractions.
Notes: The genuine “Tucumcari Tonight!” Route 66 heritage is one of the most iconic Americana facts covered anywhere in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Quay County Assessor – confirm current contact via quaycounty-nm.gov.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
No dedicated county animal shelter was confirmed in this search – confirm directly via quaycounty-nm.gov.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Quay County – confirm current contact via quaycounty-nm.gov.
NOTES: Quay County is the seventh and final county in the New Mexico v3 A+ sourced redo’s third batch (Lincoln, Los Alamos, Luna, McKinley, Mora, Otero, Quay) – closing out this batch. The genuine “Tucumcari Tonight!” Route 66 heritage is one of the most iconic Americana 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 Quay County
Quay County is Route 66’s neon capital – Tucumcari’s surviving neon motel signs are among the finest examples of 1950s roadside Americana on the Mother Road, and the “Tucumcari Tonight – 2,000 motel rooms” billboard campaign is one of the most evocative Route 66 slogans in American road culture.
Tucumcari (the county seat, population ~5,000) celebrates its Route 66 heritage through the annual Route 66 Festival and the preserved neon signs that draw nostalgic travelers off I-40.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Quay County Assessor at 300 S. 3rd Street, Tucumcari, NM 88401, phone 575-461-0322. NM assessed at one-third of market value.
Courts & Legal
Quay County District Court at 300 S. 3rd Street, Tucumcari, NM 88401, phone 575-461-2764, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
300 S. 3rd St., Tucumcari, NM 88401
(575) 461-0510
COUNTY CLERK — ELECTIONS
300 S. 3rd St., Tucumcari, NM 88401
(575) 461-0510
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
Quay County Probate Court, Tucumcari (probate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Quay 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
Quay County Probate Court 300 South Third Street (mail: P.O. Box 1225), Tucumcari, NM 88401 (575) 461-1700 Quay County is in eastern New Mexico, seated in Tucumcari.
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
300 S. 3rd St., Tucumcari, NM 88401
(575) 461-3822
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK — ELECTIONS
300 S. 3rd St., Tucumcari, NM 88401
(575) 461-0510
ELECTIONS
300 S. 3rd St., Tucumcari, NM 88401
(575) 461-0510
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Office: Quay County Health Council – confirm current contact via qchealthcouncil.org.
Editorial independence: CountyOffices maintains strict editorial independence from our affiliate partners. Our content is researched from official government sources. Affiliate relationships do not influence our recommendations or the information we publish.
