Cibola County District Court
Cibola County is in the Thirteenth Judicial District with Sandoval and Valencia Counties. District Court is the general-jurisdiction court for major civil cases, felony criminal cases, divorce and domestic relations, protection-order matters, contested probate matters, and other higher-level trial court work. Cibola County District Court is listed at 700 E. Roosevelt Ave., Ste 60, Grants, NM 87020, with phone 505-287-8831 and file-by-email address gradcounter@nmcourts.gov.
The District Court contact page lists Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday hours from 8 a.m. to noon and 1 to 5 p.m.; Wednesday hours from 8:30 a.m. to noon and 1 to 5 p.m.; and mailing address P.O. Box 758, Grants, NM 87020. The same official source lists Judge Amanda Sanchez Villalobos for Cibola District Court and Toinette Garcia as Court Manager.
The Cibola District Court docket page publishes hearing schedules for the current day plus six days.
The docket source is useful for hearing timing, but it is not the same as a complete case file or document repository.
Cibola County Court Table
The local court table is the required routing tool for Cibola County records. District Court is only one part of the system. Magistrate Court handles many traffic, misdemeanor, DWI/DUI, landlord-tenant, lower-dollar civil, and felony preliminary matters. Grants and Milan Municipal Courts handle city and village matters. Probate Court handles informal and uncontested estates, while contested estate litigation moves to District Court.
| Court | Type | Address | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cibola County District Court | General jurisdiction | 700 E. Roosevelt Ave., Ste 60, Grants, NM 87020 | 505-287-8831 |
| Cibola County Magistrate Court | Lower trial court | 114 McBride Road, Ste B, Grants, NM 87020 | 505-285-4605 |
| Cibola County Probate Court | County Probate Court | 700 Roosevelt Ave Suite 50, Grants, NM 87020 | 505-285-2552; clerk 505-285-2540 |
| Grants Municipal Court | Municipal Court | 105 Roosevelt Ave. Ste. B, Grants, NM 87020 | 505-287-3835 |
| Milan Municipal Court | Municipal Court | 630 Uranium Avenue, Milan, NM 87021 | 505-285-9841 |
District, Magistrate, Municipal, Probate
New Mexico's structure makes the filing court matter. District Court records cover the broadest and highest-level trial work in Cibola County. Magistrate Court is a common first stop for traffic, misdemeanor, DWI/DUI, landlord-tenant, and preliminary felony matters. Municipal Courts are local courts tied to Grants or Milan city and village matters. Probate Court is limited to informal estate work, and contested probate belongs in District Court.
| Record Question | District Court | Magistrate Court | Municipal Court | Probate Court |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Criminal cases | Felonies and higher-level criminal matters | Misdemeanors, DWI/DUI, preliminaries | Petty misdemeanors, DWI/DUI, ordinance cases | No criminal jurisdiction captured |
| Civil cases | Major civil and general jurisdiction | Lower-level civil and landlord-tenant | Municipal ordinance matters | Informal estate records |
| Family or divorce | Divorce, domestic relations, protection-order matters | Not the primary divorce court | Not a divorce court | Marriage ceremony role only, not divorce |
| Traffic | Serious criminal traffic, appeals, related felony matters | Traffic citations, DWI/DUI, misdemeanors | Grants or Milan traffic and ordinance tickets | Not a traffic court |
| Probate | Contested probate litigation | Not probate | Not probate | Informal and uncontested estates |
Search Cibola District Records
Public electronic case data can be searched through New Mexico Case Lookup for individual records. Documents are not available through public Case Lookup. Registered document access may be available through re:SearchNM depending on role, case type, and policy tier. Court copies, older records, and records not visible online may require the Cibola District Court counter, mail contact, email contact, or a New Mexico Courts IPRA request.
The Thirteenth Judicial District forms library supports self-represented and court form needs for the district.
The forms library supports filing and procedural access, while case records still depend on the court system or clerk request channel.
| Access Channel | Use | Limit |
|---|---|---|
| New Mexico Case Lookup | Public case status, parties, dates, docket entries | No documents; restricted categories excluded |
| re:SearchNM | Registered case and document access | Access depends on role and case type |
| Cibola District Court counter | Copies, case questions, in-person inspection | Court hours and restrictions apply |
| New Mexico Courts IPRA | Formal records request fallback | Use Thirteenth District for Cibola court records |
Cibola County Case Movement
Case movement depends on the case type. A felony matter may begin with law enforcement and a first appearance or preliminary process in Magistrate Court, then move into District Court after indictment, information, or higher-level filing. A civil case begins with a complaint or petition, service, response, motions, hearings, and judgment. A contested estate may move from Probate Court concepts into District Court litigation when heirs, wills, property, or personal-representative authority are disputed.
Criminal flow: Arrest or citation › Magistrate or first appearance › Indictment or information › District Court arraignment › Pretrial › Plea or trial › Disposition › Sentencing › Appeal.
Civil flow: Petition or complaint filed › Answer › Motions and discovery › Hearing or mediation › Trial or settlement › Judgment › Appeal.
Probate flow: Informal estate request › Probate Court appointment if uncontested › notice and administration › contested dispute moves to District Court when formal litigation is needed.
Cibola District Family Records
Divorce records and divorce decrees are District Court records. New Mexico Courts divorce self-help states that one spouse must have lived in New Mexico for the last six months and have a domicile or place to live. A divorce begins by filing a petition and papers in district court in the county where either spouse lives. The case is final only when the judge signs the Final Decree of Dissolution of Marriage.
The New Mexico Courts divorce self-help page explains the statewide filing basics for District Court divorce cases.
That source belongs on the District Court page because divorce decrees are obtained from the district court where the order was filed.
Cibola Lower Court Records
Municipal records deserve their own routing note because many traffic, ordinance, petty misdemeanor, and DWI/DUI matters do not start in District Court. New Mexico Courts states municipal court data in Case Lookup is limited to criminal Domestic Violence and DWI historic convictions beginning September 1, 1991. For Grants or Milan tickets and ordinance cases, direct court contact may be more reliable than a statewide case search.
The New Mexico Municipal Courts contact directory is the statewide directory source for local municipal court contacts.
The directory supports routing records to Grants or Milan when the case is municipal rather than district-level.
The Grants Municipal Court page lists city court address, hours, judge, clerk contacts, and the cash or money order payment rule.
That local source explains why Grants traffic and ordinance records should not be routed only to District Court.
The Milan Municipal Court page lists the village court judge, clerk, address, hours, and mail-payment instruction.
Milan's source is the local route for village municipal tickets, ordinance matters, and payment questions.