Public Records Request

The City Clerk serves as the Custodian of Records for the City of Las Cruces. By law, under the Inspection of Public Records Act (IPRA), every person has the right to inspect public records maintained by the City of Las Cruces. The Act also makes compliance with requests to inspect public records as an integral part of the routine duties of the officers and employees of the City of Las Cruces. It is the responsibility of the City to make public records available for inspection.

Anyone may request public records by contacting the City Clerk’s Office in person, by mail, email or through the Records Request Portal.

All written requests are responded to pursuant to the New Mexico Inspection of Public Records Act. View the Inspection of Public Records Act and Guide (PDF) for more information.

EVERYONE HAS A RIGHT TO INSPECT ANY PUBLIC RECORD OF THE CITY OF LAS CRUCES EXCEPT:

1. Records pertaining to physical or mental examinations and medical treatment of persons confined to any institution;
2. Letters of reference concerning employment, licensing or permits;
3. Letters or memorandums which are matters of opinion in personnel files or students’ cumulative files;
4. Portions of law enforcement records as provided in Section 14-2-1.2 NMSA 1978;
5. As provided by the Confidential Materials Act;
6. Trade Secrets;
7. Attorney-client privileged information;
8. Long-range or strategic business plans of public hospitals discussed in a properly closed meeting;
9. Tactical response plans or procedures prepared for or by the sate or a political subdivision of the state, the publication of which could reveal specific vulnerabilities, risk assessments or tactical emergency security procedures that could be sued to facilities the planning or execution of a terrorist attack;
10. Information concerning information technology systems, the publication of which would reveal specific vulnerabilities that compromise or allow unlawful access to such systems; provided that this subsection shall not be used to restrict requests for: Records stored or transmitted using information technology systems; Internal and external audits of information technology systems, except for those portions that would reveal ongoing vulnerabilities that compromise or allow unlawful access to such systems; or Information to authenticate or validate records received pursuant to a request fulfilled pursuant to the Inspection of Public Records Act;
11. Submissions in response to a competitive grant, land lease or scholarship and related scoring materials and evaluation reports until finalists are publicly named or the award is announced;
12. As otherwise provided by law

PROCEDURES FOR REQUESTING RECORDS

The City Clerk is the custodian of record for the City of Las Cruces. The City Clerk’s Office accepts written requests via mail, in-person, fax, email, or through our online web portal.  Requests should be directed to the Records Custodian:

Christine Rivera, City Clerk
City of Las Cruces
Address: P.O. Box 20000, Las Cruces, NM, 88004
Fax: 575-541-2117
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.lascruces.gov/IPRA

A person desiring to inspect public records may submit a request to the Records Custodian orally or in writing.  However, the procedures and penalties prescribed by the Act apply only to written requests.  A written request must contain the name, address and telephone number of the person making the request.  The request must describe the records sought in sufficient detail to enable the Records Custodian to identify and locate the requested records.

The Records Custodian must permit inspection immediately or as soon as practicable, but no later than fifteen (15) calendar days after the Records Custodian receives the inspection request.  If inspection is not permitted within three (3) business days, the person making the request will receive a written response explaining when the records will be available for inspection or when the public body will respond to the request.  If any of the records sought are not available for public inspection, the person making the request is entitled to a written response from the Records Custodian explaining the reasons inspection has been denied.  The written denial shall be delivered or mailed within fifteen (15) calendar days after the Records Custodian receives the request for inspection.

PROCEDURES FOR REQUESTING PHYSICAL COPIES AND FEES

There is no fee for records produced electronically.  However, if a person requesting inspection would like a physical copy of a public records, a reasonable fee will be charged.  The fee for printed documents 8.5” by 11” or smaller is $1.00 per page.  The fee for USB flash drive starts at $10 for 8GB and goes up to $24 for 64GB.  The Records Custodian may request that applicable fees for copying public records be paid in advance, before the copies are made.  Should a requester wish to have their records mailed, the fee is actual cost for postage.  A receipt indicating that the fees have been paid will be provided upon request to the person requesting the copies.

Contact the City Clerk’s Office at (575) 541-2112 or [email protected] with any questions.

The City of Las Cruces is committed to transparent government. For 2024, the City Clerk’s Office has received 2588 Inspection of Public Records Requests to date.

OCTOBER IPRA Request Statistics

• CMO/City Clerk Records – 644
• CMO/City Clerk Admin – 2
• CMO/Facilities Management – 1
• CMO/Housing & Neighborhood Services – 5
• CMO/Internal Auditor’s Office – 1
• CMO/Visit Las Cruces – 1
• Community Development – 16
• Economic Development – 1
• Financial Services – 8
• Fire – 19
• Human Resources – 10
• Information Technology – 3
• Legal/City Attorney’s Office – 6
• Legal/Risk Management – 1
• Parks & Rec – 1
• Police – 175
• Codes – 3
• Public Works – 3
• Utilities – 4