Architectural rendering of the new Santa Fe County Magistrate Court.

SUPREME COURT NEWS RELEASE

A groundbreaking for a new magistrate courthouse in Santa Fe will occur at 2 p.m. on Thursday, April 2, at 2551 Camino Entrada in the Valdez Industrial Park on the city’s south side.

The three-story, 48,000 square foot courthouse will have six courtrooms, public parking for 100 vehicles with additional parking for jurors and court personnel, and a secure area for temporarily holding and transporting detainees.

The new courthouse will replace a leased building at 2056 Galisteo St. that has been used as the Santa Fe County Magistrate Court for more than 24 years.

“The new courthouse will better meet the needs of the people of Santa Fe County,” said Chief Justice David K. Thomson. “This is the state’s second busiest magistrate court and the current aging building is too small and offers no room for growth.”

In the current building, defendants in custody must be moved through narrow hallways that are used by court employees. That poses a security risk. Parking for the public is limited, with about 40 spaces available. There are four courtrooms for use by the court’s four judges.

At the new location, one courtroom will have 100 seats for the public and the other five are designed for 50 public seats. One of the courtrooms will be designed as a shell that can be later converted for use in hearing, trials and other proceedings.

A process is underway to select a contractor, with a May 14 deadline for submission of sealed bids. Construction is expected to take a little over a year.

Magistrate courts have limited jurisdiction and handle misdemeanors, traffic violations, civil actions up to $10,000, and hold preliminary hearings to determine probable cause on felony charges. The Santa Fe court had nearly 13,400 new, reopened and reactivated criminal and civil cases in the 2025 fiscal year, accounting for nearly 9 percent of the total caseload of New Mexico’s 43 magistrate courts.