Where are oil and gas records filed in Lea County, New Mexico?

Lea County Clerk records deeds, leases, and assignments for Lea County, New Mexico. They are searchable through Lea County Clerk — Clerk Lookup (county-hosted).

Are Lea County minerals recorded at the courthouse?

New Mexico's #1 oil & gas producer by volume per NM OCD/EMNRD production data (Permian: Delaware Basin + Northwest Shelf). Minerals are state/federal-majority: NM State Land Office (NMSLO) state-trust leases + BLM Carlsbad FO federal acreage carry much of the estate; fee tracts are county-recorded. NM minerals are STATE-valued (the county assessor holds surface only). No tribal land.

How many record sources are verified for Lea County?

11 record sources are verified for Lea County as of Jun 8, 2026, including 5 official sources with a free index.

Lea County records

In Lea County, New Mexico, much of the mineral estate is state, federal, or tribal — not county-recorded. Here is where each layer lives: the State Land Office, the BLM, the BIA, the county clerk, and the local title plant, with the coverage each source carries.

See the sources

New Mexico · Public record · Every field traces to a source

Jun 8, 2026: Last verified
—: Drilling permits · last 90 days
11: Record sources verified

01 · The county clerk

Clerk office and title company

Clerk · OfficeNM · LEA

County Clerk: Lea County Clerk
Address: 100 N Main Ave, Suite 1C, Lovington, NM 88260
Phone: 575-396-8619
Hours: Mon–Fri 8:00–5:00 (closed most federal holidays)
In-county title plant: Yes

Verified Jun 8, 2026

02 · Where the records live

Record sources and coverage

Each source shows what it carries, whether it gives images or just an index, and the years it covers. A field we couldn't verify shows “—” rather than a guess.

NM State Land Office — SLOConnect Lease SearchState Land OfficeOfficial · Free
Statewide system — indexed by lease / township-range / account, not recording date.
Statewide; lease/township-range keyed, not recording date. Lea has extensive state-trust mineral acreage.
Oil, Gas & Minerals Div, 505-827-5760, Santa Fe
BLM Carlsbad FO / MLRS (federal minerals)Federal · BLMOfficial · Free
Statewide system — indexed by lease / township-range / account, not recording date.
Statewide; serial-register/case-keyed. Lea carries substantial federal O&G acreage.
BLM Carlsbad FO, 520 E Greene St, 575-234-5972
Lea County Clerk — Clerk Lookup (county-hosted)County PortalOfficial · Free
Index—Images—
County-hosted free public search — by reception number, grantor/grantee, book & page, marriage, probate, or scanned index. The clerk publishes scanned Grantor/Grantee index books 1917–1981 online; current records via the search portal (NM clerk records are permanent/public by statute).
575-396-8619
Lea County Clerk — recording desk (in person)In PersonIn Person
Index—Images—
NM clerk land records are permanent/public; earliest in-person index year not published on the county site (aggregators below show indexing from 1884).
100 N Main Ave, Suite 1C, Lovington · 575-396-8619 · copies: 5 or fewer free, then $0.50 ea · recording $25 per 10 indexed entries (NMSA 14-8-15B)
Elliott & Waldron Title & Abstract Co., Inc.Title PlantIn Person
Index—Images—
In-county O&G title plant — geographic index with document images of the Lea County Clerk's records (offices in Lovington + Hobbs). Start = sovereignty/patent, not a published index date.
115 E Washington Ave, Lovington · 575-396-5846 · also 1819 N Turner Ste B, Hobbs · 575-393-7706
Lea County Abstract & Title Co.Title PlantIn Person
Index—Images—
Second in-county Lovington title/abstract plant. Start = sovereignty/patent, not a published index date.
202 S Love St, Lovington · 575-396-2912
CourthouseDirect.comAggregatorSubscription
Index1988–presentImages1988–present
Online grantor/grantee index & document images (Historic File Viewer) from 1988.
CountyRecords.comAggregatorFree · Register
Index1884–presentImages—
halFILE plant — Property Records 1884→present (~1,252,000 documents). Free sign-up.
NM Oil Conservation Division (OCD) — well records / Online ImagingOCDOfficial · Free
Index—Images—
NM well/lease regulator (NM equivalent of the TX RRC).
NMOCD, EMNRD, Santa Fe
Lea County AssessorCounty AssessorOfficial · Free
Statewide system — indexed by lease / township-range / account, not recording date.
NM minerals are STATE-valued — the assessor has NO mineral accounts; surface only.
100 N Main, Suite 2, Lovington · 575-396-8626
NETR Online (research anchor)DirectoryFree
Statewide system — indexed by lease / township-range / account, not recording date.
Pointer/directory, not a record host.

03 · How to pull the records

Pulling the records

01
Start with the sovereign layer. In New Mexico much of the mineral estate is state, federal, or tribal — so the courthouse is often not the recording office.
02
State-trust minerals are leased through the NM State Land Office (SLOConnect); federal minerals through the BLM; tribal and allotted minerals through the BIA agency of record.
03
The county clerk records fee-land deeds and leases; the Oil Conservation Division carries well and lease records. New Mexico assessors value surface, not minerals, so they carry no mineral accounts.
04
Title and abstract work runs through the local plant. Online hosts mirror parts of the index for convenience — check the coverage dates on each before relying on it.

Keep the deal documents organized

Scout doesn't run title — that stays with you and your title shop. Once you've pulled the records, Scout keeps the resulting documents (leases, deeds, curative, W-9s) organized against each deal.

See how Scout fits

05 · Sources & accuracy