Probate Judge

Gilbert Peralta is Socorro County's elected probate judge. He is serving his first term.

The probate court is a part-time office, and the Judge has limited hours of operation. Cases and Correspondence are reviewed by the Judge on Mondays and Wednedays  .

Probate courts for each county in the state were established by the New Mexico Constitution, Article VI, Section 23. That constitutional section gives the New Mexico Legislature the power to define the jurisdiction of the probate courts within the scope of the constitution. 

Probate Local Forms

Gilbert Peralta

575-835-0423 x 2507

Direct Number 575-838-5718

gperalta@co.socorro.nm.us

Gilbert Peralta 










District Court

Seventh Judicial District Court

575-835-0050-Office
575-838-5217-Fax

P.O. Box 1129

200 Church Street

Socorro, NM 87801

Related links:

Jurisdictional

State law limits the jurisdiction of the Probate Courts to uncontested informal (with no hearings) proceedings to:

State law also allows probate judges to perform marriages within their county only.

A probate proceeding can be filed in the Socorro County Probate Court if:

The decedent was domiciled in Socorro County at the time of death (i.e., Socorro County was the permanent place of the decedent's abode), or

The decedent lived outside of New Mexico but owned property in Socorro County.

The probate court also provides general information about the probate process, access to and information about probate files (searches), and information about the court history.

The probate court staff can give general information about probate procedure and law but cannot give legal advice or discuss specific issues regarding cases.

Need

Not every estate requires a probate proceeding. It often depends on how the decedent's assets were titled or whether someone needs other legal authority to act on behalf of the estate. Examples of matters that may need a probate proceeding include, but are not limited to:

Timeline

Normally, a probate must be filed within three years following the decedent's death. Under New Mexico law no appointment of a personal representative may be made during the first 120 hours (five days) following the death.

After probate has been filed, it needs to be kept open until all creditors receive notice, claims are resolved, taxes are paid, and estate assets are distributed. Once the probate is closed, the personal representative no longer has the authority to act on behalf of the estate.

Fees

Payment of a docket fee in the amount of $30 (Non-Refundable) is required at the time a probate is filed. The court charges $ .50 per page for copies. The fee to have a document certified is $ .50 per document. The court accepts cash, credit cards, checks, money orders, or cashier's checks.

Opening a Probate Case

The Application and Acceptance must be signed in the presence of a notary public prior to submission to the court. 

The Applicant is swearing that the statements made in these documents are complete, accurate, and truthful to the best of his/her knowledge.

The court will review the documents before docketing the case to make sure there are no problems. Once the case is docketed, we cannot make any refunds.

After the judge signs the order appointing the personal representative, the court issues Letters Testamentary (when there is a will) or Letters of Administration (where there is no will). The letters give personal representatives the legal authority to conduct the decedent's estate business. See our Duties of the Personal Representative Brochure for further information/

Help

Probate cases can be filed with or without the help of an attorney (pro se). Do-it-yourself forms are available for purchase from the court for $5.

A sample fill-in-the-blank application is available on the probate court website, but you must also go to the link for the Supreme Court forms in order to download the rest of the required forms.

Occasionally, after realizing the amount of paperwork, time and responsibility involved, people will hire an attorney. We encourage people to obtain competent legal services. The court can provide information, but not legal advice.