Santa Fe County Probate Court (informal) or District Court (formal) Guide

Note: New Mexico sets probate filing fees statewide. The county Probate Court charges a flat $30 docket fee for informal, uncontested probate and appointment (NMSA 1978, Section 34-7-14); this is the petition_probate amount. The District Court charges the standard civil docket fee of about $132 for formal, supervised, or contested administration (NMSA 34-6-40); this is the formal_administration amount. A small estate that is summarily distributed and closed (NMSA 45-3-1203) is handled within an already-opened informal probate, so no court fee beyond the $30 docket fee applies, and the small-estate affidavit under NMSA 45-3-1201 is presented directly to the asset holder and has no separate court filing fee. New Mexico imposes NO value-based probate tax and NO state estate or inheritance tax. Many county probate courts also sell an optional printed will/no-will information packet for a small additional fee (commonly $5-$10). Verify current amounts with the court before relying on a figure.