N.M. Stat. § 14-3-8 (2026)

A records center is established in Santa Fe under the supervision and control of the
administrator. The center, in accordance with the regulations established by the
administrator and the commission, shall be the facility for the receipt, storage or
disposition of all inactive and infrequently used records of present or former state
agencies or former territorial agencies which at or after the effective date of this act may
be in custody of any state agency or instrumentality, and which are not required by law
to be kept elsewhere, or which are not ordered destroyed by the commission.

    Records required to be confidential by law and which are stored in the center shall
be available promptly when called for by the originating agency, but shall not be made
available for public inspection except as provided by law. All other records retained by
the center shall be open to the inspection of the general public, subject to reasonable
rules and regulations prescribed by the administrator. Facilities for the use of these
records in research by the public shall be provided in the center.

History: 1953 Comp., § 71-6-8, enacted by Laws 1959, ch. 245, § 8.

                                     ANNOTATIONS
Compiler’s notes. — The phrase "effective date of this act", appearing in the second
sentence of the first paragraph, means June 12, 1959, the effective date of Laws 1959,
ch. 245.

Official documents and correspondence of former officials. — It is clear that the
official documents and correspondence of a former territorial governor, chief justice,
representative and delegate should be in the custody of the commission in the state
records center. 1961 Op. Att'y Gen. No. 61-07.

Records which contain both official and personal matters are still public records
and should be in the custody of the commission at the state records center. 1969 Op.
Att'y Gen. No. 69-139.

State records center does not have the authority to conduct investigations into
the compliance of state agencies with respect to their adherence to the
requirements of the State Rules Act. — New Mexico courts have consistently held
that administrative bodies are creatures of statute and can act only on those matters
which are within the scope of authority delegated to them. The State Rules Act, NMSA
1978, §§ 14-4-1 to -11, does not provide the state records center the authority to
independently investigate the actions of state agencies with respect to their adherence
to the notice and hearing requirements of the State Rules Act. Authority of Commission
of Public Records and SRCA (11/18/21), Att’y Gen. Adv. Ltr. 2021-13.