Costilla County Clerk of Court Contact
The official judges and staff page names Shelly Gallegos as the Clerk of Court for Costilla County in Colorado's 12th Judicial District. The Clerk of Court works through the Costilla Combined Court, the local state court access point for District Court and County Court files. This office is the right contact for case files, dockets, certified or exemplified court documents, divorce decrees, criminal disposition and sentence orders, probate letters, traffic tickets, and registers of action.
The public court location page lists the courthouse at 304 Main Street, P.O. Box 301, San Luis, CO 81152, phone 719-672-3681, and email costillaclerk@judicial.state.co.us. The location page lists Monday through Friday hours from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Use the court clerk when the record arose from a District Court or County Court case. Use other offices only when the source record is not a court file.
Costilla Combined Court Clerk
Clerk of Court: Shelly Gallegos
304 Main Street
P.O. Box 301
San Luis, CO 81152
719-672-3681
costillaclerk@judicial.state.co.us
Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
Costilla County Clerk Roles
Costilla County has two clerk functions that sound similar but serve different record systems. The Clerk of Court is part of the Colorado Judicial Branch and maintains District Court and County Court case records. The Costilla County Clerk and Recorder is an elected county official, Najondine Placek, who handles recording, marriage licensing, motor vehicle services, elections, liquor and marijuana licensing, and clerk duties for the Board of County Commissioners.
| Office | Records handled | Primary channel |
|---|---|---|
| Clerk of Court | Court files, dockets, divorce decrees, probate letters, criminal dispositions, tickets, certified court copies | Colorado Judicial docket search, record request form, Costilla Combined Court |
| County Clerk and Recorder | Marriage licenses, recorded documents, elections, motor vehicle, county licensing, Board records | Clerk and Recorder office, iCounty for 1997-current deeds, mail, email, drop box |
| Sheriff records | Arrest reports, booking or agency records, criminal justice records held by the Sheriff's Office | Sheriff records request by email, mail, or in person |
Colorado public-record policy under C.R.S. 24-72-201 explains the state's presumption of reasonable public inspection unless an exception applies.
That public-record principle does not collapse all records into one office, so the custodian still matters.
Costilla County Court Request Form
The Colorado Judicial record/document request form is the main statewide request path when a docket search does not provide the actual document. The form supports Costilla County requests and asks for requester contact information, case details, party names, requested document categories, and whether certified or exemplified copies are needed. It also states that the clerk may restrict access under Colorado statutes, court rules, Chief Justice Directives, local orders, and other authorities.
| Field | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| First, middle, and last name | Unspecified | Requester contact information. |
| Email and phone | Unspecified | Used for response and clarification. |
| Address, city, state, ZIP | Yes for address fields marked required | Mailing or contact address. |
| Case number | No | Helpful if known, using year, class, and sequence. |
| County/location of record | Important | Select Costilla County. |
| Party information | Yes | Marked required on the form. |
| Document category | Request dependent | Family, criminal, civil, probate, other, ROA, certified, or exemplified. |
Request Certified Costilla Court Copies
Certified and exemplified copies prove that a court document is an official copy. They may be needed for benefits, title work, employment licensing, immigration, appeal records, name restoration, enforcement, or records held by another agency. Costilla County court users should first identify the case number if possible, then decide which document proves the needed fact. A Register of Action may show events, charges, sentences, and minute orders, but it is not always a substitute for a decree, order, judgment, or letter.
- Search the Colorado Judicial docket search by Costilla County, court type, party, case number, or attorney.
- Record the case number, court type, party names, and date range from the docket result.
- Submit the statewide record/document request form and select Costilla County as the record location.
- Choose the document category, such as Divorce Decree, Complaint/Information, Disposition/Sentence Order, Ticket, Letters, Will, Judgment, or ROA.
- Check certified or exemplified copy if the document must be used as official proof, then pay any assessed copy, certification, retrieval, or redaction fees.
Costilla County Clerk Fees
The court fee schedule captured from the Judicial Branch request form applies to court records handled by the Clerk of Court. It is separate from the County Clerk and Recorder fee schedule for recorded documents, which includes general recording, pre-1997 deed copy requests, certified recorded-document copies, plats, documentary fees, and e-recording vendors. Use the court schedule for court files and the county schedule for recorded instruments.
| Court record item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Copy per page | $0.25 per page, with maximum rules for parties and attorneys on their case |
| Transcript of Judgment | $25 |
| Certificate of Satisfaction | $20 |
| Certified or exemplified copy | $20 per document |
| Name search | $5 |
| Off-site case file retrieval | Actual retrieval cost |
| Research or redaction | $30 per hour after first hour, billed in 15-minute increments |
For federal law-enforcement context, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Colorado is a separate federal office, not the Costilla County Clerk of Court.
Federal prosecution records, state court case files, and county recorded documents each have different custodians.
Costilla County Clerk Forms
The Costilla Clerk of Court points users into Colorado Judicial Branch forms and request channels. The self-help forms library includes criminal, family, probate, traffic, money, judgment, protection order, and other court processes. For divorce or separation, the Judicial Branch divorce page provides family forms and notes that name restoration can be requested in the petition or response, or later through the court where the decree entered. For probate, the Open an Estate page and JDF 999 small-estate route are key resources.
- Self-help forms library for statewide court forms.
- Filing fee list for current court filing fees.
- Fee waiver information for JDF 205 and JDF 206 paths.
- Divorce and separation self-help for domestic relations filings.
- Open an Estate for probate filing context.
The U.S. Attorney District of Colorado contact page is a federal contact source.
Use that federal contact only for federal matters. Costilla court forms and records remain in the Colorado Judicial Branch system.
Restricted Costilla Clerk Records
The Clerk of Court cannot release every court document to every requester. The court request form flags suppressed cases, juvenile and probate records, and documents with confidential or protected information. Those may require U.S. government-issued photo ID, redaction, proof of relationship, a court order, or may be unavailable to the public. Sealed records should not appear in ordinary public searches after sealing is complete.
Common protected details include Social Security numbers, financial account data, protected addresses, minor names, victim information, medical information, and sealed criminal outcomes. Colorado's court public-records access guide and Chief Justice Directive framework control court-system records, while ordinary county CORA rules apply to many county agency records outside the Judicial Branch. The difference matters when a requester asks the Clerk of Court for records held by the Sheriff or Clerk and Recorder.
Costilla County Clerk Fallbacks
If a record is not a court file, the Clerk of Court may not be the custodian. Marriage licenses and recorded documents belong to the Clerk and Recorder. The county recording page says deeds from 1997 to current can be accessed on iCounty, while older deed requests require written details such as Book and Page or Reception number. Sheriff arrest reports, booking records, and agency records use the Sheriff's records request process, not the court clerk.
The BOP inmate locator sources are federal examples. The Bureau of Prisons inmate locator and BOP name search apply to federal inmates from 1982 to present, not Costilla Combined Court files.
Federal inmate search can help when a case moved into federal custody, but it does not provide Costilla County court copies.
For state court dispositions, divorce decrees, probate letters, or traffic tickets, return to the Costilla Clerk of Court request path.