SearchSystems Editorial

Reviewed and updated October 11, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. Every office link on this page was opened and checked against the office's own website at review time.

About this guide

Otero County is a county in Colorado with about 18,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). Its public records are not in one place: court cases, jail bookings, deeds, property values, vital records and records requests each belong to a different office. This guide names the office that holds each kind of record, links to its own website and gives the phone number and address where the office publishes them. SearchSystems verified 8 county office pages for Otero County, every one opened and checked.

In this guide: Where the records live, Jail and arrests, Court records, County Clerk, Deeds and property, Vital records, District Attorney, Records requests, Statewide sources, More directory links, Cities and towns, Other counties and Questions.

Where Otero County public records live

Each kind of Otero County record is kept by a different office. The list below names the office SearchSystems verified for each one; the sections that follow give its phone, address and hours where the office publishes them.

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Arrests, jail and inmate lookups in Otero County

A person arrested in Otero County is booked into the jail, and the booking record (name, charges, bond and the next court date) is public in most cases. The office below is the one SearchSystems verified for jail and inmate information in Otero County.

Jail rosters usually show the people in custody now. Once a person is released, the case continues in the court records below.

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Court records and case lookups in Otero County

Civil, criminal, family, probate and traffic cases filed in Otero County are kept by the clerk of the court that heard them. Many courts offer an online case search; the page below is the one SearchSystems verified for Otero County.

  • Website: coloradojudicial.gov/courts/trial-courts/otero-county (page title: Otero County | Colorado Judicial Branch)
  • Phone: (719) 383-7152
  • Address: 13 West Third St. Room 207 La Junta, CO 81050
  • Hours: Monday - Friday 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
  • Checked: September 23, 2026, the page answered.

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County Clerk of Otero County

The county clerk is the county's record keeper. What the office holds differs by state: in some states it files marriage licenses and vital records, in others deeds, court papers or the meeting records of the governing board. Its own website below says what it holds in Otero County.

  • Website: oterocounty.colorado.gov/clerk-recorder (page title: Clerk and Recorder | Otero County)
  • Phone: (719) 383-3020
  • Address: 13 W. 3rd Street, Room 210 La Junta CO 81050
  • Hours: Monday, October 5, 2026, from 8 am until 9 am
  • Checked: September 30, 2026, the page answered.

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Deeds, land records and property values in Otero County

Two offices share property records. The recording office files deeds, mortgages, liens and the other documents that affect title to land in Otero County. The assessment office sets the taxable value of each parcel and usually offers a free parcel search by address or owner name.

Recorded documents: Clerk and Recorder

  • Website: oterocounty.colorado.gov (page title: Otero County)
  • Phone: (719) 383-3000
  • Address: 13 West 3rd Street La Junta, CO 81050
  • Hours: Monday, October 6, 2026, from 8 am until 9 am
  • Checked: September 30, 2026, the page answered.

Property values: County Assessor

  • Website: oterocounty.colorado.gov/assessor (page title: Assessor | Otero County)
  • Phone: 719-383-3010
  • Address: 13 West 3rd St., Room 211 La Junta, CO 81050
  • Hours: Monday - Friday 8 am to 5 pm
  • Checked: September 30, 2026, the page answered.

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Birth, death and marriage records in Otero County

Certified copies of birth and death certificates for events in Otero County are issued by the office below. The Colorado state vital records office also issues certified copies for any event in the state.

  • Website: oterocounty.colorado.gov/vital-records (page title: Otero County Vital Records | Otero County)
  • Phone: (719) 383-3044
  • Address: 13 W. 3rd Street, Room 111 La Junta, CO 81050
  • Hours: Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
  • Checked: September 23, 2026, the page answered.

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District Attorney for Otero County

The District Attorney is the office that prosecutes criminal cases in Otero County. The case files themselves are court records (above); the prosecutor's office handles victim services and questions about pending prosecutions.

  • Website: oterocounty.colorado.gov (page title: Otero County)
  • Phone: (719) 383-3000
  • Address: 13 West 3rd Street La Junta, CO 81050
  • Hours: Monday, October 6, 2026, from 8 am until 9 am
  • Checked: September 30, 2026, the page answered.

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Public records requests to Otero County

Every state has a public records law that applies to county offices. A record that is not posted online is requested from the office that holds it. Many counties run one request page for every department; it is listed below when SearchSystems verified one for Otero County.

  • Website: oterocounty.colorado.gov (page title: Otero County)
  • Phone: (719) 383-3000
  • Address: 13 West 3rd Street La Junta, CO 81050
  • Hours: Monday, October 6, 2026, from 8 am until 9 am
  • Checked: September 30, 2026, the page answered.

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Statewide Colorado sources

Some records are kept by the state rather than the county. These are the Colorado state offices SearchSystems verified; each link opens the state office's own page.

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These links come from the SearchSystems directory for Otero County and were opened again on October 2, 2026. Each one still answers.

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Cities and towns in Otero County

Otero County has 6 incorporated cities and towns (2024 Census Bureau count, population in parentheses). City records such as council minutes, permits, business licenses and police reports are kept by each city; the records on this page are county records whatever the city.

  • La Junta (6,986)
  • Rocky Ford (3,781)
  • Fowler (1,203)
  • Swink (587)
  • Manzanola (326)
  • Cheraw (231)

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Otero County Arrest Records

The Otero County arrest records guide names the five agencies that report arrests to the FBI here and the 1,490 arrests the three agencies with every month of 2025 on file reported that year. It also says where a person arrested here is held, how to find out about an arrest and how to get a copy of the report.

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Otero County Records Guides

SearchSystems has nine more guides to Otero County, each written from the county's own offices and figures: Otero County warrants (who issues and serves them, where a person arrested on one is held, how to check for one), Otero County inmate search (the jail page of the Otero County Sheriff's Office, the jail numbers and who books people), Otero County criminal records (the court file, the Colorado criminal history and the local arrest records), Otero County court records (which court hears what, the case search and who keeps the files), Otero County police reports (which agency holds a report and what the Colorado Open Records Act requires), Otero County traffic tickets (which court takes the ticket, who writes them and the driving record), Otero County DUI (the DUI law, the arrest, the court case and the license case), Otero County divorce records (which court holds the file and how a certified copy is had) and Otero County property records (deeds, assessed values, permits and evictions).

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is this the official Otero County website?

No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records directory, online since 1997. It links to the official offices listed above; SearchSystems does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.

How do I find out if someone is in jail in Otero County?

Use the jail or inmate page SearchSystems verified for Otero County at oterocounty.colorado.gov/otero-county-jail, or call 888-984-1903. Rosters usually show the people in custody now; after release, the case continues in the court records.

Where do I look up a court case in Otero County?

The court records page SearchSystems verified for Otero County is at coloradojudicial.gov, phone (719) 383-7152. A case number finds a case fastest; a name search returns every case with that name.

Who records deeds in Otero County?

The Clerk and Recorder, at oterocounty.colorado.gov. Deeds, mortgages and liens on land in Otero County are filed there.

How do I get a birth or death certificate for Otero County?

From the office SearchSystems verified for Otero County vital records at oterocounty.colorado.gov/vital-records, phone (719) 383-3044, or from the Colorado state vital records office.

How do I request a public record from Otero County?

Through the records request page at oterocounty.colorado.gov. A record that is not covered there is requested from the office that holds it.