For the convenience of the public and the better preservation of titles to real property, there shall be a complete and accurate county recording index made of all instruments of record affecting real property made by the county clerk of each county.
History: Laws 1903, ch. 87, § 1; Code 1915, § 4798; C.S. 1929, § 118-122; 1941 Comp., § 13-301; 1953 Comp., § 71-3-1; 2013, ch. 214, § 5.
The 2013 amendment, effective June 14, 2013, required county clerks to maintain a county recording index; added the title; at the beginning of the section, deleted "That whenever in the opinion of the board of county commissioners of any county in the state it is necessary"; after "titles to real property", deleted "to have" and added "there shall be"; after "accurate", added "county recording"; and after "affecting real property", deleted "they are hereby authorized to have such index".
Private individual not authorized to make index. — Under this section, county commissioners are not authorized to employ a private individual to make the index. Fancher v. Board of Comm'rs, 1921-NMSC-039, 28 N.M. 179, 210 P. 237.
Am. Jur. 2d, A.L.R. and C.J.S. references. — 66 Am. Jur. 2d Records and Recording Laws §§ 89 to 96.
76 C.J.S. Records § 9 et seq.