Apache County court system spans communities, consolidates Chinle and Puerco courts

A traffic ticket, eviction filing or protection-order request in Apache County does not point to one central counter. The county’s justice-court network is spread across a vast rural landscape, and that geography decides how far you drive, which calendar you follow and where you pay. Apache County is 72.6% American Indian and Alaska Native alone, and 51.0% of residents speak a language other than English at home.

How the county court map works

Apache County has four justice courts, each presided over by a justice of the peace, and the number of justice courts is set by population. Those judges are elected to four-year terms. The county has nearly 300 employees and elected officials, so court access here is built around community sites and online tools instead of a single front desk.

Who goes where

If you live in Chinle, your calendar now runs through Northstar Justice Court’s Chinle District. Since January 1, 2023, the former Chinle and Puerco courts have operated as Northstar, and Chinle District hearings are held on the first and third Tuesdays of the month at 10:30 a.m. Victor J. Clyde is the Chinle Justice Court judge.

• Chinle: Northstar Justice Court, Chinle District, first and third Tuesdays at 10:30 a.m., with Victor J. Clyde as the judge.

• Sanders: Northstar Justice Court, Puerco District, Thursdays at 10:00 a.m., with Jay Yellowhorse as the judge for the Puerco, Sanders court.

• Round Valley: the Round Valley Justice Court handles civil and criminal traffic matters, payment questions and the day-to-day citations that can turn into license trouble if deadlines are missed.

• St. Johns: Apache County’s justice-court network also includes St. Johns, and the county’s online fine-payment tools cover that court as well.

Chinle and Sanders after the Northstar consolidation

Chinle and Puerco no longer operate as separate courts; the county routes those communities through a shared Northstar structure, with the Chinle District and Puerco District running on different days and times. The Puerco District hearing calendar is Thursdays at 10:00 a.m.

Round Valley: traffic cases, payment windows and deadlines

If you receive a civil traffic violation, you can pay fines, fees or court deposits online or by mail, which is treated as a plea of responsible, or you can appear before the judge to deny or defend the citation. For criminal traffic citations or petty offenses, you must appear on the date listed in the citation or contact the court for instructions.

Round Valley lists phone payments Monday through Thursday from 7:00 a.m. to 4:20 p.m. Apache County’s broader site also offers online fine payments.

Records, marriage licenses and the filing side of court access

Justice courts handle civil lawsuits involving $10,000 or less, landlord-tenant controversies, small claims cases and the full range of civil and criminal traffic offenses. Eviction matters and small claims disputes belong in the precinct that matches the property or the defendant. The rental property must be in the justice-court precinct where the action is filed, and the landlord must give proper notice before filing.

For residents who need records or family-related filings, the Clerk of the Superior Court is the first stop. The clerk keeps court records and collects fees, fines, bonds and restitutions, and the office is the starting point for superior-court actions involving civil matters, protection orders, divorce and dissolution, appeals, probate and domestic relations. Marriage licenses can be obtained at the clerk’s office or at justice courts in Chinle, Puerco and Round Valley, and the fee is $98. Both parties must appear with valid picture identification and sign an affidavit affirming identity.

Why the county keeps pushing local and online options

Residents can pay a court fine online, request an order of protection, request ADA accommodations for court proceedings and request court records through the county’s site. That digital layer gives residents in Chinle, Sanders, Round Valley and St. Johns a way to handle part of the process without crossing the whole county for every step. Apache County stretches across 11,127 square miles, and its population moved from 66,021 in the 2020 Census to an estimated 64,445 on July 1, 2025.