County asks hearing officer to declare 13 Saddle Road a public nuisance; owner says cleanup underway but needs time

Santa Fe County code enforcement requested that a hearing officer find the property at 13 Saddle Road (case 258151) a public nuisance and recommend a resolution authorizing the county to abate the condition if the owner cannot complete abatement.

Joseph Martinez, identified himself as Santa Fe County code enforcement supervisor, told the hearing the county received complaints, conducted multiple site inspections and documented two deteriorated, uninhabited structures, unsecured windows, disconnected gas, appliances and widespread trash and debris. Martinez said notices were issued (including a notice of violation dated 08/22/2025) and follow-up inspections (including 10/01/2025) showed no corrective action. "This recommendation would serve as a necessary fail-safe to ensure that should the property owner be unable to complete the abatement in full or in a timely manner, Santa Fe County would have the authority to proceed with the abatement efforts without additional delay," Martinez said.

Owner Kelly Murphy, sworn for testimony, acknowledged the nuisance and said she shares the county's fire-safety concerns. Murphy described a sequence of personal hardships that contributed to the property's condition: repeated break-ins that damaged doors and utilities, caregiving responsibilities for an ill relative, her husband's stroke and death, COVID-related loss of income and limited mobility. She said friends recently removed some trash and that friends with borrowed equipment worked on the site last week. "The fire danger is damp. Much of the nuisance... have been taken away. There will be more taken away," Murphy said, adding she lacks funds to clear large items and expects to be able to address the property more fully after April.

Martinez told the hearing officer the county had posted notices, attempted certified mail service (with some returns due to address errors), documented delinquent taxes, and gathered photographic evidence of ongoing hazardous conditions. County staff requested the hearing officer issue findings of fact and conclusions of law that the property constitutes a public nuisance under the Santa Fe County nuisance abatement ordinance (Ordinance 2023-04) and recommend a resolution authorizing abatement, either owner-led or county-led.

The hearing officer offered both sides the opportunity for closing statements, noted he would issue a written decision within five working days, and closed the record on this matter.

What happens next: the hearing officer will issue written findings and any recommendation within five working days, after which any county-abatement steps would follow the procedures in the cited ordinance and related county resolutions.