Albuquerque, NM

Albuquerque treats permanent backyard tiny homes as accessory dwelling units (casitas) under the IDO, capped at 750 square feet, and the City offers free pre-approved casita…

Converting a garage into habitable space in Albuquerque requires a building permit with full plans, and a converted bedroom must have an egress window with at least 5.7 square feet of…

Albuquerque's Integrated Development Ordinance allows one accessory dwelling unit (casita) per lot in the R-A, R-1, R-T, and R-ML zones, capped at 750 square feet of gross floor area…

Albuquerque exempts one-story detached storage sheds of 120 square feet or less from a building permit, while larger sheds need a permit; accessory buildings have no required setback…

Albuquerque's HEART Ordinance limits a household to no more than six companion animals, no more than four of which may be dogs; exceeding that limit requires a Multiple Companion…

Albuquerque bans owning, possessing, breeding, selling, or displaying Prohibited Exotic or Wild Animals, including big cats, wolves, bears, primates, large constrictors, and venomous…

Intentionally feeding feral pigeons anywhere in Albuquerque, public or private property, is a civil violation under the city's Pigeon Nuisance Abatement law, with a written warning for…

Albuquerque's Integrated Development Ordinance limits what a Veterinary Hospital can treat and how it can keep animals outdoors depending on zone district. In the MX-T, MX-L, and MX-M…

Albuquerque grooming parlors must hold an Animal Service Provider Permit, meet secure-facility and sanitation standards, and clean animal areas at least twice daily.

Albuquerque bans letting cats roam free and requires every cat over three months old to be microchipped and registered with the city's Animal Welfare Department, with citation and…

Albuquerque requires dogs and cats over six months old to be altered unless the owner holds an Intact Companion Animal Permit.

Albuquerque bans letting any animal run at large; accompanied dogs must be on a leash no longer than eight feet, held by someone able to control them.

Albuquerque bans retail pet stores from selling dogs or cats outright. A store may sell only other living creatures, fish, birds, rodents, insects, arachnids, reptiles and other…

Every Albuquerque resident who owns a dog or cat past three months old must have it microchipped and registered with AACC. Non-residents who keep a pet in the city over 15 straight…

Albuquerque's Parks Code bans hunting, harming, frightening, or shooting at any bird within city parks, and it makes removing or possessing a bird's eggs, nest, or young illegal…

State-licensed wildlife rehabilitators are exempt from Albuquerque's Exotic or Wild Animal Collection Permit, as long as they use secure enclosures and never use the animals for…

Albuquerque has no breed-specific ban; the HEART Ordinance regulates dogs by individual behavior, defining 'Aggressive' through objective observation rather than breed. New Mexico's…

Albuquerque's HEART Ordinance caps poultry at 15 birds per household with no more than one rooster, and caps rabbits at 15 per household; keeping of other livestock is governed by the…

Unincorporated Bernalillo County bars owning, harboring, or exhibiting a coyote as a wild animal; wolf-coyote hybrids require an annual permit, spay/neuter proof, and county inspection…

New Mexico Statutes Chapter 76, Article 9 governs beekeeping statewide, requiring commercial apiary registration with the New Mexico Department of Agriculture. Importation of honey…

Albuquerque's Integrated Development Ordinance caps walls and fences at 3 feet in a front or street side yard and 8 feet elsewhere on a residential lot, with limited exceptions for…

Albuquerque's IDO allows a broad range of wall and fence materials but restricts exposed CMU block on street frontages, bans most chain link on visible frontages, and prohibits…

Albuquerque retaining walls follow the same maximum heights as other walls unless the City Engineer approves a higher wall. Retaining walls over 6 feet must be terraced to no more than…

Albuquerque requires a permit before any wall or fence is built: a staff-decided Permit - Wall or Fence - Minor for standard fences, or a Permit - Wall or Fence - Major (public hearing…

New Mexico is a fence-out state. NMSA 1978, Section 77-16-1 puts the burden on the landowner to build a legal fence to keep trespassing livestock off cultivated land; a neighbor who…

Albuquerque Fire Code Section 307.1 prohibits open burning, recreational fires, bonfires, rubbish fires and open-burning operations except as allowed by the Albuquerque-Bernalillo…

Recreational fires are allowed without a permit if kept at least 25 feet from structures with fuel no larger than 3 ft x 3 ft, while bonfires require a permit and must stay 50 feet…

The Fire Chief can declare fire bans and staged restrictions across Albuquerque's 28,000-acre wildland-urban interface, the Bosque, open space, and city-owned wildlands, whenever high…

Albuquerque's Allan Peifer Smoke Detector Ordinance, City Code Sec. 9-13-4, requires every owner or lessor of a leased dwelling unit to install operable smoke detectors before a tenant…

Albuquerque bans the aerial devices and ground audible devices it is allowed to prohibit under New Mexico's Fireworks Licensing and Safety Act. Fire Code Section 3309.1 prohibits…

In wildland-urban interface areas, Bernalillo County requires 30 to 100 feet of cleared defensible space around buildings under the county fire code's Appendix M.

In Bernalillo County's Wildland-Urban Interface areas, LP-gas containers must sit within the property's defensible space, with an exception allowing a separate defensible space built…

Albuquerque generally prohibits food and beverage uses as home occupations, but the IDO carves out a catering service that meets the New Mexico Homemade Food Act and needs no NM…

A home occupation may not regularly attract more than 2 people at once, commercial vehicle visits are capped at 10 per 7-day period, and customer visits and deliveries are barred…

A home occupation in Albuquerque may display only one non-illuminated sign, and the outside of the dwelling may not otherwise show evidence of the business; in residential zones the…

Albuquerque allows home occupations in residential dwellings but limits them to 25 percent of the dwelling's floor area (50 percent in the MX-T district), restricts on-site workers to…

In unincorporated Bernalillo County, caring for three to six children in your home is a zoning-defined "Family Day Care Home" that needs Zoning Administrator conditional-use approval…

Under Albuquerque's Weed, Litter and Snow Removal Ordinance (Sec. 9-8-1 et seq.), it is unlawful to permit listed nuisance weeds to grow to a height or width of more than 4 inches. The…

Albuquerque voids any HOA covenant that bars a homeowner from tearing out turf grass and planting xeriscape or native, low-water landscaping, so long as the work meets the city's cap…

Albuquerque's Integrated Development Ordinance allows artificial turf on private property but refuses to credit it toward any landscaping requirement. IDO § 14-16-5-6(C)(4)(i) states…

Albuquerque law voids any homeowners' association covenant that blocks a property holder from using rain barrels or other water harvesting devices, so long as the devices protect…

Albuquerque's Street Tree Ordinance (ROA 1994, Article 6-6) sets minimum clearance for trees overhanging public ways: the lowest permanent branch over a sidewalk must be at least 7…

Albuquerque enforces mandatory time-of-day watering restrictions. Under the Water Conservation Landscaping and Water Waste Ordinance (ROA 1994, Sec. 6-1-1-5), all spray irrigation from…

Cutting, trimming, spraying, removing, or planting any tree, shrub, or hedge within Albuquerque's streets, alleys, sidewalks, or other public places requires a written permit from the…

Albuquerque's Noise Control Ordinance does not regulate aircraft. Section 9-9-8 expressly exempts sounds or vibrations from any aircraft or from operation of any airport or approved…

Albuquerque's Noise Control Ordinance sets numeric sound limits by receptor zone and time of day, from 50 dB(A) in residential areas at night to 75 dB(A) near industrial and public…

Albuquerque bans vehicle music or stereo sound plainly audible from 25 feet away, prohibits exhaust modifications that increase noise above factory levels, and requires every vehicle…

Albuquerque bans running a leaf blower, or other outdoor power equipment, within 500 feet of a home, school or hospital at night or from 7 to 9 a.m. on Sundays and holidays. Golf…

Albuquerque has no blanket curfew but enforces zoning-based decibel limits. Under Noise Control Ordinance section 9-9-4, residential receptor properties may not be exposed to sound…

Under Noise Control Ordinance section 9-9-4(D), no construction equipment may operate within 500 feet of noise-sensitive property on Sundays, holidays, or between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00…

Noise Control Ordinance section 9-9-4(C) makes it unlawful to allow an animal in your possession to 'persistently or continuously' bark, howl, or make noise that disturbs the peace and…

Amplified music must stay within the section 9-9-4 decibel limits. The Mayor may grant a free Temporary Permit for short-duration amplified sound under section 9-9-5; unless the permit…

On-street parking in Albuquerque is governed by the city's Traffic Code (ROA 1994 Chapter 8, Article 5), layered on top of New Mexico's Uniform Traffic Act (NMSA 1978 Section…

Albuquerque has no blanket residential overnight on-street parking ban, but a vehicle left unattended in the same place on a public street for 36 hours without a valid police sticker…

Albuquerque marks fire lanes with a sign or a painted red curb, and § 8-5-1-16 bans stopping, standing, or parking in that lane on both public streets and private property open to the…

Albuquerque's Integrated Development Ordinance requires new large parking lots and multi-family or mixed-use projects to install electric vehicle charging. Once a project builds more…

Albuquerque's Integrated Development Ordinance limits how much of a front or street-side yard a homeowner can pave for driveways and parking. Under IDO § 14-16-5-5(F)(2)(a) and Table…

Businesses can apply for a dedicated curb loading zone in Albuquerque, but only where parking is scarce and deliveries are brief.

Albuquerque lets the Mayor create residential parking permit districts on streets where on-street parking is scarce, issuing permits only to area residents. Before any district takes…

Unregistered, inoperable, or unattended vehicles on streets or private land are a public nuisance the city can tag, tow, and impound.

Albuquerque's Integrated Development Ordinance (IDO Section 14-16-5-5) allows a recreational vehicle, boat or recreational trailer to be parked on a residential property only inside an…

Albuquerque's Integrated Development Ordinance (IDO Sec. 14-16-5-5(B)(4)) allows truck tractors, semitrailers and heavy vehicles to be parked more than two hours only on…

New Mexico regulates every nonconsensual tow through 18.3.12 NMAC, a rule the New Mexico Department of Transportation reissued effective July 1, 2024. A towing service may not touch a…

Albuquerque caps overnight STR occupancy at two adults per bedroom plus two additional adults, so a two-bedroom unit allows six and a three-bedroom unit allows eight. An adult is…

Every Albuquerque STR operator must carry short-term rental insurance of at least $250,000 per unit, covering damage to guests and damage caused by guests or the operator to others…

Gatherings at an Albuquerque short-term rental larger than the unit's overnight occupancy must end and attendees must clear the property by 10:00 p.m. Albuquerque Code of Ordinances §…

Three or more violations of city ordinances or state statutes at an Albuquerque short-term rental within a 12-month period triggers automatic revocation of the STR permit for two full…

Albuquerque requires a valid Short Term Rental permit from the Planning Department for every unit rented 29 days or less, plus a City Business Registration. The initial permit fee is…

Albuquerque imposes a 5% lodgers' occupancy tax plus a 1% hospitality fee, a combined 6% on gross rent, for every short-term rental stay, collected by the host and remitted monthly to…

A City of Albuquerque building permit is required before constructing a residential swimming pool or spa; the application must include a site plan with property-line and dwelling…

Albuquerque requires every new residential swimming pool to be enclosed by a barrier at least 4 feet high (with an approved automatic cover) or 6 feet high (without an automatic…

Albuquerque's Automated Speed Enforcement (ASE) ordinance lets a contracted camera system ticket speeding drivers citywide, with a $100 civil fine mailed to the registered vehicle…

Albuquerque defines e-bikes by motor wattage and speed cutoff, Class 1 and 2 stop assisting at 20 mph, Class 3 at 28 mph, then lets all three classes ride identically on streets, bike…

Albuquerque requires every shared e-scooter and bike-share operator to get City approval, pay permit and per-vehicle fees, cap fleets at 1,000 units, and geofence areas the City marks…

Albuquerque bars driving or parking motor vehicles in bicycle lanes except to cross when turning or to park where allowed, and only after yielding to cyclists; blocking a bike lane…

Albuquerque bans leaving a delivery vehicle under 22,000 pounds gross vehicle weight running and unattended while the driver makes a pickup or delivery. Section 8-5-1-41 reaches both…

New homes in Albuquerque's mapped floodplain must have the lowest floor built at or above the base flood elevation, certified by a licensed engineer or surveyor.

Albuquerque requires a Floodplain Development Permit before any construction, fill, grading or land-use change in a mapped area of special flood hazard. The City Engineer serves as…

Albuquerque requires erosion and sediment control for all construction and ground-disturbing activities under §14-5-2-11 and DPM Chapter 22. The city's Construction Stormwater Quality…

Albuquerque bans putting anything but clean stormwater into the city's MS4 storm drain system: animal waste, vehicle fluids, yard debris, and sewage cross-connections are all…

Commercial dumpsters need a city-approved site plan; enclosures must screen them from the street and match their height, and street right-of-way placement needs a variance.

Albuquerque residents must keep recyclable material separate from trash and properly bagged, bundled or contained before it goes in the city cart. Automated carts cap out at 150…

Albuquerque runs trash collection as a city monopoly: private haulers are barred from picking up residential refuse, and virtually every occupied premises is automatically billed for…

Tree trimmings and other bundle-ready yard waste set out for city pickup must be tied into bundles no bigger than 4 feet long, 2 feet across, and 40 pounds each.

Albuquerque bans discarding refuse anywhere outdoors except at the approved time and place for that person's own collection service, with each day of violation a separate misdemeanor…

Albuquerque residents must set carts out by 7 a.m. on pickup day, place them wheels-to-curb near the driveway edge, and pull them back within 24 hours.

Any Albuquerque apartment, mobile home park or condo complex with 25 or more units must set up and run its own recycling collection program through the city. Smaller complexes can opt…

Albuquerque requires refuse and recycling carts out by 7 a.m. on collection day, no earlier than 12 hours prior, and removed from curbside within 24 hours after pickup, per the city's…

Albuquerque's standard residential trash rate already includes large-item pickup, so most bulky household junk goes out with regular collection at no extra charge. Excess beyond what…

Electrical work in Albuquerque must comply with the 2020 New Mexico Electrical Code, adopted citywide as part of the Uniform Construction Codes and enforced by the Building Safety…

Running a home day care in Albuquerque is allowed as an accessory use in a dwelling, but the Integrated Development Ordinance limits it to household members providing care, requires…

Plumbing work in Albuquerque must follow the 2021 New Mexico Plumbing Code, adopted by the city with an effective date of September 1, 2022. Albuquerque Code of Ordinances § 14-1-3(H)…

The Planning Department's Building Safety Division holds jurisdiction over every construction, alteration, moving, demolition, repair, use and occupancy project under Albuquerque's…

Bernalillo County's fire code requires a permit and Fire Code Official-approved construction documents before erecting a special scaffolding-type structure for trade shows, outdoor…

Permit holders in unincorporated Bernalillo County must request each construction inspection from the County Building Department, giving the address, permit number, and inspection…

Bernalillo County deleted the International Residential Code's automatic sprinkler mandate for new townhouses and one- and two-family homes. Instead, the Fire Prevention Bureau decides…

In unincorporated Bernalillo County, elevator inspections must be performed by an approved third-party testing agency rather than by county building inspectors, under the Uniform…

City-owned lots, garages, and parks cannot be used as staging areas, processing sites, or operations bases for federal immigration enforcement under Ordinance 2026-009, part of…

Albuquerque requires a special event permit for parades and organized public gatherings needing three or more city services, filed at least 11 business days ahead.

A restaurant that wants to put tables on the public sidewalk in Albuquerque must get a revocable permit from the City fixing the boundaries of the dining area and keep a minimum…

Closing a street for a block party or neighborhood gathering in Albuquerque requires a special event permit under the city's Free Expression and Special Event Permitting ordinance…

Reserving an Albuquerque park for an organized gathering that needs at least three prearranged city services, barricades, solid waste pickup, structures, electrical hookups, requires a…

Vendors selling at Albuquerque street fairs and festivals skip the standard peddler permit but need Mayor authorization instead, and the qualifying event itself is capped at twice a…

Albuquerque puts sidewalk, drive pad and curb ramp upkeep on the abutting property owner, not the city. Section 6-5-5-18 requires owners, occupants or agents in charge to keep these…

Placing goods, signs, or benches on an Albuquerque sidewalk so they block pedestrians is unlawful under the city traffic code.

Unincorporated Bernalillo County requires anyone using or occupying county right-of-way for private purposes to first execute a right-of-way use agreement, pay fees, and carry…

Within Albuquerque city limits, off-premises signs (billboards) cannot be erected within 660 feet of Interstate 25 or Interstate 40. The Integrated Development Ordinance also bars…

Election signs qualify as temporary signs under Albuquerque's IDO and need no sign permit, but ordinarily can only stay up 15 days. The code carves out a specific exception for…

In Albuquerque's Mixed-use and Non-residential zone districts, the IDO caps window signage at 15 percent of a building's window and door area, with a separate 25 percent cap for the…

Albuquerque's IDO treats string lights, icicle lights, and inflatable holiday displays as 'seasonal lighting,' exempt from the code's usual shielding and color-temperature rules. IDO §…

Albuquerque's Integrated Development Ordinance regulates electronic signs, including digital billboards, under IDO § 14-16-5-12(H). Off-premises electronic signs are banned within 660…

In unincorporated Bernalillo County, garage and yard sale signs are capped at one non-illuminated sign per property, four square feet, posted only during the three-day sale.

Electronic signs in Albuquerque, including off-premises billboards converted to electronic display, must carry automatic dimming controls and cannot exceed 0.3 foot candles above…

Albuquerque's Integrated Development Ordinance bans mercury-vapor lights and inefficient bulbs outright, caps every outdoor fixture's glare rating, and requires full shielding on…

Albuquerque caps how much light can spill from one property onto its neighbor. IDO § 14-16-5-8(G) sets numeric light trespass limits, measured in foot-candles at the property line…

Albuquerque imposes a 5% occupancy tax on gross taxable rent for hotel, motel, B&B and short-term rental stays, collected by the vendor from the guest.

Albuquerque's Downtown Neighborhood Area overlay, CPO-3, imposes its own setback, height and frontage rules on the R-T, R-ML, MX-T, MX-L and MX-M districts around Central Avenue. On…

Family housing developments in Albuquerque's R-1, RA, and RT zones can build at densities up to 20% above the zoning code's normal cap if at least 20% of the units are sold to…

In Albuquerque's Los Duranes Character Protection Overlay Zone (CPO-6), a building on an R-A-zoned lot cannot cover more than 50 percent of the lot. The same overlay layers on…

Albuquerque's Integrated Development Ordinance sets minimum yard setbacks for each residential zone district in Table 2-3-1 and Table 5-1-1. In the R-A (Rural and Agricultural) zone…

Albuquerque's Integrated Development Ordinance caps residential building height by zone district under Table 5-1-1 and each district's dimensional-standards summary table. In the R-A…

Albuquerque's Historic Protection Overlay chapter lets the City Council designate individual structures as City landmarks to protect the city's cultural, architectural, and historical…

Albuquerque's Integrated Development Ordinance sets no citywide generator curfew; instead it regulates two specific commercial land uses. A Community Garden may only run power…

Albuquerque gives its Downtown Arts and Entertainment Focus Area a higher noise ceiling than the rest of the city: 65 dB(A) by day and 60 dB(A) at night, versus 55/50 for residential…

Air conditioners, heat pumps and other fixed mechanical equipment must stay under Albuquerque's residential sound limits: 55 dB(A) daytime, 50 dB(A) at night.

Unattended delivery trucks under 22,000 lbs can't be left running during pickup or drop-off, on public or private property, city-wide.

Albuquerque regulates thumping bass and other low-frequency noise separately from ordinary sound, using a C-weighted decibel scale that is more sensitive to bass than the standard…

Sounding a car alarm or theft-deterrent device on public streets in unincorporated Bernalillo County is a violation once it goes beyond a genuine danger warning: County Code § 30-126…

Albuquerque's Integrated Development Ordinance allows massage businesses wherever the zoning use table permits them, on one condition: the owner must keep the business in continual…

Albuquerque's zoning code treats vape shops and other nicotine retailers as an ordinary commercial use, but keeps them 1,000 feet apart from each other and bars late-night customer…

Albuquerque requires pawnbrokers, precious material dealers, secondhand retailers, and automated kiosks to get an annual city permit before buying or trading covered secondhand goods…

Albuquerque requires separate annual permits for body art establishments and individual operators, bars body art on minors without in-person parental consent, and makes unpermitted…

Anyone operating as a pawnbroker, precious material dealer, secondhand retailer, or automated kiosk in Albuquerque must hold a city permit under Revised Ordinances of Albuquerque §…

Any sexually oriented business in Albuquerque, adult cabarets, bookstores, and similar live-entertainment venues, must hold a city license and keep at least one designated operator on…

Albuquerque routes police-ordered, non-consensual tows through a wrecker rotation list divided by city sector. To qualify, a towing company needs a PRC Warrant, insurance filings, and…

Albuquerque's Integrated Development Ordinance allows cannabis retail as a zoning use wherever Table 4-2-1 permits it, conditioned on compliance with the state's licensing law…

Albuquerque's zoning code keeps new cannabis retail stores apart from each other and away from schools: the Integrated Development Ordinance bars a cannabis retail lot from sitting…

New Mexico legalized recreational cannabis under the Cannabis Regulation Act (2021), which permits adults 21 and older to grow up to six mature plants and six immature plants per…

Albuquerque's Integrated Development Ordinance carves out its R-A (Rural and Agricultural) zone district for lower-density housing plus limited agricultural uses on lots of a quarter…

New Mexico's Right to Farm Act protects established agricultural operations from nuisance lawsuits when surrounding land uses change, provided operations follow generally accepted…

Mobile food carts and trucks may park in any on-street space open to parking, but must stay 75 feet from restaurant doors, 10 feet from driveways, and can't block sidewalks under…

Albuquerque lets Mobile Food Units park on any public street with legal on-street parking, but bars them from street frontage next to single-family homes and requires a 75-foot buffer…

Food trucks in Albuquerque must hold a valid Food Establishment Permit from the city before operating, same as any brick-and-mortar kitchen.

Albuquerque bans camping or maintaining an encampment on any public property and lets the city order encampments removed and personal property cleared after notice.

Bernalillo County Code Section 54-34 bars obstructing or impeding pedestrian movement, and bars camping, on streets, sidewalks, medians or crosswalks at any "dangerous streets and…

Albuquerque restaurants must post the Grade from their most recent health inspection where customers can see it, under the Food Service and Retail Ordinance.

Albuquerque requires anyone operating a syringe exchange facility to hold a City permit, designate a community response representative, and notify neighbors within 500 feet before…

City code makes owners and occupants responsible for keeping buildings free of insect and rodent infestation, with the Mayor able to order abatement.

Every employee of an Albuquerque food establishment must be adequately trained in food safety under the city's Food Service and Retail Ordinance. The Environmental Health Department…

Drinking alcohol in city parks, on streets and sidewalks, in city-owned parking lots, or within 100 feet of a bar is illegal citywide unless a park specifically allows it by resolution.

Albuquerque's Clean Indoor Air Ordinance, Revised Ordinances of Albuquerque § 9-5-5-4, bans smoking in every indoor workplace and indoor public place, on buses, taxicabs and city…

Albuquerque's Premise Liability Ordinance puts criminal responsibility on the occupant of a property, not just the underage drinkers, when three or more people under 21 consume alcohol…

Urinating or defecating in public view, on any public place or on private property without the possessor's consent, is disorderly conduct under Revised Ordinances of Albuquerque §…

It is unlawful to camp or loiter on the right-of-way of any city-, county- or conservancy-owned drainage channel, arroyo or irrigation channel, including sections designated as open…

Albuquerque Code of Ordinances § 8-2-7-9 bars pedestrians, wheelchair users, skateboarders, scooter riders and other "vulnerable road users" from crossing a roadway anywhere except in…

City code § 8-3-1-1 bans skateboards, roller skates, coasters and similar toys from any sidewalk in a business district and from every street, bicycle lane, and bicycle path citywide…

Albuquerque's Clean Indoor Air Ordinance bars smoking cannabis in any indoor public place or workplace; consumption is confined to private residences and state-licensed cannabis…

Albuquerque's Free Expression and Special Event Permitting Ordinance (AFEPO) would otherwise require a special event permit for any street closure, but Section 7-3-5(A) carves out a…

Albuquerque exempts activities covered by an Administration-issued film permit from the city's special event permit requirement under the Albuquerque Free Expression and Parade…

Albuquerque caps high water use turf at 20% of the landscape on non-city property, and on single-family lots that cap tops out at 3,000 square feet regardless of lot size. Homeowners'…

County code bars water waste in unincorporated Bernalillo County; a broken pipe or malfunctioning water system must be fixed within 48 hours of notification or the water shut off until…

New commercial and large multifamily developments over one acre in unincorporated Bernalillo County can satisfy the county's water-conservation building-permit requirement by supplying…

Albuquerque bans dumping litter on any open or vacant private lot, occupied or not, and separately requires every lot owner to keep weeds under four inches tall. The city can cut…

Albuquerque declares any substandard building a public nuisance the moment the Planning Department's Building and Safety Division finds it structurally unsafe, a fire hazard, or…

Albuquerque's Weed and Anti-Litter Ordinance names sixteen specific plants, including Russian Thistle, Ragweed and Puncture Vine, as prohibited weeds that no owner may let grow past…

Street trees required on new construction must go in the curb-side landscape/buffer strip, spaced per an approved street tree plan, using species from the city's official plant list.

Tenants report housing code violations to Albuquerque Code Enforcement through a hotline and website at no cost, or pay for a formal requested inspection: $150 for the first unit, $100…

The Nuisance Abatement Office may conduct periodic inspections of buildings and land, not just respond to complaints, to check compliance with the county's building, health and…

Every occupied dwelling in Albuquerque must be kept safe and sanitary under the city's Uniform Housing Code, and owners who let a unit fall into disrepair face vacate orders and civil…

Albuquerque requires a rental property owner cited for a Housing Code violation who fails to fix it to register the property with the city and pay a $25 fee, or face escalating civil…

For nonpayment of rent, NMSA 47-8-33(D) requires a 3-day written notice to pay or quit before the owner may terminate. A material lease breach affecting health or safety gets a 7-day…

NMSA 47-8-24 requires a New Mexico owner to give 24 hours' written notice before entering, stating the purpose and a reasonable time estimate. No notice is needed in an emergency, for…

NMSA 47-8-15(D) caps a New Mexico late fee at 5 percent of the rent for each rental period in default: cut from 10 percent by a 2025 amendment effective June 20, 2025. Late fees are…

Under NMSA 47-8-37, either party may end a month-to-month residency with at least 30 days' written notice before the periodic rental date, or 7 days for a week-to-week residency. A…

New Mexico expressly preempts local rent control. State law bars any city, county, or home rule municipality from enacting an ordinance that controls rents on privately owned property…

Under the Uniform Owner-Resident Relations Act, NMSA 47-8-15(F) lets a New Mexico owner raise rent on a month-to-month residency only with written notice given at least 30 days before…

Under New Mexico's Uniform Owner-Resident Relations Act, a landlord on a lease shorter than one year cannot collect more than one month's rent as a deposit. Annual leases have no fixed…

New Mexico requires 10 years of continuous, good-faith adverse possession under color of title plus continuous payment of all state, county, and municipal taxes before title can be…

Solar panel and photovoltaic installations must meet the city's adopted 2012 New Mexico Solar Energy Code, with permits administered by the Building Safety Division of the Planning…

Under NMSA 47-3-4, any covenant or restriction effective after July 1, 1978 that effectively prohibits installing or using a solar collector is void and unenforceable statewide, and…

Anyone selling or soliciting door-to-door in Albuquerque needs a City-issued Category B permit, and residents can block solicitors entirely by posting a "No Peddlers" or "No…

Albuquerque parks are open daily from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Staying in a park after closing without authorization is a code violation, enforced under the Parks and Recreation…

Bernalillo County Code Section 54-56 bars anyone under 17 from a public place or business establishment from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. on Sunday through Thursday nights, and from 12:01 a.m. to…

Bernalillo County's zoning code allows garage and yard sales as a permissive use in the unincorporated county's A-1 and R-1 zones, capped at four events per dwelling per year, three…

Bernalillo County caps what homeowner and condominium associations can charge for disclosure certificates, disclosure statements, or resale certificates at $200 per request, payable at…

County ordinance caps what homeowner and condo associations can charge for a resale or disclosure certificate at $200 per request. Beyond that one fee cap, HOA governance in…

The New Mexico Homeowner Association Act (NMSA 47-16-1 to 47-16-18) does not create a statutory assessment lien for ordinary HOAs; collection and any lien or foreclosure power must…

New Mexico lets the developer, called the declarant, appoint and remove the whole homeowner association board at the start, but NMSA 1978, Section 47-16-8 forces a handover on a fixed…

New Mexico sets no dollar cap on HOA fines, but NMSA 47-16-18 lets an association levy only 'reasonable fines' and only after written notice and an opportunity to dispute. Before a…

The Nuisance Abatement Office investigates complaints against junk, inoperative vehicles, weeds, and unscreened outdoor storage on unincorporated county parcels, backed by fines up to…

Bernalillo County's Nuisance Abatement Office (NAO) accepts nuisance complaints on prescribed forms, investigates credible health and safety threats, and decides whether to pursue…

Bernalillo County's fire code amendment excludes propane, natural gas and white-gas outdoor grills from the definition of regulated open burning, so residents of the unincorporated…

In Bernalillo County's designated Wildland-Urban Interface areas, from the Sandia foothills to the East Mountains, any smoker, grill or other device that produces heat, sparks or open…

Recreational drone operation in New Mexico is governed primarily by FAA Part 107 and 49 USC 44809, with state laws restricting voyeurism, hunting interference, and use over critical…

New Mexico sets a statewide minimum wage but does not preempt local minimum wage ordinances, allowing cities and counties to set higher local minimums than state law.

New Mexico has enacted statewide paid sick leave through the Healthy Workplaces Act and does not preempt cities from adopting additional leave protections beyond state requirements.

New Mexico requires a state-issued concealed handgun license to carry a concealed firearm, with training, background checks, and age requirements administered by the Department of…

New Mexico firearms preemption is constitutional, not statutory. Article II, Section 6 of the state constitution bars any municipality or county from regulating 'in any way' an…

Open carry of firearms is generally legal in New Mexico without a permit for adults, though state law and the constitution restrict carry in specific locations and on certain public…

New Mexico permits adults to carry a loaded firearm in a private vehicle without a permit, treating the vehicle as an extension of the home, though concealed carry on the person still…

New Mexico has no license for a stand-alone commercial casino. The Gaming Control Act confines casino-style gaming machines to two venue classes: horse racetracks running live races…

New Mexico requires any nonprofit that runs bingo, raffles, or pull-tabs for the public to hold a Gaming Control Board license under the Bingo and Raffle Act, NMSA 1978 §§ 60-2F-3 and…

New Mexico has never passed a law legalizing sports betting. Wagering on sporting events is a crime under NMSA 1978 sections 30-19-1 to 30-19-15 and the Gaming Control Act, enforced by…

New Mexico prohibits the sale of tobacco products, electronic cigarettes, and nicotine products to anyone under 21, aligning with federal Tobacco 21 requirements and adding state…

New Mexico has not enacted a statewide ban on flavored tobacco or flavored vape products, leaving local governments authority to impose their own restrictions on flavored products.