Valencia County, NM Ordinances (2026)

Open burning and refuse burning are banned throughout unincorporated Valencia County unless specifically permitted, under County Code § 93.23. Even permitted burns of leaves, brush, or…

Outdoor campfires and small bonfires for cooking, ceremonies, or recreation are allowed in unincorporated Valencia County only when confined inside a fire ring or fire pit, under…

Valencia County allows sale of only a short list of novelty fireworks, cone fountains, sparklers, ground spinners and similar items, and limits their use to paved, barren, or…

In unincorporated Valencia County, an automatic sprinkler system is mandatory throughout any Group R-3 dwelling of 6,000 square feet or more under County Code § 93.06, amending…

Valencia County's Fire Code amendments require every elevator in the unincorporated county to have working two-way communication equipment at all times. The rule, added as section…

Unincorporated Valencia County requires plumbing work to follow the 2009 New Mexico Plumbing Code, which the state adopted and amended from the 2009 Uniform Plumbing Code at 14.8.2…

Unincorporated Valencia County requires electrical work to follow the 2008 New Mexico Electrical Code, which adopts and amends the 2008 National Electrical Code at 14.10.4 NMAC…

Valencia County has no separate green-building ordinance; instead, Valencia County Code § 150.02 adopts the 2009 New Mexico Energy Conservation Code, which adopts and amends the 2009…

Unincorporated Valencia County requires construction to follow the 2009 New Mexico Commercial, Residential, Plumbing, Mechanical and Electrical Codes adopted in Chapter 150, effective…

A childcare center serving 7 or more children in unincorporated Valencia County meets the county's definition of a 'day care facility' under § 154.006, and § 154.169 requires it to…

In unincorporated Valencia County, any building the county official finds dangerous, or any abandoned building, mobile home, wreckage or debris, is declared a public nuisance under…

Valencia County's premises nuisance code makes it illegal to let an unimproved, vacant lot in the unincorporated area become a dumping ground for litter, garbage, junk, debris or…

Anyone running a street or sidewalk stand in unincorporated Valencia County needs a county business license under § 110.02(L) and must pay $50 a year, unless the stand is run for…

Unincorporated Valencia County requires every driveway on a road without curb and gutter to include a culvert sized by drainage-flow calculations for a 10-year, 24-hour storm, at least…

Any new subdivision in unincorporated Valencia County must show how construction will prevent erosion under County Code § 151.156(N). The Valencia Soil and Water Conservation District…

In unincorporated Valencia County, new homes and additions built in a FEMA-mapped special flood hazard area must have the lowest floor, including any basement, elevated to or above the…

Unincorporated Valencia County requires a development permit before anyone builds, fills, grades, mines or otherwise alters land within a FEMA-mapped special flood hazard area. The…

Valencia County's subdivision landscaping rules forbid planting noxious or weed species that could spread undesirable plants. Under County Code § 151.156(O), any revegetation or…

Valencia County's subdivision water rules encourage low-water, native-style landscaping instead of mandating turf. Under County Code § 151.160(B)(2), the county encourages low water…

Every business operating in unincorporated Valencia County must hold a county license before starting operations and renew it annually by March 15. Section 110.02 sorts businesses into…

Door-to-door solicitors working in unincorporated Valencia County must buy a county license under § 110.02(F) and post a $1,000 bond before knocking on a single door. Non-residents of…

Unincorporated Valencia County treats honey bee production and keeping as an agricultural activity, and Chapter 92's public nuisance code excludes agricultural activities that don't…

Unincorporated Valencia County classifies keeping chickens, poultry, cattle, goats, rabbits and other farm animals as an agricultural activity, and Chapter 92's nuisance code excludes…

Every dog or cat over 3 months old in unincorporated Valencia County must have a microchip implanted, under Code § 90.036(C). The same section requires an annual license with proof of…

Trap, neuter, and return work with unowned feral cats does not count as abandonment in unincorporated Valencia County under Code § 90.067(H). A person or organization that traps…

In unincorporated Valencia County, dogs and cats may only be on roadways and public areas on a secure leash no longer than 6 feet, kept in the handler's immediate physical control…

Valencia County doesn't restrict dogs by breed; instead, Code § 90.069 lets an animal control officer investigate any complaint and declare a specific dog dangerous or vicious based on…

A pet shop in unincorporated Valencia County can't operate without a permit from the Animal Control Director, under Code § 90.080(A). The same permit requirement covers commercial…

Code § 154.121(B)(8) allows veterinary hospitals with outdoor kennels and runs as a permitted use, not merely a conditional one, in Valencia County's Community Commercial (C-2)…

Outdoor lighting for parking, loading and recreation areas in unincorporated Valencia County must be fully shielded, or otherwise arranged, so concentrated light doesn't shine directly…

Unincorporated Valencia County caps non-vehicular noise at 80 dB(A) in residential and commercial zones between 7 AM and 10 PM, dropping to 70 dB(A) overnight, or 10 dB(A) above the…

In unincorporated Valencia County, construction noise is exempt from the Chapter 92 noise nuisance limits only between 7 AM and 10 PM. Outside that window, construction activity loses…

On roads the Board of County Commissioners designates by resolution, unincorporated Valencia County bans sounding an engine retarder, or "jake brake," under Code § 70.27. The rule…

A dog or cat that habitually or continuously barks, howls, or otherwise disturbs the peace of county residents is declared an animal nuisance under Code § 90.066(D). Neighbors file a…

Buildings proposed within an Airport Noise Impact Zone near a Valencia County public-use airport must be designed to cut outdoor aircraft noise by at least 25 decibels before the…

Delivery trucks and other heavy vehicles operating on public roads in unincorporated Valencia County may not exceed 90 dB(A) under Chapter 92's vehicular noise limit, regardless of…

Temporary holiday lights and lighting displays are fully exempt from unincorporated Valencia County's lighting nuisance rules under Chapter 92, so a homeowner's seasonal display isn't…

Temporary political signs may go up on private property in unincorporated Valencia County only with the owner's consent and only during an election campaign. County code sets the outer…

In unincorporated Valencia County, temporary window displays and temporary real estate "for rent/sale" signs need no sign permit as long as they stay at or under 8 square feet…

Unincorporated Valencia County bans moving signs, flashing signs and any other sign likely to distract motorists in every zoning district, a blanket prohibition that reaches digital…

Dumping solid waste, litter, or construction and demolition debris on roads, streets, alleys, or public or private property is unlawful in unincorporated Valencia County under Code §…

Unincorporated Valencia County's solid waste code lets the County Manager require households and businesses to keep recyclable materials in separate containers from garbage and ashes…

Unincorporated Valencia County bars grass clippings, tree trimmings, pine needles, leaves and cut weeds from solid waste containers under Code § 50.10(B). Residents must compost or…

In unincorporated Valencia County, recyclables set out for collection belong to the hauler, not to passersby. Section 50.08(A) requires solid waste and recyclables to be stored…

Unincorporated Valencia County requires the franchise hauler to collect residential and commercial solid waste at least once a week under Code § 50.24, and bars refusing service except…

Before a hauler picks up your cart in unincorporated Valencia County, Code § 50.16 sets baseline preparation and condition rules: garbage must be free of liquids, containers must stay…

Commercial dumpsters and roll-off containers of three cubic yards or larger, defined as COMMERCIAL SOLID WASTE COLLECTION under § 50.05, trigger a County Manager site-plan review under…

Residential trash carts in unincorporated Valencia County can't go to the curb before 6:00 p.m. the evening before pickup and must be back off the street by 7:00 a.m. the same day…

In unincorporated Valencia County, no licensed cannabis establishment, consumption area, or courier may open within 300 feet of a school, daycare center, church, or religious assembly…

In unincorporated Valencia County, every building, lot and premises must stay free of rodent, roach, fly, mosquito and other vermin infestation under the county's public nuisance code…

Unincorporated Valencia County treats used needles and other sharps as infectious waste, not household trash. County Code § 50.10(A) bars waste contaminated by infectious material from…

Any vehicle left on private or public right-of-way in unincorporated Valencia County for 24 hours or more after Code Enforcement attaches a red tag notice is declared a nuisance and…

Code § 154.105(F)(8) allows one recreational vehicle parked on a Rural Residential parcel alongside the main house, with guests allowed to occupy it up to 180 days a year. The RV can…

Any resident of unincorporated Valencia County may report a suspected code violation to the Code Enforcement Department or the Sheriff's Department under section 92.43. Once a report…

Valencia County Code § 112.20(C) makes it unlawful to consume cannabis in a public place or on county-owned property, or anywhere else if the smoke can be detected from a public place…

Anyone under 17 in unincorporated Valencia County must be off the streets and out of businesses by 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday nights, and by 12:01 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday…

Unincorporated Valencia County's Rural Residential districts do not list an automobile repair garage among their permitted or conditional uses, so operating one from home is not…

In unincorporated Valencia County, adult amusement or entertainment establishments, including adult bookstores, theaters, video arcades and body oil or lotion demonstration parlors…

In unincorporated Valencia County, the Agricultural Preservation (AP) District under Code § 154.090 protects irrigated farmland and grazing land by permitting farming and livestock as…

In the Rural Residential (RR-1, RR-2) Districts that cover most of unincorporated Valencia County, Code § 154.105(F)(7) caps any dwelling at 30 feet and every other structure at 45…

Code § 154.105(F)(3) sets a 30-foot minimum front yard setback and a 15-foot side and rear yard setback in Valencia County's Rural Residential (RR-1, RR-2) Districts, the base zone for…

Code § 154.006 defines a SECONDARY DWELLING as a caretaker, health-care, farm-worker or guest-house unit accessory to a main home, and § 154.105(F)(1)(b) caps the Rural Residential…

In the Rural Residential Districts covering most of unincorporated Valencia County, Code § 154.105(F)(3)(c) lets a side- or rear-yard accessory structure, a shed, detached garage or…

In Valencia County's commercial zoning districts, Code § 154.120(F)(8)(a) caps any fence or planting at 3 feet inside the 15-foot clear-vision area at road intersections in the C-1…

Running a home-based business in unincorporated Valencia County requires meeting the standards in § 154.168: the operator must live on the property, no more than 2 employees can work…

A home-based business in unincorporated Valencia County cannot advertise itself to the outside world beyond a permitted sign: § 154.168(A)(8) bars any visible evidence of the home…

A home occupation that brings clients, customers or patients to the property in unincorporated Valencia County needs conditional-use approval under § 154.105(C)(2), capping outside…

A small in-home daycare in unincorporated Valencia County qualifies as a 'family day care business' under § 154.006 when it cares for 3 to 6 children at a time, and it is allowed on a…

Valencia County requires a Planned Development (PD) project to form an incorporated landowners and homeowners association whenever no other satisfactory arrangement exists to maintain…

Anyone who wants to cut, bore or otherwise use a public road right-of-way in unincorporated Valencia County, including work near or beneath a county sidewalk, must first obtain a road…

Valencia County can designate a Historic Overlay Zoning District (HOD) over an area whose buildings or setting meet two or more statutory criteria, including cultural, historical or…