Sandoval County, NM Fire Regulations: Outdoor Burning (2026)

' The chapter's definitions section, Sec. 14-19, defines 'open burning' as combustion of solid waste that lacks controlled combustion air, containment in an enclosed device, and control of emissions, which is the practice the county is targeting. The only relief valve is a fire permit from the county fire marshal's office, and that permit authority is limited by the statute's own text to 'certain types of yard refuse,' not garbage or general debris. Because Section 14-25 sits inside Article II of chapter 14, Solid Waste Collection, its burn ban is enforced alongside the rest of the article's waste rules: the planning and zoning director, code enforcement officers and sheriff's deputies handle inspections, notices of violation, and citations under Section 14-20's enforcement clause.

A resident who burns garbage or debris without qualifying for a yard-refuse permit exposes themselves to that section's misdemeanor penalty structure, including the $1,000 cap on fines for illegally disposing of solid waste other than through the methods this chapter allows. There's no seasonal exception, no small-fire carve-out, and no distinction drawn between rural and platted lots; the ban applies countywide in the unincorporated areas the chapter governs.