Doña Ana County, NM Noise Ordinances: Quiet Hours (2026)

Doña Ana County's nighttime noise curfew runs under § 261-11 of the county's 2012 Noise Control Ordinance. m. on Friday and Saturday nights and holidays, since the county gives weekend and holiday hours a later start. During those windows, § 261-11(A) makes it unlawful for anyone to make, continue or cause any unreasonably loud or unusual noise that annoys, disturbs, injures or endangers the comfort, repose, health, peace or safety of another person, regardless of what any other section of the noise article says. The county built in an evidentiary shortcut for enforcement: under § 261-11(B), if a deputy responding to a complaint can hear the unreasonably loud or unusual noise, or feel its vibration, while standing at the property line immediately adjacent to where the sound is coming from, that alone is prima facie evidence of a violation, meaning the county does not have to separately prove a decibel threshold was crossed.

Noise from agricultural, ranching or military operations is exempt from the entire noise article under § 261-11(D). The curfew applies only in unincorporated Doña Ana County; Las Cruces, Sunland Park, Mesilla and Hatch enforce their own nighttime noise rules inside city limits. The Doña Ana County Sheriff's Department administers the ordinance and can issue citations.