Bernalillo County, NM Property Maintenance: Property Blight (2026)
Key Facts
- Enforcing agency
- Nuisance Abatement Office (NAO)
- Criminal penalty
- Up to $300 fine, 90 days jail
- Civil remedy
- County can clean and lien property
- Applies to
- Unincorporated Bernalillo County only
Summary
Bernalillo County treats dilapidated, unsecured, or unsafe buildings outside incorporated areas as public nuisances under Chapter 11, letting the Nuisance Abatement Office order repairs, board-up, or demolition and lien the property for cleanup costs.
Any building or portion thereof, including any dwelling unit, guest room or suite of rooms, and the real property on which the same is located, in which there exists any of the following listed conditions to an extent and degree that endangers the life, limb, health, property, safety or welfare of the public or the occupants thereof, shall be deemed and declared to constitute a nuisance under this chapter:
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 92).
Full Breakdown
Under Sec. 11-3, a building with structural hazards, no functioning plumbing or heat, broken doors and windows, boarding, six-plus months of vacancy with disconnected utilities, or general dilapidation is declared a public nuisance. The Nuisance Abatement Office investigates complaints, can act immediately on imminent health and safety threats, and otherwise issues a written notice to correct. If an owner ignores the notice, the county nuisance hearing officer can recommend the board of county commissioners declare the property a public nuisance, order cleanup or demolition, and place a lien on the property for the cost, foreclosable under NMSA 1978 §§ 3-36-1 through 3-36-6.
Violations & Fines
First-track criminal enforcement is a petty misdemeanor in Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court: up to $300 per day plus up to 90 days in jail; the county can also clean and lien the property.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this apply inside Albuquerque?
What counts as a substandard building?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Bernalillo County
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