Rio Rancho, NM Property Maintenance: Vacant Lot Maintenance (2026)

Section 91.04 of the Rio Rancho Municipal Code governs exterior premises and vacant land. It requires that all land, whether improved or unimproved, including exterior premises and vacant land, be maintained free from any accumulation of debris or blight. The prohibited items include graffiti on walls, fences, or mailboxes; accumulation of litter, rubbish, refuse, waste material, bottles, paper, glass, cans, and organic or inorganic material; inoperable or disabled vehicles; piles of mixed material; dry vegetation; rags; empty barrels, boxes, crates, packing cases; mattresses and bedding; unstacked lumber; scrap iron and metal not neatly piled; and anything in which insects, rodents, snakes, or other harmful pests may live, breed, or multiply, or which may create a health hazard. The owner and any responsible party in control of land abutting a sidewalk, alley, or street must maintain that adjoining area too. The vegetation rule in Section 91.05 applies to exterior property areas that have been altered from their natural state or developed in any way, requiring them to be free of dry vegetation, tumbleweeds, weeds, and tall grass, with weeds not exceeding 12 inches. Where a vacant lot has been the subject of repeated dumping, Section 91.07(F)(3) requires the lot to be secured by approved methods such as permanent fencing, a ditch or berm, or four-foot posts at four-foot intervals, with "no dumping" signs posted after more than one dumping incident.