Doña Ana County, NM Public Health Rules: Rodent Control (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing rule
- no rodent/insect breeding accumulations
- Applies to
- business & construction-site material piles
- Abatement notice period
- 30 days
- Non-compliance remedy
- County abates, liens property
- General penalty
- up to $300 fine, 90 days jail
- Enforced by
- Sheriff's Dept / Codes Enforcement
- Applies only in
- unincorporated county
Summary
Doña Ana County's solid waste code bars any accumulation of building materials, lumber or waste on unincorporated county property from becoming a feeding or breeding ground for rodents, flies or insects. Section 287-3 pairs that ban with a broader rule against letting solid waste pile up on premises at all.
Acceptable accumulations. Building materials, pipes, lumber or boxes may be stored on the premises if the accumulation is evenly piled and stacked, and is for business purposes, or for a construction project for which a valid and current building permit has been issued, or for a construction or improvement project for which a permit is not legally required; any otherwise permissible accumulation shall not be allowed to become a feeding or breeding place for flies, insects or rodents, or to otherwise become unsanitary, unsafe, or similarly injurious to the public health and safety.
Full Breakdown
Chapter 287, Article I of the Code of Doña Ana County governs solid waste in the unincorporated county under authority granted by NMSA §§ 3-48-1, 4-56-1 and 4-37-1. Section 287-3(A) makes it unlawful for any person to allow solid waste to accumulate on premises they own, rent, lease or otherwise control, except as the article allows. ' The same anti-breeding language reappears in § 287-5(A) for construction and demolition debris left on an active job site. If a property owner fails to abate a rodent-breeding accumulation within 30 days of written notice, § 287-6(A) lets the County incur the cost of abatement itself and place a lien against the property for that cost, collected the way property taxes are collected under NMSA § 3-48-4.
Beyond the lien remedy, any person who violates Chapter 287 is subject to prosecution under the Code's general penalty article, § 1-20, which sets fines up to $300 and jail up to 90 days for most violations.
Violations & Fines
A rodent-breeding accumulation that a property owner does not clean up within 30 days of written notice lets the County abate it and lien the property for the cost under § 287-6(A). Beyond the lien, violators face prosecution under the Code's general penalty section, § 1-20, punishable by a fine up to $300, up to 90 days in jail, or both.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I store lumber or building materials in my yard in unincorporated Doña Ana County?
What happens if I don't clean up a rodent-attracting pile after a warning?
Who enforces Doña Ana County's rodent-breeding accumulation rule?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Doña Ana County
Compare Doña Ana County to another location·View the New Mexico public health rules overview
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