Valencia County, NM Public Health Rules: Rodent Control (2026)
Key Facts
- Standard
- No rodent, roach, fly or mosquito harborage allowed
- Who enforces
- Code Enforcement Department or Sheriff's Department
- Abatement window
- 10 days to start, 30 days to finish
- Penalty
- Up to $300 fine or 90 days jail
- Applies to
- Unincorporated Valencia County only
Summary
In unincorporated Valencia County, every building, lot and premises must stay free of rodent, roach, fly, mosquito and other vermin infestation under the county's public nuisance code. Owners and occupants may not let water, refuse, animal waste, garbage or trash pile up into harborage, and an infested property must be exterminated on the enforcing entity's terms.
(A) All buildings, lots and premises shall be kept free of infestation or harborage of rodents, roaches, flies, mosquitoes or other vermin of public health significance. The person in control shall not allow the accumulation of water, refuse, animal wastes, garbage, trash or other harborage. (B) When any building, lot or premises is determined by investigation to be so infested the person in control shall utilize extermination measures as specified by the enforcing entity.
Full Breakdown
25 of the Valencia County Code makes vermin control a mandatory property-maintenance duty in unincorporated Valencia County: buildings, lots and premises must be kept free of infestation or harborage of rodents, roaches, flies, mosquitoes or other vermin of public health significance, and the person in control cannot allow water, refuse, animal wastes, garbage or trash to accumulate. When the Code Enforcement Department or another enforcing entity investigates and determines a property is infested, the person in control must use extermination measures as the entity specifies, not measures of their own choosing.
44 the enforcing entity can require immediate abatement or, where that is impractical, issue a written warning giving the responsible person 10 days to start abatement and 30 days to finish it. 45 lets the county perform the work itself and bill the property owner or renter. 43 lets any resident report a suspected infestation to the Department or the Sheriff's Department directly.
Violations & Fines
Violating section 92.25 is a Chapter 92 nuisance violation. Under section 92.99, each violation is punishable by a fine of not more than $300, imprisonment of not more than 90 days, or both, and section 92.46 makes every day the infestation remains unabated past the deadline a separate offense, so daily fines can stack quickly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the vermin control rule apply inside Los Lunas or Belen?
What triggers enforcement under section 92.25?
How long do I have to fix an infestation before I'm fined?
Who do I call to report a rodent problem next door?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Valencia County
Compare Valencia County to another location·View the New Mexico public health rules overview
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