Sandoval County, NM Right to Farm: Farm Nuisance Protection (2026)
Key Facts
- Applies In
- Las Placitas & Ideal Acres/San Francisco
- Governing Section
- Zoning Ordinance § 9(2.8)(D)(6)
- State Law Referenced
- NMSA 1978 § 47-9-1 et seq.
- Seller Duty
- Provide packet before transfer
- Buyer Duty
- Written verification of receipt
Summary
Buyers in the Las Placitas Community District must be warned about farming before they close. Section 9(2.8)(D)(6) requires sellers to hand over a Right to Farm and Acequia Awareness packet, including the text of the state Right to Farm Act, NMSA 1978 § 47-9-1 et seq., before any transfer of real property.
Prior to the transfer of real property within this District by any legally allowable means, the owner of the property or his/her agent will provide, at the time of receipt of an offer to purchase or at the time of transfer, a copy of the Right to Farm and Acequia Awareness packet consisting of Section (6)(B)(7) and (9)(1) of this Ordinance, the text of NMSA 1978, § 47-9-1 et seq. known as the Right to Farm Act, and the Acequia Information packet as provided by Sandoval County. The person accepting the transfer or taking ownership will provide written verification of receipt of this information to the transferor or seller.
Full Breakdown
8)(D)(6) imposes a disclosure duty, not a use restriction, on property transfers within the Las Placitas Community District (CD-LP), an area the ordinance also protects for its irrigated agricultural tracts and acequia systems. Before closing any transfer, by any legally allowable means, the seller or the seller's agent must hand the buyer a Right to Farm and Acequia Awareness packet. , and a county-provided Acequia Information packet describing local irrigation ditch rights. The buyer, in turn, must give the seller written verification that the packet was received.
The disclosure duty itself doesn't create the farm's legal protection from nuisance suits; that protection comes from the state Right to Farm Act, which the packet exists to make sure incoming buyers actually read before they own land next to a working farm or an acequia. 9)(D)(6) imposes an identical packet-and-verification requirement in the neighboring Ideal Acres/San Francisco Community District, but outside these two mapped districts, Sandoval County's zoning code does not require a farm disclosure at closing. Both districts also let a property owner add further private restrictions and covenants on top of the packet, so long as those private terms aren't otherwise prohibited by law.
Violations & Fines
Closing a sale in the Las Placitas or Ideal Acres/San Francisco districts without providing the Right to Farm and Acequia Awareness packet, or without the buyer's written verification of receipt, is a violation of the district's Section D standards. The Zoning Officer can issue a Section 24 citation carrying a civil fine of up to $300, which becomes a lien on the property if unpaid.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to tell a homebuyer about nearby farms in Las Placitas?
What has to be in the disclosure packet?
Does this rule apply anywhere else in the county?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Sandoval County
Compare Sandoval County to another location·View the New Mexico right to farm overview
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