Rio Rancho, NM Short-Term Rentals: Occupancy Limits (2026)

Rio Rancho's Chapter 123 sets a clear overnight occupancy formula for short-term rentals: maximum occupancy equals two people per bedroom, plus an additional two people per unit. Children under the age of two are excluded from the calculation. The city's own example illustrates this: a four-bedroom, full-house rental has a maximum occupancy of ten people (4 bedrooms x 2 = 8, plus 2). This per-bedroom-plus-base formula is written into the city code and is enforced as part of the permit's operating conditions, distinct from any general building or fire occupancy limits. Because the count is bedroom-based, operators should only count and advertise bedrooms that are actually available to rent, which also drives the parking requirement under the same chapter. There is no separate daytime visitor cap stated in the city pages reviewed; the rule governs maximum overnight occupancy. Exceeding the stated occupancy is an operating violation of Chapter 123. New Mexico does not set a statewide STR occupancy figure, so this is purely a Rio Rancho city standard.