Sandoval County, NM Short-Term Rentals: Short-Term Rental Permits (2026)

Sandoval County's Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance defines a 'Short Term Rental' as a leased or rented single-family residence, or a unit within a multifamily building, rented in whole or in part for 29 days or less per lease period where no food service is provided, a category that includes a Guest House or In-Law Quarters used that way (§ 6(B)(66)). Item 9 of the RRA District's permissive-use list names 'Short Term Rentals' directly alongside a singular dwelling unit, a guest house, accessory uses, agricultural activities and home occupations, meaning an STR requires no Zoning Commission review, public hearing or conditional-use approval to operate (§ 9(1)).

That treatment differs from a traditional Bed and Breakfast, which the same section lists as a conditional use requiring Zoning Commission review and approval. District standards still apply to any STR structure: residential buildings in the RRA District need a front setback of at least 20 feet and side and rear setbacks of at least 10 feet (§ 9(1)(D)). All territory that later comes within the county's zoning jurisdiction is automatically classified RRA until reclassified, so the by-right STR allowance reaches broadly across the unincorporated county (§ 3(B)).

An STR operator must separately register as a vendor and collect the county's five percent lodger's tax under Chapter 36, Article V, but that tax registration is distinct from, and does not substitute for, the zoning classification described here.