Environmental Rules in New Mexico (2026)
39 rules on the books across New Mexico, 9 cities and counties. Select a rule to read the full details.
Severity: Few Restrictions · Light Restrictions · Some Restrictions · Significant Restrictions · Heavy Restrictions
Stormwater Management
Requirements for managing rainwater runoff on your property, including retention basins, permeable surfaces, and drainage plans.
Albuquerque
Significant RestrictionsAlbuquerque bans putting anything but clean stormwater into the city's MS4 storm drain system: animal waste, vehicle…
Read full rule →Bernalillo County
Some RestrictionsBernalillo County requires new development and redevelopment on unincorporated land to capture and treat stormwater…
Read full rule →Dona Ana County
Some RestrictionsDoña Ana County's grading and drainage rules, § 350-605G, require developed sites to hold post-development stormwater…
Read full rule →Las Cruces
Some RestrictionsLas Cruces bans any discharge into its storm drain system that is not pure stormwater, covering everything from used…
Read full rule →Otero County
Some RestrictionsEvery new subdivision in unincorporated Otero County must prove its stormwater will not overwhelm neighboring land…
Read full rule →Sandoval County
Some RestrictionsNew subdivisions in unincorporated Sandoval County must be designed and built so post-development runoff does not…
Read full rule →Santa Fe
Some RestrictionsSanta Fe's Stormwater Illicit Discharge Control Ordinance bans dumping anything but rain or snowmelt into the city's…
Read full rule →Valencia County
Some RestrictionsUnincorporated Valencia County requires every driveway on a road without curb and gutter to include a culvert sized by…
Read full rule →Erosion Control
Rules to prevent soil erosion during construction and landscaping, including required sediment barriers and ground cover standards.
New Mexico: statewide
StatewideFew RestrictionsNew Mexico's statewide erosion-control policy lives in the Soil and Water Conservation District Act, NMSA 1978 Section…
Read full rule →Albuquerque
Heavy RestrictionsAlbuquerque requires erosion and sediment control for all construction and ground-disturbing activities under…
Read full rule →Bernalillo County
Some RestrictionsConstruction and grading in unincorporated Bernalillo County must have a county engineer-approved erosion control plan…
Read full rule →Dona Ana County
Some RestrictionsAny grading, construction, demolition or development that needs a county permit must have an approved erosion control…
Read full rule →Las Cruces
Some RestrictionsLas Cruces requires erosion and sediment control on every construction site under Land Development Code Sec. 32-301 and…
Read full rule →Rio Rancho
Some RestrictionsRio Rancho requires a stormwater pollution prevention plan for any grading or construction project disturbing one acre…
Read full rule →Sandoval County
Some RestrictionsEvery subdivision plat in unincorporated Sandoval County must include an erosion and drainage plan as part of the…
Read full rule →Santa Fe
Some RestrictionsSanta Fe requires a construction permit for grading on most disturbed sites and mandates specific erosion and sediment…
Read full rule →Valencia County
Some RestrictionsAny new subdivision in unincorporated Valencia County must show how construction will prevent erosion under County Code…
Read full rule →Flood Zones
Building requirements for properties in FEMA flood zones, including elevation standards, flood insurance mandates, and construction limits.
New Mexico: statewide
StatewideHeavy RestrictionsNew Mexico law requires communities to participate in the National Flood Insurance Program and adopt floodplain…
Read full rule →Rio Rancho
Significant RestrictionsAny development inside a FEMA-mapped special flood hazard or erosion hazard area in Rio Rancho needs a floodplain…
Read full rule →Santa Fe
Significant RestrictionsAny development inside a Santa Fe special flood hazard area needs the floodplain administrator's approval before a…
Read full rule →Albuquerque
Some RestrictionsAlbuquerque requires a Floodplain Development Permit before any construction, fill, grading or land-use change in a…
Read full rule →Bernalillo County
Some RestrictionsAnyone building, filling or grading in a mapped flood hazard area of unincorporated Bernalillo County needs a…
Read full rule →Dona Ana County
Some RestrictionsDoña Ana County adopts FEMA's Flood Insurance Study and rate maps by reference, and any development inside a mapped…
Read full rule →Las Cruces
Some RestrictionsAny construction, fill, or substantial improvement in a Las Cruces special flood hazard area needs a development permit…
Read full rule →Otero County
Some RestrictionsAny development in a special flood hazard area of unincorporated Otero County needs a floodplain development permit…
Read full rule →Sandoval County
Some RestrictionsSandoval County requires a floodplain development permit for any construction, filling, grading or excavation in a…
Read full rule →Valencia County
Some RestrictionsUnincorporated Valencia County requires a development permit before anyone builds, fills, grades, mines or otherwise…
Read full rule →Defensible Space
Mandated vegetation clearance zones around homes in fire hazard zones, including the 100-ft Zone 0/1/2 model used by California and other wildfire-prone states.
Vehicle Idling Restrictions
Limits on how long heavy-duty vehicles, buses, and passenger cars may idle, including bans near schools and residential areas.
Albuquerque
Light RestrictionsAlbuquerque bans leaving a delivery vehicle under 22,000 pounds gross vehicle weight running and unattended while the…
Read full rule →Santa Fe
Light RestrictionsIn Santa Fe's Business/Industrial Park districts, loading and storage areas next to residential lots must post signs…
Read full rule →Flood Elevation Requirements
FEMA NFIP minimum base flood elevation (BFE) construction standards for properties in mapped flood zones, including freeboard requirements above BFE.
Albuquerque
Some RestrictionsNew homes in Albuquerque's mapped floodplain must have the lowest floor built at or above the base flood elevation…
Read full rule →Bernalillo County
Some RestrictionsNew homes and additions built in a mapped Bernalillo County flood hazard area must sit at least one foot above the base…
Read full rule →Dona Ana County
Some RestrictionsDoña Ana County requires new and substantially improved structures in FEMA-mapped special flood hazard areas to elevate…
Read full rule →Las Cruces
Some RestrictionsIn FEMA-mapped special flood hazard areas, Las Cruces requires new and substantially improved residential structures to…
Read full rule →Otero County
Some RestrictionsNew and substantially improved homes in a mapped Otero County flood hazard area must have their lowest floor built at…
Read full rule →Rio Rancho
Some RestrictionsNew or substantially improved homes in Rio Rancho's flood hazard areas must have their lowest floor built at least one…
Read full rule →Sandoval County
Some RestrictionsIn mapped flood hazard areas of unincorporated Sandoval County, new and substantially improved homes must have their…
Read full rule →Santa Fe
Some RestrictionsHomes and buildings that Santa Fe lets into the flood fringe portion of a special flood hazard area must set their…
Read full rule →Valencia County
Some RestrictionsIn unincorporated Valencia County, new homes and additions built in a FEMA-mapped special flood hazard area must have…
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