Fire Regulations in New Mexico (2026)

Recreational fires are allowed without a permit if kept at least 25 feet from structures with fuel no larger than 3 ft…

Outdoor campfires and small bonfires for cooking, ceremonies, or recreation are allowed in unincorporated Valencia…

Bernalillo County's Fire Code exempts recreational-fire-sized open burning of yard waste from a burn permit, but the…

Doña Ana County exempts recreational fires from the Fire Code's open-burning notification system: unlike a brush pile…

Small and large campfires are allowed anytime of day in unincorporated Otero County under § 111-6(5) and (6), as long…

Rio Rancho lets residents run outdoor fireplaces, portable chimeneas, and barbecue pits or grills without a burn…

The New Mexico Fireworks Licensing and Safety Act preempts local bans on permissible consumer fireworks, but allows…

Albuquerque bans the aerial devices and ground audible devices it is allowed to prohibit under New Mexico's Fireworks…

Bernalillo County bans aerial and loud consumer fireworks outright, requires a permit for retail fireworks sales, and…

Doña Ana County limits unincorporated-area fireworks use to ground and handheld sparkling devices like fountains…

Las Cruces bans aerial devices and ground audible fireworks outright under Section 11-147(c) and confines lawful…

Selling fireworks anywhere in unincorporated Otero County requires a free County permit, and aerial and ground audible…

Rio Rancho bans possessing, selling, or exploding fireworks citywide except state-approved 'safe and sane' items and…

Santa Fe bans manufacturing, selling, possessing or discharging any fireworks without a permit. Retailers may sell only…

Valencia County allows sale of only a short list of novelty fireworks, cone fountains, sparklers, ground spinners and…

In wildland-urban interface areas, Bernalillo County requires 30 to 100 feet of cleared defensible space around…

Las Cruces treats weeds and rank vegetation as a nuisance under Chapter 18. Codes Enforcement can order clearing; if…

New Mexico Environment Department regulates open burning statewide under the Air Quality Control Act, requiring permits…

Albuquerque Fire Code Section 307.1 prohibits open burning, recreational fires, bonfires, rubbish fires and…

Bernalillo County Fire & Rescue regulates open burning in unincorporated areas. Dry weed piles max 3 ft diameter x 2…

Sandoval County outright bans burning garbage, solid waste, or debris anywhere in the county. The county fire marshal's…

Doña Ana County's Fire Code bans open burning of trash, tires, plastics, and paper products outright and requires every…

Burning solid waste anywhere in Las Cruces is banned outright by Code of Ordinances Sec. 25-8 unless the city, Doña Ana…

Rio Rancho requires a special event permit for open burning and flatly bans burning leaves, green weeds, nuisance…

Santa Fe makes careless outdoor burning a crime, not just a code violation. Section 16-12.1 SFCC 1987 bans setting fire…

Open burning and refuse burning are banned throughout unincorporated Valencia County unless specifically permitted…

In unincorporated Otero County, outdoor vegetative burning is allowed only under Chapter 111's conditions, but the…

New Mexico's State Forestry Division administers wildfire prevention statewide on non-federal lands, designates…

The Fire Chief can declare fire bans and staged restrictions across Albuquerque's 28,000-acre wildland-urban interface…

Within Santa Fe's Escarpment Overlay District, wildfire risk is one of the express reasons the city regulates the…

Homes in Bernalillo County's mapped Wildland-Urban Interface areas must maintain defensible space and may need a Fire…

Albuquerque's Allan Peifer Smoke Detector Ordinance, City Code Sec. 9-13-4, requires every owner or lessor of a leased…

Bernalillo County's Fire Code amendment requires every smoke detector, including duct detectors, to be tested with…

Short-term rentals in unincorporated Doña Ana County must meet residential fire life-safety code, including working…

Short-term rentals in Las Cruces must have working smoke detectors and posted evacuation maps at every exit, with…

Rio Rancho requires smoke alarms in every bedroom before the city will issue or renew a short-term rental permit for a…

Santa Fe requires smoke alarms in every bedroom of a short-term rental unit before the city will issue or renew a…

New Mexico's LPG Bureau regulates propane storage, installation, and transport statewide under uniform safety codes…

In Bernalillo County's Wildland-Urban Interface areas, LP-gas containers must sit within the property's defensible…

Doña Ana County caps residential propane storage at 2,000 gallons of water capacity per installation under its Fire…

Las Cruces limits residential propane installations to 2,000 gallons of aggregate water capacity under fire code…

Rio Rancho, New Mexico requires residential LP-gas tanks to sit behind the primary structure, hidden from the address…

Santa Fe caps aboveground liquefied-petroleum-gas storage tanks at 1,000 gallons citywide, allowing them only at…