Public Conduct in New Mexico (2026)
32 rules on the books across New Mexico, 6 cities and counties. Select a rule to read the full details.
Severity: Few Restrictions · Light Restrictions · Some Restrictions · Significant Restrictions · Heavy Restrictions
Aggressive Panhandling
LAMC §41.59 prohibits panhandling that involves intimidation, blocking, or following a person, including penalties and how it differs from passive solicitation.
Las Cruces
Heavy RestrictionsLas Cruces outlaws aggressive solicitation everywhere in the city: touching someone without consent, following them…
Read full rule →Santa Fe
Significant RestrictionsSanta Fe bans panhandling that touches, blocks, follows, or curses at the person solicited, and treats panhandling by a…
Read full rule →Public Urination
LAMC §41.47.2 prohibits urinating or defecating in public, including the citation amount, exemptions for medical conditions, and where to find restroom alternatives.
Bernalillo County
Heavy RestrictionsBernalillo County Code Section 58-12(b)(20) makes it unlawful to urinate or defecate anywhere in a county park or…
Read full rule →Albuquerque
Some RestrictionsUrinating or defecating in public view, on any public place or on private property without the possessor's consent, is…
Read full rule →Skateboarding Rules
LAMC §56.15 and §63.44 limits on skateboarding on sidewalks, in parks, and in commercial corridors, including helmet requirements and skate-park designations.
Santa Fe
Heavy RestrictionsSection 12-3-6 of Santa Fe's traffic code bans roller skates, coaster wagons, skateboards, and similar toy vehicles…
Read full rule →Albuquerque
Significant RestrictionsCity code § 8-3-1-1 bans skateboards, roller skates, coasters and similar toys from any sidewalk in a business district…
Read full rule →Las Cruces
Significant RestrictionsSkateboards, roller skates and in-line skates are banned outright on the Downtown Mall in Las Cruces. In every other…
Read full rule →Bernalillo County
Some RestrictionsBernalillo County Code Section 58-12(b)(31) bars skateboards and other human-powered devices from tennis courts…
Read full rule →Rio Rancho
Some RestrictionsRiding a skateboard, roller skates, or coaster wagon on any major or collector street in Rio Rancho is banned except…
Read full rule →Loud Party Ordinance
LAMC §41.40 unruly-gathering ordinance allowing police to cite hosts for second-response calls, including escalating fines and permit-revocation triggers.
Santa Fe
Significant RestrictionsSanta Fe's Nuisance Abatement Ordinance declares a party of two or more people causing peace-disturbing noise a 'loud…
Read full rule →Albuquerque
Some RestrictionsAlbuquerque's Premise Liability Ordinance puts criminal responsibility on the occupant of a property, not just the…
Read full rule →Las Cruces
Some RestrictionsLas Cruces Code Sec. 19-94 makes it unlawful to knowingly sponsor, host or actively engage in an "unruly gathering,"…
Read full rule →Loitering Rules
Constitutional limits on loitering ordinances post-Papachristou and Morales, and what conduct LA can still penalize (e.g., loitering with intent to commit specific crimes).
Las Cruces
Heavy RestrictionsStanding or loitering in the traveled part of a Las Cruces street, on an interstate ramp, or on a narrow median along a…
Read full rule →Albuquerque
Some RestrictionsIt is unlawful to camp or loiter on the right-of-way of any city-, county- or conservancy-owned drainage channel…
Read full rule →Bernalillo County
Some RestrictionsUnincorporated Bernalillo County bans obstructing pedestrian movement or camping in public rights-of-way at streets and…
Read full rule →Rio Rancho
Some RestrictionsRio Rancho makes it a crime to loiter or prowl in a manner unusual for law-abiding people when the circumstances would…
Read full rule →Santa Fe
Some RestrictionsSanta Fe's loitering law is narrow and age-specific: Sections 16-13.7 and 16-13.8 make it a petty misdemeanor for…
Read full rule →Outdoor Smoking Restrictions
LAMC §41.50 + LA County smoking bans in parks, beaches, restaurants, outdoor dining, and within 25 ft of business entrances; enforcement and signage rules.
Albuquerque
Significant RestrictionsAlbuquerque's Clean Indoor Air Ordinance, Revised Ordinances of Albuquerque § 9-5-5-4, bans smoking in every indoor…
Read full rule →Santa Fe
Significant RestrictionsThe Santa Fe Smoke Free Ordinance bans smoking on outdoor patios of restaurants and bars, and within 25 feet of any…
Read full rule →Dona Ana County
Some RestrictionsDoña Ana County bans smoking and vaping inside and within fifty feet of every public place in the unincorporated…
Read full rule →Las Cruces
Some RestrictionsLas Cruces requires a 15-foot smoke-free buffer around entrances, windows and ventilation systems of workplaces and…
Read full rule →Jaywalking
CA AB-2147 (Freedom to Walk Act, 2023) restricting jaywalking citations to immediate-danger situations, and how LAPD enforces the new standard.
Albuquerque
Some RestrictionsAlbuquerque Code of Ordinances § 8-2-7-9 bars pedestrians, wheelchair users, skateboarders, scooter riders and other…
Read full rule →Las Cruces
Some RestrictionsCrossing a Las Cruces street anywhere other than a marked or unmarked crosswalk means the pedestrian, not the driver…
Read full rule →Rio Rancho
Some RestrictionsRio Rancho pedestrians who cross mid-block or outside a marked or unmarked crosswalk must yield to all vehicles, and…
Read full rule →Santa Fe
Some RestrictionsSanta Fe requires pedestrians who cross outside a marked or intersection crosswalk to yield to all vehicles, and bars…
Read full rule →Public Marijuana Use
CA Health & Safety Code §11362.3 prohibits cannabis use in public, including parks, sidewalks, and inside vehicles; penalties and consumption-lounge exceptions.
Las Cruces
Heavy RestrictionsLas Cruces makes it a petty misdemeanor to intentionally possess marijuana anywhere in the city under Code Sec. 19-3…
Read full rule →Albuquerque
Significant RestrictionsAlbuquerque's Clean Indoor Air Ordinance bars smoking cannabis in any indoor public place or workplace; consumption is…
Read full rule →Public Alcohol Use
LAMC §41.27 + CA Bus & Prof §25620 prohibit drinking alcohol on public streets, sidewalks, parks, and beaches; penalties and special-event exemptions.
Albuquerque
Heavy RestrictionsDrinking alcohol in city parks, on streets and sidewalks, in city-owned parking lots, or within 100 feet of a bar is…
Read full rule →Las Cruces
Heavy RestrictionsLas Cruces bans drinking or carrying an open alcoholic beverage container inside a motor vehicle on any city street…
Read full rule →Santa Fe
Heavy RestrictionsSanta Fe makes it unlawful to drink, possess an open container of, or serve alcoholic liquors in any public place…
Read full rule →Bernalillo County
Significant RestrictionsBernalillo County bans possessing, drinking, or selling alcohol in any county park or recreation facility unless…
Read full rule →Rio Rancho
Some RestrictionsRio Rancho bans drinking or carrying an opened alcohol container in any motor vehicle on city streets, with limited…
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