Sign Regulations in New Mexico (2026)
24 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
Political Signs
Rules for posting political campaign signs on your property, including size limits, how early you can put them up, and when they must come down.
Albuquerque
Some RestrictionsElection signs qualify as temporary signs under Albuquerque's IDO and need no sign permit, but ordinarily can only stay…
Read full rule →Santa Fe
Some RestrictionsSanta Fe lets political campaign signs go up without a building permit but caps each sign at 32 square feet, bars them…
Read full rule →Las Cruces
Few RestrictionsLas Cruces allows political signs up to 32 square feet each. Under Land Development Code Sec. 36-86, signs may go up no…
Read full rule →Garage Sale Signs
Where you can place signs advertising a garage or yard sale, including restrictions on utility poles, medians, and public right-of-way.
Bernalillo County
Some RestrictionsIn unincorporated Bernalillo County, garage and yard sale signs are capped at one non-illuminated sign per property…
Read full rule →Las Cruces
Some RestrictionsLas Cruces caps garage and yard sale signs at 3 square feet. Under Land Development Code Sec. 36-84, off-premises…
Read full rule →Santa Fe
Light RestrictionsSanta Fe allows one temporary garage or yard sale sign per property without a building permit, but Subsection…
Read full rule →Holiday Displays
Rules for seasonal decorations, lights, inflatables, and lawn displays, including the sign-permit exemptions most codes give them and any limits on timing, size, or placement.
Albuquerque
Some RestrictionsAlbuquerque's IDO treats string lights, icicle lights, and inflatable holiday displays as 'seasonal lighting,' exempt…
Read full rule →Las Cruces
Light RestrictionsLas Cruces exempts holiday and festival decorations from the sign code's permit requirement, but Section 36-41 gives…
Read full rule →Rio Rancho
Few RestrictionsRio Rancho's sign code exempts holiday decorations without a commercial message from all sign rules, so inflatable and…
Read full rule →Sandoval County
Few RestrictionsTemporary decorations or banners celebrating traditionally accepted patriotic, religious, or local holidays don't need…
Read full rule →Digital Billboards
Rules governing digital and electronic billboards, including size limits, brightness and dwell-time standards, and the ongoing legal fight in cities like LA.
Las Cruces
Heavy RestrictionsDowntown Las Cruces bans moving, flashing, or animated signs outright, a category the code says includes searchlights…
Read full rule →Sandoval County
Heavy RestrictionsSandoval County's Sign Ordinance flatly forbids illuminated billboards: Section 10 states a permitted billboard "may…
Read full rule →Albuquerque
Significant RestrictionsAlbuquerque's Integrated Development Ordinance regulates electronic signs, including digital billboards, under IDO §…
Read full rule →Bernalillo County
Significant RestrictionsIn the C-2 and M-1 zones of unincorporated Bernalillo County, billboards can't flash, blink, or use intermittent…
Read full rule →Rio Rancho
Significant RestrictionsDigital off-premises advertising signs in Rio Rancho need a 10-year conditional use permit, are capped at 242 square…
Read full rule →Santa Fe
Some RestrictionsSanta Fe bans flashing, scrolling, and video signage outright, but Section 14-8.10(C)(5) carves out a narrow path for…
Read full rule →Window Signs
Limits on the percentage of window area that may be covered by signs in storefronts, including transparency rules for safety visibility into businesses.
Albuquerque
Some RestrictionsIn Albuquerque's Mixed-use and Non-residential zone districts, the IDO caps window signage at 15 percent of a…
Read full rule →Las Cruces
Some RestrictionsLas Cruces treats window signs as attached signage under Chapter 36 of the code, counted the same as wall and awning…
Read full rule →Rio Rancho
Some RestrictionsStorefront window signs in Rio Rancho, whether temporary or permanent, can't cover more than half of any window's…
Read full rule →Sandoval County
Some RestrictionsIn unincorporated Sandoval County, nonresidential properties may display no more than two temporary window signs at a…
Read full rule →Freeway-Facing Signs
Restrictions on commercial signs visible from freeways, including height, illumination, and outdoor advertising act compliance.
Albuquerque
Significant RestrictionsWithin Albuquerque city limits, off-premises signs (billboards) cannot be erected within 660 feet of Interstate 25 or…
Read full rule →Las Cruces
Significant RestrictionsBillboards along Interstate 10 and Interstate 25 in Las Cruces get a bigger allowance than billboards on ordinary…
Read full rule →Bernalillo County
Some RestrictionsIn unincorporated Bernalillo County's C-2 commercial zone, businesses near a freeway on/off-ramp get one extra…
Read full rule →Santa Fe
Some RestrictionsSanta Fe doesn't sit on an interstate freeway, so its sign code targets the city's de facto highway gateway instead…
Read full rule →