New Mexico sets its contractor threshold by the year rather than by the job. An individual working one project at a time whose compensation does not exceed $7,200 a year is not a contractor under the Construction Industries Licensing Act at all, so there is no license and no division recourse. The exemption stops at electrical wiring, plumbing and gas fitting, which always require a license whatever the figure.
| Service | Typical |
|---|---|
| Auto repair shop labor rateNew Mexico average | $141 per hour |
Ranges last checked September 2026. They come down automatically when they are due to be rechecked.
Every figure above comes from a named source we can link to, with the date we last checked it. We publish ranges rather than single prices because a range is what a provider will actually give you: the same job moves with what is being worked on, the materials, how hard it is to get at and how busy the trade is locally. Treat these as the order of magnitude to expect before you call, not as a quote.
Where a source publishes figures state by state, this page shows the figure for this state rather than a national average. Where no state-level source exists, it shows the national range and the local factors that move a job within it. We do not scale a national number by a multiplier of our own invention.
Every range carries a review date. When that date passes the number comes down until it is rechecked, rather than sitting here undated.
NMSA 1978 section 60-13-3(D)(14) excludes from the definition of contractor an individual who works on one undertaking or project at a time that, in the aggregate or singly, does not exceed seven thousand two hundred dollars compensation a year. Most states draw the line at the size of the job. New Mexico draws it at the size of the person's year, which is a different question and a harder one for a homeowner to check.
The practical effect is that a legitimately exempt individual is invisible to the licensing system, and the Construction Industries Division has nothing to enforce against if the work goes wrong.
The exemption expressly does not extend to electrical wiring, plumbing or gas fitting installations. Whatever the annual figure, those three always require a license, which makes them the easiest checks on this page.
Section 60-13-45(D) lets each trade bureau require by regulation a bond or surety of five hundred dollars or more, not exceeding fifteen hundred dollars. That is a permit bond ceiling rather than a consumer recovery fund, and no recovery fund appears in the Act.
The table above carries the New Mexico figure for auto repair labor, the one cross-trade rate with a per-state source, and it sits above the national average. Emissions testing reaches one county only: vehicles registered or commuting in Bernalillo County, where 1991 and newer vehicles up to 10,000 pounds are tested every two years and at change of ownership.
For electrical, plumbing or gas work, check the license. There is no exemption to argue about, so an unlicensed person doing that work is doing it unlawfully.
For everything else, ask directly whether the contractor is licensed or relying on the annual exemption. Both answers are lawful. Only one comes with a regulator behind it.
Verify through the Regulation and Licensing Department's license verification. With no recovery fund in the Act, insurance and a written scope are what remain if the job goes wrong.
Above an annual figure rather than a per-job one. NMSA 1978 section 60-13-3(D)(14) excludes an individual working one project at a time whose compensation does not exceed $7,200 a year, in the aggregate or singly, from the definition of contractor.
No. The exemption expressly does not extend to electrical wiring, plumbing or gas fitting installations. Those always require a license whatever the annual figure.
None appears in the Construction Industries Licensing Act. Section 60-13-45(D) allows a trade bureau to require a bond of $500 or more up to $1,500, but that is a permit bond ceiling rather than a consumer fund.
Through the Regulation and Licensing Department's license verification, which covers the Construction Industries Division trades.
One. Emissions testing is required of motor vehicles registered or commuting in Bernalillo County. All 1991 and newer motor vehicles up to 10,000 pounds must pass every two years and at change of ownership, with dedicated electric and diesel vehicles exempt.