New Mexico Contractor License Lookup: CID Search & Classification

What to Do If the New Mexico Contractor Lookup Says No Record Found

License, Qualifying Party & Journeyman Are Three Different Records

Why Some Old PSI Records Show “Cancelled” Without a Disciplinary Story

PSI currently posts an important historical notice. Effective April 1, 2016, New Mexico eliminated licensing requirements for several old specialty classifications. A license that was certified only in one of those eliminated classifications can therefore appear as cancelled because CID no longer regulates that former classification.

Does New Mexico Require a Contractor License for Your Work?

The Construction Industries Licensing Act broadly requires a person acting as a contractor to hold a CID license classified for the type of work undertaken. The statutory contractor definition includes general construction, subcontracting, construction management, electrical, plumbing, mechanical work, roads, structures, excavation and other code-regulated construction activity.

The $7,200 casual/minor-work exception

The statute excludes an individual from the contractor definition only when the statutory requirements are satisfied, including:

• The individual works on only one undertaking or project at a time.
• Total compensation, singly or in aggregate, does not exceed $7,200 in a year.
• The work is casual, minor or inconsequential, such as qualifying handyman repairs.
• The exemption does not cover installation, connection or repair of electrical wiring, plumbing or gas fitting.
• The work cannot be part of a larger or major operation performed by the same individual or another contractor.
• The individual cannot advertise or use signs/cards indicating to the public that the person is qualified to engage in contracting.
• The individual must file the annual declaration prescribed by CID stating that the statutory exemption conditions are met.

Owner-occupied home exemption is also limited

The Act separately contains owner-performed-work provisions for certain single-family homes owned and occupied or intended to be occupied by the owner. Code and permit obligations can still apply. Do not use an owner exception to justify an unlicensed third-party contractor.

New Mexico Contractor Classification Resolver

The license number proves very little without the classification. Use the exact project scope to decide which classification deserves closer review.

Examples of narrower classifications

New Mexico QP Experience: 2 Years vs 4 Years

Every contractor license must have at least one Qualifying Party for every classification covered by the license. PSI’s current QP instructions divide many classifications into two-year/4,000-hour and four-year/8,000-hour experience groups.

How to complete the General Building Work Verification form without getting it rejected

• Experience must be within the most recent 10 years.
• The applicant completes only the applicant/personal-information portion identified by the form.
• The verifier completes the experience portion.
• You cannot self-verify.
• Use one form for each verifier/license/timespan as needed.
• The verifier should be an eligible employer, supervisor, foreman or other qualifying contractor under PSI’s instructions.
• The verifier must provide proof of position/authority where required.
• Out-of-state contractor verifiers must include their current state license.
• Describe hands-on work in detail.
• PSI expressly says estimating, project management, ordering supplies and supervising alone are not hands-on work.
• Specify whether experience is residential and/or commercial.
• Generic wording such as merely saying the applicant is “experienced in construction of residential homes” is not sufficient.
• The verifier’s signature must be notarized.

Education credit

PSI’s current general-building instructions allow relevant education/technical training credit, but credited training cannot exceed one-half of the total experience requirement. The instructions give 12 relevant credit hours as an example that can typically receive about 500 hours of experience credit; transcripts must support education credit.

How to Apply for a New Mexico Contractor License — In the Correct Order

New Mexico Contractor Application Packet — Exact Checklist

Before mailing the PSI packet, check each applicable item below.

• Complete and legible Contractor License Application.
• Required applicant/QP signatures.
• Required notarization.
• Correct classification.
• At least one qualifying party for each classification.
• First-time QP exam score reports for applicable exams.
• Business & Law exam score or approved-course certificate where applicable.
• Letter of Common Ownership when a QP simultaneously qualifies two or more licenses and the 30% common-ownership rule applies.
• $10,000 code bond in the exact application name.
• Bond dates covering the full three-year license period.
• New Mexico TRD Registration Certificate issued within the prior 12 months and matching the exact application name.
• New Mexico Secretary of State registration for applicable corporations, LPs, LLPs and LLCs.
• $30 non-refundable application fee.
• $6 license certificate fee.
• Applicable classification fee.
• Self-addressed 9×12 envelope with sufficient postage.

New Mexico Contractor License Fees

New Mexico Contractor Exams: What Happens After QP Approval

CID says PSI provides examination services and applicants must pass applicable examinations with a minimum score of 75%.

Does New Mexico Accept NASCLA or Contractor Reciprocity?

Current PSI QP NASCLA pathway

• The current PSI QP instructions describe a NASCLA trade-exam waiver for GB-98 or EE-98 applicants.
• The applicant must have taken the applicable NASCLA examination.
• The applicant must have used the score to obtain a license in another state.
• The applicant must have held that license for at least one year.
• Release the NASCLA transcript to New Mexico.
• Provide the required good-standing documentation from the licensing jurisdiction.
• CID must approve the waiver.
• The waiver applies to the trade examination, not the whole contractor licensing process.
• Experience, QP, Business & Law, bond, company registration and other New Mexico requirements remain where applicable.

EE-98J journeyman reciprocity is separate

CID currently says the only reciprocated journeyman classification is EE-98J Residential and Commercial Electrical based on 8,000 hours of experience.

For that journeyman reciprocity route, CID says to submit the journeyman application, a copy of the reciprocal-state license and the current $75 fee to PSI.

New Mexico $10,000 Contractor Code Bond: What It Actually Covers

New Mexico law requires proof of financial responsibility through a $10,000 contractor code bond. The official bond form says it runs concurrently with the three-year contractor license term.

• Bond amount: $10,000.
• Surety must be authorized to transact business in New Mexico.
• Bond runs with the three-year license term.
• A continuation certificate can renew the bond for another term.
• Surety aggregate liability does not exceed the bond amount.
• The statutory claim window is tied to final inspection or certificate-of-occupancy timing and generally must be pursued within two years of the applicable statutory trigger.
• The surety provides 30 days’ written cancellation notice.
• Failure to maintain the required bond can lead to license revocation proceedings.

Workers’ Compensation: Resolve the CID / Sole-Proprietor Nuance

CID’s licensing overview states that workers’ compensation coverage is required for licensed entities. The current contractor application additionally notes that a sole proprietor with no employees may be exempt from workers’ compensation insurance requirements.

New Mexico Workers’ Compensation Administration: 505-841-6000.

New Mexico Contractor License Renewal: Three-Year Cycle & Late Penalties

A CID contractor license is issued for three years. Renewals are processed through PSI, and the current PSI forms library should be checked each cycle rather than reusing an old renewal PDF.

New Mexico Contractor License ≠ Construction Permit

CID’s permit page separates three practical government tasks:

What to do after opening the CID permit page

1. Identify whether you need building/plan review or a stand-alone trade permit.
2. Choose the corresponding official CID link.
3. Create/sign into the linked permitting portal when required.
4. Use the project address and permit number consistently.
5. For an existing project, use the permit-search route before accepting a contractor’s statement that “the permit is already pulled.”
6. If the property lies inside a city with its own building department, confirm which authority actually has jurisdiction.

Albuquerque Contractor Permit Check: What to Do in ABQ-PLAN

Santa Fe Building Permit Check: CSS Steps, Office & Local Requirements

Las Cruces Building Permit: Exact Accela Citizen Portal Steps

Permit / business-registration questions: 575-528-3059

How to File a New Mexico Contractor Complaint With CID

CID calls its complaint filing a Request for Investigation. This is an enforcement process, not a generic payment-dispute resolution form.

New Mexico Unlicensed Contractor Penalties

CID warns that unlicensed contracting can result in a stop to the construction project and criminal charges in Magistrate or Metropolitan Court.

CID also states that a person convicted of unlicensed contracting becomes eligible for licensure one year from the conviction date.

New Mexico Contractor Benefits, Procurement Preferences & Training Opportunities

Manufactured Home Work: CID Contractor License May Need an MHD Crossover

The current PSI contractor application warns that CID-licensed contractors performing work on manufactured homes must be registered with the New Mexico Manufactured Housing Division as a crossover licensee where applicable.

Elevator Contractors: New Mexico’s 2026 Registration / Inspection Expansion

CID’s Elevator Bureau states that, by January 1, 2026, commercial conveyances in New Mexico must be registered with CID under the Elevator Safety Act and that permitting/inspection activity began in 2026.

Elevator contractor applicants should not use an ordinary general-building QP form for an EV-98 pathway. CID/PSI provides specific Elevator Contractor and Journeyman applications.

Elevator Bureau Chief: 505-420-1124

New Mexico CID & PSI Office Addresses, Phones and Hours

Official New Mexico Contractor PDFs — What to Open and What to Do Next

Common New Mexico Licensing Mistakes That Cause Delays

Before Hiring a New Mexico Contractor: 18-Point Check

• Get the exact legal business name.
• Get the CID contractor license number.
• Search it yourself on PSI.
• Use Company search for the business.
• Open the exact record.
• Match the business to the contract and payment recipient.
• Confirm the current live status.
• Check classification against the actual work.
• Research the QP separately when necessary.
• For electrical/mechanical/plumbing work, check the specific trade requirements rather than relying only on a GB license.
• Confirm required project permits.
• Search local municipal permits when the city is the authority having jurisdiction.
• Do not treat the $10,000 code bond as broad payment/performance insurance.
• Use a detailed written scope.
• Use a written change-order process.
• Keep payment records, permits, inspection reports, emails/texts and photographs.
• For visible code defects, contact CID before repairs conceal evidence where an investigation/bond claim may matter.
• Recheck the license before work begins or a major payment if time has passed.

Official Sources to Recheck Before Filing, Hiring or Paying

• New Mexico Construction Industries Division
• NMRLD Verify a License
• PSI New Mexico Public License Search
• PSI Contractor Licensing Forms Library
• CID Apply for a Construction Industries License
• CID Rules, Laws & Building Codes
• CID Forms & Applications
• CID Investigation & Enforcement
• CID Permit Guide
• NM Resident Contractor Preference Certification
• NMRLD Military Licensing Resources
• City of Albuquerque Permits
• City of Santa Fe Building Permits
• City of Las Cruces Permits

For another jurisdiction, use the State Contractors License Board Directory and start over with that project’s state, locality and trade rather than transferring New Mexico requirements to another state.