New Mexico Business License Requirements for an LLC

A New Mexico business license gives your Limited Liability Company (LLC) permission to operate in a certain location or within a specific industry.

We can’t walk you through any applicable license applications step-by-step, because each business is unique. But we do provide helpful resources like:

• information about state licensing rules
• instructions for researching municipal licenses

And if you want to just hire a company to do the research for you, we have a recommendation below.

New Mexico Business License Requirements

After you form a New Mexico LLC, you may need to obtain a business license or permit.

Your requirements are determined by the industry you are in and where your New Mexico Limited Liability Company is located.

Because of the large number of industries and all of the municipalities in New Mexico, it’s not possible for us to explain them all. However, you can use the search tools below, call your local municipality, or hire a company for help.

How to get a Business License in New Mexico

You can obtain a business license in New Mexico by applying with the relevant licensing or regulatory agency. The agency you apply with will depend on where your business is located and what business activities it engages in.

The business license application typically requires basic information, such as your LLC name, EIN Number, business address, and contact information. Many also include a questionnaire that asks about your business activity.

There are three main licensing jurisdictions:

• State licensing
• Local licensing, such as county, city, township, etc.
• Federal licensing

Does New Mexico Require a Business License?

That depends on where your business is located, and what it does.

There are two types of state-level business licenses:

• a general business license
• and an occupational license

New Mexico General Business License

Some states have a general license requirement, which means all businesses operating in those states must have the license, regardless of what they do.

Although New Mexico doesn’t have a general business license requirement, you do have to register with the Taxation & Revenue Department and get a New Mexico Tax Identification Number.

This state tax ID is required to do business in the state, and is different from your LLC’s federal EIN number. You can read more about the New Mexico Tax ID Number requirement in the Taxation & Revenue Department’s Who must register a business?

New Mexico Tax ID Number

Every business operating in New Mexico must have a State Tax Identification Number.

The form to file is called Form ACD-31015 Business Tax Registration Application. There’s no filing fee ($0) for this application.

You can file online through Taxpayer Access Point, or you can file the paper form at a district tax office or by mail.

New Mexico Occupational License

Most states have occupational business license requirements. This means a license or permit may be required depending on what your business does or what your occupation is. Sometimes these are called industry-specific licenses.

For example, if you sell used cars, or run a hair salon, you may need an occupational business license. But a license may not be required for other types of businesses.

The New Mexico Regulation & Licensing Department (“RLD”) handles the majority of occupational licenses in the state. Check out these resources to help you determine if your New Mexico business needs an occupational license or permit, and which agency to contact about applying for the license.

• RLD Divisions
• RLD Boards and Commissions (scroll down for a full list of boards)
• Links to Online Applications

You can look through the other agencies that license businesses on the Business in New Mexico page to see if your industry or occupation needs a business license in New Mexico.

You can also contact the relevant division of the RLD with questions.

Note: New Mexico business licenses are not issued by the Secretary of State. The Secretary of State is responsible for business entity administration, for example Limited Liability Company formation.

How much is a New Mexico Business License?

New Mexico doesn’t have a general business license at the state level, so there are no fees there. And there’s no fee to file the Business Tax Registration Application with the Taxation & Revenue Department.

However, your business may need a state-level occupational license or municipal-level license or permit to operate. The filing fee for these licenses will vary depending on where you’re doing business and what industry you’re in. To be honest, we can’t predict your specific New Mexico business license cost.

For example, licenses issued by a county that contains a large city are usually more expensive than licenses in less populated, rural counties. And licenses for regulated industries, like child care facilities, are usually more expensive than generic business licenses.

But your LLC might not need a license or permit at all. So your New Mexico business license cost could be $0.

See LLC Cost in New Mexico to learn about all the possible LLC fees.

Municipal Business License

Municipal business licenses can be issued by the city, town, county, parish, township, borough, etc. We refer to all of these as a “municipality” to keep things simple.

There are two types of municipal business licenses:

• general business license
• industry-specific license

For example, if a municipality has a general business license requirement, all businesses operating in that municipality must have the license, regardless of what they do.

And if a municipality has industry-specific business licenses, a license or permit may be required depending on what your business does. For example, if you operate a food truck, or run a daycare, you may need an industry-specific municipal business license. Or if you’re purchasing or leasing real estate, you may need a zoning permit.

But a license may not be required for other types of businesses, like making wedding invitation templates or offering marketing consulting.

You can contact your municipality to check on their local licensing requirements:

• New Mexico Municipal League: Municipal Websites
• New Mexico Legislature: Cities and Counties
• New Mexico Counties: Counties Map

New Mexico Gross Receipts Tax

New Mexico doesn’t have a sales tax like other states. Instead, it has a Gross Receipts Tax.

If you sell products to consumers in New Mexico, you may need to collect and pay Gross Receipts Tax.

If your business activities are subject to this tax, your LLC must register with the Taxation & Revenue Department when you file your Business Tax Registration Application (described above).

Note: This requirement will apply whether you sell products online or in a physical location in New Mexico. Learn more about Who must file gross receipts tax?

Do I need any federal business licenses?

Most businesses in New Mexico don’t need a federal business license. However, certain industries do need federal licenses:

Check out the Small Business Administration’s Licenses and Permits page for a full list of industries with federal license requirements.

If your business isn’t one of these special cases, then the only federal requirements are that your LLC get a New Mexico EIN Number (aka Federal Employer Identification Number) and that you file taxes.

New Mexico Business License FAQs

Matt Horwitz

Founder & Educator, LLC University®

Matt Horwitz is the leading expert on LLC education, and has been teaching for 15 years. He founded LLC University in 2010 after realizing people needed simple and actionable instructions to start an LLC. He's cited by Entrepreneur Magazine, Yahoo Finance, and the US Chamber of Commerce, and was featured by CNBC and InventRight.
 
Matt holds a Bachelor's Degree in business from Drexel University with a concentration in business law. He performs extensive research and analysis to convert state laws into simple instructions anyone can follow to form their LLC - all for free! Read more about Matt Horwitz and LLC University.