New Mexico — statewide
New Mexico Environment Department, Food Program
In short
New Mexico Environment Department, Food Program issues 2 permits we publish for New Mexico — statewide, last verified 2026-10-09. Each carries the fee as the agency publishes it, with a link to the schedule it was read from.
What this agency issues
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Food Establishment Permit | New Mexico Environment Department, Food Program | $200 a year; a temporary food establishment is $25 per event | annual, expiring the last day of the anniversary month of original issuance | 2026-10-09 |
| Food Handler Card | New Mexico Environment Department, Food Program | No fee | 3 years | 2026-10-09 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
About each permit
Food Establishment Permit
As amended effective 1 October 2026 (New Mexico Register Vol. XXXVII, Issue 12, 23 June 2026), section 8-303.15 sets a $200 permit fee for food establishments, mobile food establishments, servicing areas and food processing plants, and $25 for a temporary food establishment per single event or celebration. The same amendment raised the late renewal fee from $25 to $175 and the re-inspection fee from $100 to $500, and added a $400 variance application fee and plan review fees: $300, $600 or $900 for a food establishment (up to 1,000, 1,001–2,000, or over 2,000 square feet of kitchen, storage and ware-washing area) and $400, $900 or $1,400 for a food processing plant. Permit fees are waived for operations that provide food at no charge, and for temporary food establishments serving only non-TCS food or operating no more than two days in a calendar month. The amendment also repealed the home-based food processing section and its $100 permit tier. The Environment Department's food program states that it 'does not have jurisdiction in Bernalillo County and Albuquerque, as they have their own food safety programs'.
Food Handler Card
No state fee is set — the Environment Department's training page states the card is obtained through an accredited food handler training program. Under section 2-104.11 of 7.6.2.8 NMAC (carried unchanged into the 1 October 2026 amendment), food employees must pass a food handler training test and hold a valid card, obtained within 30 calendar days of starting work and valid for three years from issuance. The rule exempts certified food protection managers, employees of an entity whose own training program the department has approved, employees who do not prepare or handle time/temperature control for safety food, people who only occasionally function as food employees, workers at temporary food establishments (where the person in charge must hold a card or manager certification), and volunteers for charitable organizations serving the needy; exempt workers must receive documented food safety training from the employer. Separately, section 2-102.12 requires at least one supervisory employee per food establishment to be a certified food protection manager.
Contact
- Jurisdiction
- New Mexico — statewide
- Phone
- (505) 827-2855
- Website
- www.env.nm.gov/foodprogram/
Contact details are taken from the agency’s own site or its published fee schedule. Where we have not verified a phone number we leave it blank rather than guess.
Sources
Every fee and term above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.
- New Mexico Administrative Code 7.6.2, section 8-303.15 — food establishment permit feesNew Mexico Environmental Improvement Board · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
- New Mexico Environment Department — food handler and food manager training requirementsNew Mexico Environment Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
- New Mexico Environment Department — food program, excluding Bernalillo County and AlbuquerqueNew Mexico Environment Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
- New Mexico Register Vol. XXXVII, Issue 12 (23 June 2026) — amendment to 7.6.2 NMAC sections 8, 11 and 15, effective 1 October 2026, including 8-303.15 feesNew Mexico Commission of Public Records, Administrative Law Division · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
Other New Mexico statewide offices
- New Mexico Secretary of State, Business Services Division
- New Mexico Taxation and Revenue Department
- New Mexico Board of Barbers and Cosmetologists
- New Mexico Board of Veterinary Medicine
- New Mexico Construction Industries Division, Regulation and Licensing Department
- New Mexico Early Childhood Education and Care Department, Child Care Services Bureau
New Mexico jurisdictions
Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.