N.M. Stat. § 28-2-3

This is the official text of N.M. Stat. § 28-2-3, part of New Mexico’s Stat — part of the compiled statutory law of New Mexico, published by the state as "Stat." Browse the sections below, each linked to its official government source.

Not legal advice. This page reproduces the official text of a government statute for reference only. Laws change, and how a statute applies depends on your specific facts. For advice about your situation, consult a licensed attorney in your state.

§ 28-2-3. Employment eligibility determination

Official statutory text

A. Subject to the provisions of Subsection B of this section and Sections 28-2-4 and 28-2-5 NMSA 1978 , in determining eligibility for employment with the state or any of its political subdivisions or for a license, permit, certificate or other authority to engage in any regulated trade, business or profession, the board or other department or agency having jurisdiction may take into consideration a conviction, but the conviction shall not operate as an automatic bar to obtaining public employment or license or other authority to practice the trade, business or profession. A board, department or agency of the state or any of its political subdivisions shall not make an inquiry regarding a conviction on an initial application for employment and shall only take into consideration a conviction after the applicant has been selected as a finalist for the position.

B. The following criminal records shall not be used, distributed or disseminated in connection with an application for any public employment, license or other authority:

(1) records of arrest not followed by a valid conviction;

(2) convictions that have been sealed, dismissed, expunged or pardoned;

(3) juvenile adjudications; or

(4) convictions for a crime that is not job-related for the position in question and consistent with business necessity.

Status: in_force

Need a lawyer in New Mexico?

Find a New Mexico lawyer
About this page: Statute text is reproduced from official government publishers via the Open US Law dataset (Vaquill AI, snapshot v2026.08, CC BY 4.0). Primary legislative text like this is public domain under the government-edicts doctrine (Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 2020). We link every section back to its official source so you can verify it independently.