Alcohol & Gaming: Overviews
NOTICE - 2013 LEGISLATIVE UPDATE: On June 14, 2013 the following legislation will become effective
SB 154 – Allows liquor licensees who hold a valid Sunday sales permit and are located in a local option district that has voted to approve Sunday sales by the drink for on premises consumption to begin serving alcoholic beverages as early as 11:00 a.m. on Sundays.
SB 259 - Increases the frequency of alcohol server training from 5 years to 3 years. Decreases the criminal penalty for selling alcohol to a minor from a 4th degree felony to a misdemeanor for the first offense – each subsequent offense remains a 4th degree felony.
NOTICE: Alcohol Server Education Advisory Committee Meeting to be held Wednesday July 10, 2013 at 1 p.m. at the Toney Anaya Building, 2550 Cerrillos Road, Santa Fe, NM
Hearing Room # 2, 2nd Floor. The meeting is open to the Public pursuant to NM’s Open Meetings Act. To view the agenda click here.
EFFECTIVE MAY 1, 2013 THIS AGENCY WILL NO LONGER ACCEPT THE ALCOHOL SERVER PERMIT DUPLICATE REQUEST FORM THROUGH THE MAIL WITHOUT THE $10.00 MONEY ORDER OR CASHIER'S CHECK AND A COPY OF YOUR GOVERNMENT ISSUED ID (DRIVER'S LICENSE, IDENTIFICATION CARD OR PASSPORT). Also a person who takes and passes a New Mexico approved server training course on or after June 14, 2013 will be eligible to receive a New Mexico server permit that is valid for 3 years, as opposed to 5 years.
RENEWALS WILL BE GOING OUT IN THE MAIL TOWARDS THE END OF FEBRUARY. PLEASE MAKE SURE THAT YOU ARE IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE TAXATION AND REVENUE DEPARTMENT, AND CORPORATIONS WILL ALSO NEED TO MAKE SURE THEY ARE IN GOOD STANDING WITH THE PUBLIC REGULATION COMMISSION. BEFORE SUBMITTING DOCUMENTS TO THIS DIVISION, MAKE COPIES FOR YOUR OWN RECORDS. LIQUOR LICENSE RENEWAL DEADLINES ARE LISTED BELOW, BUT THE QUICKER YOU SUBMIT YOUR RENEWAL APPLICATION PACKET AND FEE THE QUICKER YOU MAY RECEIVE YOUR RENEWED LIQUOR LICENSE.
To check your Local Option Districts Sunday Sales Elections for New Mexico, click here
To check your Local Option Districts Liquor License Quotas for New Mexico, click here
Alcohol and Gaming Division issues, transfers and revokes liquor licenses as specified in the Liquor Control Act. It administers the Alcohol Server Training Program, educating licensees and servers to prevent sales of alcoholic beverages to minors and intoxicated persons. To find out the status of a pending application, please contact our office at (505) 476-4875. Please remember to make a copy of all forms and applications for your records before submitting them to this Division.
The Division also issues Special Dispenser Permits, sometimes called “picnic licenses” for special events, and restaurant licenses, commonly known as “Beer and Wine Licenses.” The Division approves the issuance of new licenses and the sale and transfer of all existing liquor licenses both for change in ownership or location, and publishes a list of the most recent liquor license sales prices.
For those who want to request to inspect public records pursuant to NMSA 1978, Chapter 14, Article 2, this Division charges $0.50 per page for hard copies and electronic copies of our documents. Please note that failure to send payment will mean that all of your future request for copies pursuant to IPRA will require payment in advance of receiving copies in accordance with NMSA 1978, Chapter 14, Article 2, Section 9(c)(5). For the Public Records Request Form please click here.
Because the Liquor Control Act does not allow for a convicted felon to own or be an officer on a liquor license this agency requires such persons to be fingerprinted to receive the background reports from the State and Federal level. Therefore the Federal Bureau of Investigation requires the following notice:
Applicant Notification and Record Challenge
Officials at the governmental institutions and other entities authorized to submit fingerprints and receive FBI identification records under this authority must notify the individuals fingerprinted that the fingerprints will be used to check the criminal history records of the FBI. The officials making the determination of suitability for licensing or employment shall provide the applicants the opportunity to complete, or challenge the accuracy of, the information contained in the FBI identification record. These officials also must advise the applicants that procedures for obtaining a change, correction, or updating of an FBI identification record are set forth in Title 28, C.F.R., § 16.34. Officials making such determinations should not deny the license or employment based on information in the record until the applicant has been afforded a reasonable time to correct or complete the record, or has declined to do so. (Title 42, U.S.C., §14616, Article IV (c); Title 28 C.F.R., § 50.12 (b))
The Division takes seriously every complaint alleging potential violations of liquor laws and works closely with the Special Investigations Division of the Department of Public Safety in investigating and prosecuting such violations. It’s the primary responsibility of this Division to protect the health, safety and welfare of all New Mexicans and those visiting our State, while regulating sale, service and public consumption of alcohol.
Server permits are valid for 5 years. To renew an alcohol server permit, a server will need to re-take an approved Alcohol Server Education class. View the list of classes here . Please be aware of unauthorized providers for the alcohol server training, only those listed on our website are approved for the State of New Mexico.
All liquor licenses - with the exception of Non-resident and Common Carrier licenses - in New Mexico expire on June 30 of each year. The Division mails out applications for renewal beginning in mid-February. Applications are due according to the following schedule:
| Dispenser and Retailer licenses |
on or before April 1st |
| Wholesaler, Manufacturers, Restaurant and Club licenses |
on or before May 1st |
| All other license types |
on or before June 1st |
To see the 2013 Liquor License Renewal Late Fee Schedule click here.
Licensees that are not in compliance with child support obligations, that have outstanding citations or who owe fees should contact our office.
Those who owe taxes should contact the Taxation and Revenue Department at (505)841-6233.
Contact Information:
Jennifer M. Anderson, Director
Jennifer.Anderson@state.nm.us
Debra Lopez, Deputy Director
Debra.Lopez@state.nm.us
For Administrative Secretary/Non-Resident License/Temporary Suspensions information:
Sheila Harris
Sheila.Harris@state.nm.us
For IPRA Request/Special Dispenser Permit/Common Carriers/Resident Agents/Floor Plans/DBA Changes information:
Marlene Montoya
Marlene.Montoya@state.nm.us
For Server Permit information:
Desirae Griego
Desirae.Griego@state.nm.us
For Citation information:
Alicia Duran, Citation Manager
Alicia.Duran@state.nm.us
Vanessa Sandoval
Vanessa.Sandoval@state.nm.us
Rebecca Archuleta, Citations Secretary
RebeccaC.Archuleta@state.nm.us
For Liquor License Processing information:
Annette Brumley
Annette.Brumley@state.nm.us
Rose Garcia
RoseL.Garcia@state.nm.us
For Club Licenses/Fingerprints information:
Pamela Brommer
Pamela.Brommer@state.nm.us
Note: All Gaming is now handled by the State Gaming Control Board. Contact them at http://www.nmgcb.org/