New Mexico Code § 68-5-3

Prescribed burn use
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A. Prescribed burning is considered in the public interest and not a public or private nuisance.
B. Except as limited in Subsection C of this section, a private landowner or a private landowner's agent, contractor or legally authorized designee shall have a right to conduct a prescribed burn on the landowner's property, except when the state forester or a county or municipality issues restrictions prohibiting a prescribed burn because of drought or wind conditions; provided that the prescribed burn is conducted with appropriate precautionary measures, including: the use of sufficient personnel and equipment; the prior notification of local fire officials; burn and contingency planning; and the use of appropriate prescribed burn techniques that cause the fire to be confined to a predetermined area.
C. A prescribed burn shall not be started when the national weather service has issued a red flag warning for the area where the prescribed burn is planned to take place.
History: Laws 2021, ch. 13, § 3; 2023, ch. 88, § 1.
The 2023 amendment, effective April 4, 2023, prohibited the use of prescribed burning during a red flag warning; in Subsection B, added "Except as limited in Subsection C of this section", and after "drought", added "or wind"; and added Subsection C.

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