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New Mexico License Lookup: Check a Contractor, Cosmetologist or Broker on the RLD Portal

New Mexico License Lookup: Check a Contractor, Cosmetologist or Broker on the RLD Portal

Before you hire a contractor, lease space through a real estate broker, or book a stylist for a salon contract, you should be able to confirm that the person holds the license they claim. In New Mexico, that check is a set of separate searches, not one box. Each agency keeps its own records, so the right new mexico license lookup depends on the profession. This guide covers the RLD License Lookup, the PSI contractor search, the ABC search, what none of them will show you, and what to do when a name does not come up.

New Mexico has no general business license

New Mexico does not issue a statewide general business license. That matters for your search, because a license lookup checks a specific profession or trade, not whether a business is allowed to operate at all. Three different kinds of record get mixed up:

  • Entity registration. An LLC or corporation is formed with the New Mexico Secretary of State. The LLC Articles of Organization cost $50, and an LLC files no annual or biennial report. The SOS business search at enterprise.sos.nm.gov/search shows whether an entity is on file. A corporation, by contrast, files a biennial report and owes a $50 annual franchise tax, which an LLC taxed as a default pass-through does not owe.
  • Tax registration. The Taxation and Revenue Department (TRD) issues a free Business Tax Identification Number (BTIN), formerly called a CRS number. It is a tax registration, not a license. New Mexico has no sales tax. Instead, the state gross receipts tax is charged on the seller, and the BTIN is how a business registers to report it.
  • Professional license. A license is issued by the agency that regulates the work, such as the Regulation and Licensing Department (RLD), the Construction Industries Division (CID) or the Alcoholic Beverage Control Division (ABC). This is the only record a license lookup checks.

Cities and some counties may charge their own flat annual business registration. The state lookups do not show it. New Mexico also has no statewide DBA or assumed-name registration, so a licensee who trades under a different name may not appear under that name in any state filing. An LLC that will trade under another name states that name in its articles of organization instead.

Step 1: Identify the agency that licenses the work

Start by naming the trade or profession. That tells you which search to use. The table below covers the main cases.

Profession or permitWhere to checkWhat to enter
Contractor (general, electrical, plumbing, roofing)PSI public search, linked from the RLD license lookup pageContractor name or license number
Journeyman (CID trades)PSI public search, linked from the RLD license lookup pageName or license number
Cosmetologist, real estate broker, body artist, massage therapist and other Boards and Commissions professionalsRLD License LookupProfession, then name, license number, status or address
Alcohol and tobacco licenses, server permitsABC public searchBusiness or permit holder details
CannabisCannabis Control's own lookupCheck the agency's site for search fields
Manufactured housingThe agency's own lookupCheck the agency's site for search fields
Financial institutionsThe agency's own lookupCheck the agency's site for search fields
NotarySecretary of State, not RLDCommission records are kept by the Secretary of State

How to run the RLD License Lookup

Most people searching for a cosmetologist, real estate broker, body artist or massage therapist will use the RLD License Lookup. The steps are simple, but the order matters:

  1. Open the RLD License Lookup from the Regulation and Licensing Department website.
  2. Pick the profession first. A search on the wrong profession will not find a broker who is listed under real estate, and a cosmetologist search will not return a massage therapist.
  3. Enter a name, license number, status or address. If you have the license number, use it. It returns the exact record, while a common name can produce several matches that you then have to sort through.
  4. Open the record and compare the name, license type and status with what the professional told you. If the name on the record differs from the name on their business card, ask them why before you go further.

This is the core of any nm rld license search. The lookup tells you whether a record exists and what it shows. It does not replace a written contract or your own due diligence.

Contractor license search on PSI

Contractor and journeyman licenses issued through CID are verified on the PSI public search at public.psiexams.com/search.jsp. The page is linked from the RLD license lookup page, so you can reach it from either site. This is the search to use for a new mexico cid license search, and it is the one most homeowners and general contractors need when they vet a subcontractor.

Contractor licenses are issued by classification, and each classification code starts with a letter group. Some common codes, as set out in 14.6.6 NMAC, are:

CodeClassification
GB-98General building
EE-98Electrical
MM-1Plumbing
GS-21Roofing

When you look up a contractor, compare the classification on the record with the work you are hiring for. A license in one classification does not automatically cover a different trade. If the classification on the record is unclear, or you are not sure whether it covers your project, check with CID before you sign. The same applies to the nm contractor license lookup results for a subcontractor who claims to hold more than one classification.

What a license lookup will not tell you

A clean result on the RLD or PSI search answers one question: is there a professional license on record for this person or business? It does not answer several others, and people often assume it does.

  • City and county registrations. Many cities and some counties charge their own flat annual business registration. A lookup will not show it. Ask the business for its local registration and confirm it with the city or county office.
  • Tax accounts. A lookup does not show whether a business has a BTIN or is current on gross receipts tax. Check with the Taxation and Revenue Department at tax.newmexico.gov. The TRD page on who must register is at tax.newmexico.gov/businesses/who-must-register-a-business.
  • Entity status. A license is not proof that the company you are dealing with is a registered LLC or corporation. Search the SOS business database at enterprise.sos.nm.gov/search to confirm the legal name and entity type.
  • Notary commissions. A notary is commissioned by the Secretary of State, not RLD. If you are checking a notary, the RLD lookup will not find them.

If you need a free starting point for setting up your own registrations, the New Mexico Small Business Development Center network at nmsbdc.org can help you sort out the steps.

Verification letters and names that do not come up

The public lookup is a quick check, not an official document. If you need an official verification letter, including one to send to another state, RLD handles it through a separate request form rather than the public search. Confirm the current fee and turnaround for that form with the licensing division before you rely on a date.

If a license you expect to see is not listed, do not conclude the person is unlicensed. Common reasons a record fails to appear include a misspelled name, a record under a former name, or selecting the wrong profession. Try the license number, then the address, then the other agency's search for the trade. If the record still does not appear, check with the licensing division that governs the work before you proceed. Ask the professional for their license number and the agency that issued it, then confirm it directly.

Quick checklist before you hire or sign

  1. Name the trade or profession and identify the agency that licenses it.
  2. Run the search with the license number if you have it. Otherwise search by name, then confirm with the address.
  3. Compare the license type, classification and status with the work you are buying.
  4. Confirm the entity on the SOS business search and the BTIN and tax status with TRD.
  5. Ask for the city or county registration, since no state lookup will show it.
  6. Keep a dated screenshot or printout of the record in your project file.

Confirm the details with the agencies

Several details change over time or depend on the specific case, so confirm them before you act. That includes the fee and turnaround for official verification letters, the current status labels used on each lookup, and whether a particular trade requires an additional permit beyond the license itself. Check with the agency that issues the license. For a contractor or journeyman question, start with CID. For a board-regulated profession, start with the RLD. For a permit or alcohol question, start with ABC.

Disclaimer: This guide is informational content, not legal or tax advice. Rules, fees and agency procedures can change, and the details in this article may not reflect the most current requirements. For a contract dispute, a business structure decision, a tax question or a licensing problem, consult a qualified New Mexico attorney or certified public accountant before you act.

Official sources

Keep exploring: related New Mexico guides