What's public, and what isn't
| Question | Can you look it up? |
|---|---|
| Are they licensed, and is it active? | Yes. The state register is searchable by business or individual name. |
| What work does their licence cover? | Yes — the classification, and its scope is set out in the rule. All 65 classifications. |
| Have they been disciplined or cited? | Not from a web page. See below — this is the gap most people don't expect. |
| Have other homeowners complained about them? | No. Complaints aren't published, resolved or otherwise. |
| Do they hold a bond or insurance? | Ask, and ask for the certificate. Ask for it from the insurer directly rather than as a forwarded PDF. |
Something went wrong — who actually handles it?
This is where most of the wasted time happens. Four different bodies, and the one you want depends entirely on what went wrong.
Licensing and code enforcement sit with the Construction Industries Division. Their complaint route isn't clearly published online — the state's own “file a complaint” link under Construction Industries currently lands on the Financial Institutions Division's page — so ring the division directly. Santa Fe (505) 476-4700, Albuquerque (505) 222-9800, Las Cruces (575) 524-6320.
Construction Industries Division → The insurer mishandled the claimDenials, delays, lowball scopes, or an inquiry recorded as a claim against you. That's the Office of Superintendent of Insurance, and it is a different regulator entirely.
File with OSI → They took a deposit and vanishedDeception and fraud are consumer-protection matters rather than licensing ones. The licensing division can act on the licence; it cannot get your money back.
See also: claims → You just want your money backNo regulator recovers money for you. That is a civil matter — small claims for smaller sums — and it runs in parallel with any complaint, not instead of it.
How to avoid it next time →Getting at what isn't published
If the disciplinary history matters to you — a big job, a contractor you're uneasy about — it is obtainable. It just isn't on a web page. New Mexico's Inspection of Public Records Act gives any person the right to inspect public records, and that includes the licensing division's.
01Write the request to the records custodian
02Expect a response in three business days
03Fifteen calendar days is the outer limit
04Watch for the burdensome letter, and the copy fee
Inspection of Public Records Act, §14-2-1 NMSA 1978 et seq. The timelines above are the department's own published procedure.