Can I look up whether a New Mexico contractor has been disciplined?

Not from a web page. The Regulation and Licensing Department publishes disciplinary actions for its professional boards, cannabis and securities licensees, but not for Construction Industries contractors. The records exist and can be requested under the Inspection of Public Records Act.

Does a clean licence search mean a contractor has no complaints?

No. It means they are licensed. Complaints and disciplinary history aren't part of the public search, so an active licence tells you the state issued one and it hasn't been revoked — nothing more.

How long does an IPRA request take in New Mexico?

The records custodian must permit inspection as soon as practicable and no later than fifteen calendar days after receiving the request. If it isn't permitted within three business days you're entitled to a written response saying when it will be. Extensive requests can be extended by a burdensome letter, and copy fees apply.

Where do I complain about a roofing contractor in New Mexico?

It depends what went wrong. Licensing and workmanship go to the Construction Industries Division — ring them, as the complaint route isn't clearly published online. Insurance claim handling goes to the Office of Superintendent of Insurance. Getting money back is a civil matter and no regulator does it for you.

How to Check a New Mexico Contractor — What's Public and What Isn't

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.

The gap worth knowing about. New Mexico's Regulation and Licensing Department publishes disciplinary actions and citations for a long list of its licensees — 27 professional boards, the Cannabis Control Division, the Securities Division. Construction Industries is not among them. Its enforcement page links to that hub, and contractors aren't on it.

So a homeowner cannot sit down and find out whether a roofer has been disciplined the way they could for a pharmacist or a real-estate broker. That isn't a secret — the records exist and you can request them — but it is not published, and it is worth knowing before you assume a clean search means a clean record. A clean search means licensed.

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.

The work is bad, or they weren't licensed 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 claim Denials, 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 vanished Deception 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 back No 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.

1 Write the request to the records custodian

Address it to the Regulation and Licensing Department and be specific: name the contractor, the licence number, and the records you want — complaints, disciplinary actions, citations. A vague request invites a slow one. The department's procedure is at its IPRA page.

2 Expect a response in three business days

If inspection isn't permitted within three business days, you're entitled to a written response saying when the records will be available.

3 Fifteen calendar days is the outer limit

The records custodian must permit inspection immediately or as soon as practicable, and no later than fifteen calendar days after receiving the request. A denial must also be delivered in writing within fifteen days, with the reasons.

4 Watch for the burdensome letter, and the copy fee

If the request is extensive you may get a letter extending the deadline. The department charges a copy fee for documents, and tells you the amount before you're committed. Neither is a refusal — both are normal.

Inspection of Public Records Act, §14-2-1 NMSA 1978 et seq. The timelines above are the department's own published procedure.

Once you've checked them

What their classification actually covers All 65, searchable — GS-21 is roofing, GS-30 is stucco. Licence classifications → The questions that separate the bids A worksheet you take to each contractor, with a row for the licence number. Comparing roofers → They came knocking after a storm Claim handling is a different regulator, and the 2025 rule change is in your favour. Insurance claims →

Checking a contractor