Sandoval County Road FAQs

Per the Sandoval County Roads Ordinance, the County does not build roads. Instead, the ordinance allows for a developer or other groups to build roads and then submit them through a process for acceptance into the County’s inventory for maintenance. In order for a road to be approved for acceptance into the County’s inventory, it must meet a very specific set of design guidelines as laid out in the ordinance. For more details, click here to read the Roads Ordinance.

Non-emergency issues involving Sandoval County roads can be reported via an online request form, or by calling (505) 771-8500. Should you require emergency response services, call 911.

Routine road maintenance is scheduled on a priority basis. First priority goes to roads that typically are used by emergency services vehicles or serve as bus routes. Second priority goes to major arterials, and side streets as needed. If your road requires immediate assistance, submit an online request form or call (505) 771-8500 and leave a detailed message, including your address, phone number and nature of the call.

Sandoval County Public Works monitors the roadways owned/maintained by the County during inclement weather. Roads are prioritized to allow for bus and emergency services routes to be cleared first. Major arterials, collectors, etc., are then cleared as needed. Should you require immediate attention due to medical issues, or if you are experiencing an emergency, please dial 911. In the event of an emergency, the Public Works Department will work with public safety personnel to assist or plow as needed to render aid.

**Please note, that Sandoval County is not permitted (per New Mexico State Constitution Antidonation Clause) to plow, de-ice or maintain roads that are not in our inventory or those that are not within our jurisdiction. Doing so would be a violation of the State’s Antidonation Clause.

In order to make sure tax dollars, and limited other funding, are utilized in a way where we get the “most bang for our buck,” the County’s Public Works Department prioritizes projects. Projects are prioritized based upon many factors including: number of vehicles that utilize the road, current road condition, cost of maintenance vs resurfacing, whether or not the road is a bus route, whether or not the road is used by emergency services, whether or not the road is a major arterial road, etc. In fact, in late 2018, the Public Works Department contracted with professional engineers to assess all County-owned roads and to build a Sandoval County Transportation Asset Management Tool. The online based tool, once completed, will provide information on the condition of roads that are owned and maintained by Sandoval County, and the priority rank of those roads for repair or rehabilitation. The tool will soon be available to the public. The County is in the final testing phases of the database and its integration with the County’s website. We are working to have this new tool available to the public by Fall of 2019.

Sandoval County only budgets a certain amount of funding each year from property taxes, grants or the State of New Mexico to maintain, repair and resurface roads in Sandoval County. The amount of funding budgeted varies from year to year. For a more detailed look at how your property tax dollars are divided up among various entities, including the County which must then further divide up your tax dollars for all of its programs/services, see the graphic below:

Right-of-way permit requirements are outlined in Sandoval County Ordinance 7-14-11.7A; PROCEDURES FOR DEDICATION OF ROADS, DISTURBING AND REPAIRING COUNTY PROPERTY AND RIGHTS-OF-WAY. Permits may be obtained at the Sandoval County Public Works office located at 2708 Iris Road in Rio Rancho, or by calling the office at (505) 771-8500.

To report county maintained drainage facilities, please call (505) 771-8500. Please be specific as to the location and type of facility, also leave your name and number in case there are questions as to what needs to be addressed.

You can submit a request through the online request form or if you do not have web access you can contact the Public Works department at (505) 771-8500 if the cattle guard is owned by Sandoval County. Please be detailed as to the location of the cattle guard to help with faster response time.