Bolthole Index county-legal census · checked 2026-10-07
8 of New Mexico's 33 counties — 24% — allow living in an RV on private land. That is the 12th-largest count of any state. The strongest of them on the Bolthole Index is Cibola County (60/100). Every entry below cites the county’s own official source.
Rules change, and cities inside these counties set their own — treat this as a verified starting point, not legal advice. All 456 counties nationwide → New Mexico: no zoning → New Mexico: owner-builder → New Mexico: tiny homes → New Mexico: no minimum home size → Full New Mexico profile →
From the New Mexico guide
New Mexico’s RV answers cover 13 counties: 8 are categorized as allowed, 1 as temporary-only and 4 as limited; 20 counties remain unanswered.6 The allowed group is Cibola County, McKinley County, Otero County, San Juan County, Catron County, Grant County, Sierra County, Quay County, subject to the scope and conditions on each county page.6 Use the RV-living county list to narrow a search; an unanswered county is not permission to move in.6
Tiny-home answers cover 9 counties, with 7 categorized as allowed and 2 as limited; 24 remain unanswered.12 The tiny-home county list includes answers with different scopes, so confirm the intended residential use with the county planning office.12 New Mexico recognizes code-compliant permanent-foundation tiny houses with complete living facilities; a unit retaining a permanent axle is treated as an RV.7 Tiny-house code recognition therefore does not establish permission for residential RV occupancy on a particular lot.76
From the New Mexico guide, written from the cited official sources and re-checked by an independent reviewer. This is research, not legal advice: confirm with the office before you buy or build.
8 of 33 New Mexico counties · sorted by Index score
County zoning-based restrictions on RV occupancy in unincorporated Cibola County. The county has no zoning ordinance, but Ordinance 2020-01 regulates listed environmental and sa…
Planning and Zoning ↗Unincorporated McKinley County: no county rule sets this, because McKinley County's own reviewed answer confirms it has no county-wide zoning ordinance. Septic, floodplain, subd…
McKinley County Comprehensive Plan ↗Unincorporated Otero County: no county rule sets this, because Otero County's own reviewed answer confirms it has no county-wide zoning ordinance. Septic, floodplain, subdivisio…
Zoning | Otero County, NM ↗Unincorporated San Juan County: no county rule sets this, because San Juan County's own reviewed answer confirms it has no county-wide zoning ordinance. Septic, floodplain, subd…
sjcounty.net ↗Unincorporated Catron County: no county rule sets this, because Catron County's own reviewed answer confirms it has no county-wide zoning ordinance. Septic, floodplain, subdivis…
Catron County Business License, Building Permit, Zoning and Flood Plain Certification ↗County zoning restrictions on RV occupancy in unincorporated Grant County. No county zoning rule restricting this use was identified; building, septic, health, fire, floodplain,…
Grant County Comprehensive Plan ↗Unincorporated Sierra County: no county rule sets this, because Sierra County's own reviewed answer confirms it has no county-wide zoning ordinance. Septic, floodplain, subdivis…
Sierra County New Mexico Comprehensive Plan ↗County zoning restrictions on RV occupancy in unincorporated Quay County. This means no county prescriptive zoning restriction was identified, not that RV occupancy is exempt fr…
Quay County Comprehensive Plan ↗Every county here has a full profile — water, land prices, hazard safety, seclusion, and the rest of its building rules. See the New Mexico state page for all 33 counties ranked, or go back to the national list.
Off-grid gear
Building on land in one of these New Mexico counties? The kit we'd start with:
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General guidance, not legal advice. Off-grid, building, and land-use rules are often set at the county level and change often. Verify with your county and state before acting. Data reviewed 2026-06-26.
