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New Mexico
Mini trucks in Santa Fe County, New Mexico
Kei trucks in New Mexico earn their keep on farms, ranches and private land.
Santa Fe CountyNew Mexico
Can I own one here
Owning one in Santa Fe County.
On your own land, yes
Owning a kei truck and working it on a ranch, a farm, a mine or private property does not depend on a road title. Some states still ask for a title or an off road registration.
A 25 year truck on the road
Road use unclear. New Mexico has no kei truck law. The MVD's written procedure for a vehicle built for sale abroad asks for conformity to federal safety and emission standards and a NHTSA bond release letter, and it has no lane for a vehicle imported at 25 years under the federal age exemption.
A newer governed truck
Private land only. The two statutory OHV definitions disagree on a governed work truck, so no OHV title path is settled.
Roads and towns
Roads and towns in Santa Fe County.
Towns only. Santa Fe County has no act opening paved county roads and the City of Santa Fe bars OHVs, while Edgewood opens its streets to side by sides and ATVs.
In town Some
- Closed Santa Fe. OHV use is prohibited within the city except on a designated course, track or trail or on private property with the owner's permission. Santa Fe City Code 12-7-9, Ordinance No. 2007-32, read 28 October 2026
- Open Edgewood. Any street owned and controlled by the town is open to OHVs and ATVs at the posted limit. Walking trails and town parks stay closed. Ordinance No. 2023-006, adopted 13 June 2023, read 28 October 2026
County roads Some
No county act opens paved county roads, so they stay closed to OHVs, NMSA 66-3-1011(A). The Act closes only paved streets and highways, so a registered OHV is not barred from an unpaved county road the county has not closed. none. The Department of Wildlife register of paved road acts, kept under 18.15.3.15 NMAC, lists no act for the county, read 28 October 2026
State highways Closed
Closed to OHVs.
Getting one here
From Japan to Santa Fe County.
The nearest ports with a sailing from Japan on record
- The Port of Los Angeles, about 800 road miles.
- The Port of Oakland, about 1,100 road miles.
- The Port of Tacoma, The Northwest Seaport Alliance South Harbor, about 1,400 road miles.
How to import a mini truck, step by step.
A newer off road truck never lands in California. It comes in through Tacoma or by way of Houston.
Trucks travel in containers, one to a 20 foot box with room for parts or three to a 40 foot box.
Road miles are an estimate, the straight line times 1.2.
The ground
Santa Fe County, counted.
Santa Fe County averages 25 inches of snow a year. Santa Fe County grows 172 acres of orchards and vineyards. 2 active surface mines and quarries work Santa Fe County's ground.
Importing a kei truck
The essentials, in short.
A truck under 25 can come in only as governed off road equipment, and only if its engine family held an EPA nonroad certificate for that model year. No kei engine family was certified for mini trucks before model year 2010, so a truck built after 31 October 2001 and before model year 2010 has no federal door until its 25th birthday.
Two lanes
A road truck must be 25 years old by its own build date. A newer truck comes in only as governed off road equipment with a certified engine.
The 25 percent duty
Every kei truck pays the 25 percent truck duty at the port, whatever its age.
The paperwork
The customs entry and the two federal declarations, DOT Form HS-7 and EPA Form 3520-1, travel with the truck to your title office.
The title
Keep every stamped paper with the truck. Your state title office asks to see them.
Contact
A question about the law in Santa Fe County?
Ask about a truck, a state or the papers, and we answer with what applies to you.
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