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New Mexico
Mini trucks in Socorro County, New Mexico
Kei trucks in New Mexico earn their keep on farms, ranches and private land.
Socorro CountyNew Mexico
Can I own one here
Owning one in Socorro 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 Socorro County.
Towns only. Socorro County has no act opening paved county roads and the City of Socorro opens no street, while Magdalena opens its paved streets to side by sides and ATVs.
In town Some
- Closed Socorro. The town's code on eCode360 was searched for off-highway, all-terrain, off-road and UTV and opens no street, so paved streets stay closed to OHVs except to cross, NMSA 66-3-1011. town code as published on eCode360, no OHV act, read 28 October 2026
- Open Magdalena. Paved streets owned and controlled by the village are open to ROVs and ATVs at the posted limit. Ordinance No. 2022-03, adopted 12 December 2022, 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 Socorro 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 1,500 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
Socorro County, counted.
Farms in Socorro County hold 19,164 acres of woodland. 3 active surface mines and quarries work Socorro County's ground. Socorro County has 453 farms and 192 cattle operations, by the 2022 Census of Agriculture.
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 Socorro County?
Ask about a truck, a state or the papers, and we answer with what applies to you.
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