Who licenses assisted living in New Mexico

Last verified: October 2026

Which agency licenses assisted living facilities in New Mexico?

The New Mexico Health Care Authority (HCA), through its Division of Health Improvement, licenses and surveys assisted living facilities. Licensing moved to HCA from the New Mexico Department of Health on July 1, 2024, when the state consolidated health care purchasing and regulation in one department.

That is why older brochures, court filings and websites still name the Department of Health or its Division of Health Improvement at nmhealth.org; those addresses now redirect to HCA. The Division of Health Improvement kept its name in the move, so you will see “DHI” on survey reports from both eras.

Sources: HCA Health Facility Licensing and Certification; 8.370.14 NMAC (HCA health facility regulations).

What is the current New Mexico assisted living rule?

The rule is 8.370.14 NMAC, “Assisted Living Facilities for Adults,” issued by HCA. It replaced the former 7.8.2 NMAC and was itself repealed and replaced with a rewritten version effective December 23, 2025, so anything you read that predates that date may describe superseded requirements.

The 2025 version keeps the basic structure but spells out more detail on administrator qualifications, staff training hours, the overnight staffing table, emergency preparedness and the memory care unit section (8.370.14.70). Where this site quotes the rule, it quotes the December 2025 text.

Which homes need an assisted living license in New Mexico?

Any facility that cares for two or more adults who need or want help with one or more activities of daily living needs an assisted living license; the only carve-out is a person caring for no more than two relatives in their own residence.

The threshold is low on purpose. A house in the Northeast Heights that takes in two unrelated older adults and helps them bathe or dress is an assisted living facility under the rule, whatever it calls itself. If someone offers to care for a parent in their home for a monthly fee, ask for the HCA license number and check it against the state directory.

Does New Mexico have different license types for small and large assisted living?

No. New Mexico issues one assisted living license type whatever the size; a 5-bed house and a 140-bed building follow the same rule, and a facility that runs a secured memory care unit also follows that unit's extra section.

Size still changes real requirements: the overnight staffing minimum steps up at 16, 31 and 61 residents, facilities with nine or more residents must be sprinklered, and those over 16 are classed as institutional rather than residential buildings. In the part of HCA's directory we could read for the Albuquerque metro, 29 facilities are licensed for 15 or fewer residents and 18 for 16 or more.

Where can you look up a New Mexico assisted living license?

HCA publishes an assisted living directory at alf.hca.nm.gov, with each facility's license number, licensed beds, county, administrator and contact details, and a Health Facility Provider Search for all licensed health facilities.

A license expires automatically when the facility is sold or leased, changes licensee, moves or closes, so a license number from a previous owner is not good enough. Questions about a license go to HCA at facility.license@hca.nm.gov.

Sources: HCA Assisted Living Facilities directory.

New Mexico assisted living licensing: what it is and is not