ADA Laws in New Mexico

What New Mexico Property Owners and Businesses Need to Know About ADA Compliance Right Now

New Mexico has two deadlines coming that you need to know about. One is federal, one is state, and they're different. The federal one is April 24, 2026, and applies to all public entities. The state one was supposed to be April 1, 2026, but the governor vetoed that bill last year. Now there's a new version moving through the legislature with a different timeline.

If you own a business in Albuquerque, manage property in Santa Fe, or run a website for a public entity anywhere in New Mexico, here's what's actually happening.

The federal deadline: April 24, 2026

On April 24, 2024, the Department of Justice published a final rule under Title II of the ADA requiring all state and local government digital content to be accessible . The compliance deadline is April 24, 2026. That's for any public entity serving populations of 50,000 or more.

The technical standard is WCAG 2.1, Level AA. That's the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 at the AA conformance level. It covers websites, mobile apps, PDFs, videos, online course materials, and third-party platforms.

The New Mexico Department of Information Technology has been running monthly meetings for state agencies on this. They meet the fourth Thursday of every month from 3:30 to 5:00 p.m. Renee Narvaiz is the contact. Her number is 505-827-2416 .

At the University of New Mexico, they've had a Digital Accessibility Committee working on this since the rule came out. The committee includes the Office of Compliance, Ethics & Equal Opportunity, UNM Information Technologies, the Center for Teaching and Learning, UNM Online, University Communication and Marketing, and the Accessibility Resource Center . They're adopting WCAG 2.1 AA for all web content and mobile apps, and they're pushing that requirement to third-party vendors like Canvas and Salesforce.

UNM's taglines are "Everyone's a Lobo" and "Each of Us Defines All of Us." That's marketing language, but the practical effect is that course materials, blogs, videos, and social media all need to meet the same standards now .

The New Mexico Corrections Department posted an accessibility statement in January 2026 saying they're working toward WCAG 2.1 AA compliance . They acknowledge some areas may still present challenges and have set up an email for feedback: CD-WebsiteFeedback@cd.nm.gov.

The New Mexico Outdoor Recreation Division, part of the Economic Development Department, posted a similar statement in January 2026. They say they're working toward conformance and acknowledge that some areas may have limitations. Their contact is Info@edd.nm.gov or 505-827-0300 .

The state bill that got vetoed

In March 2025, House Bill 120 passed the New Mexico legislature. It would have required all state agency websites and mobile apps to comply with WCAG 2.1 Level AA by April 1, 2026. It also would have created an Office of Accessibility within the Governor's Commission on Disability .

Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham vetoed it on March 20, 2025.

The governor's veto message isn't public in the search results, but the bill died. That left state agencies with the federal deadline but no state-level enforcement mechanism or dedicated office to help them get compliant.

The new bill: HB 295

In the 2026 legislative session, lawmakers introduced House Bill 295. It's another version of the Accessibility Act. This one is different.

HB 295 creates the Office of Accessibility within the Department of Health, not the Governor's Commission on Disability . The secretary of health would appoint a chief accessibility officer. The office would create standard forms for agencies to identify accessibility challenges, provide training, help agencies develop accessibility statements and plans, and support physical accessibility evaluations.

The bill appropriates $350,000 from the general fund for fiscal years 2026 and 2027 to implement it .

The reporting timeline is different too. By May 1, 2028, and every May 1 after that, the office would have to submit a report to the governor and the interim legislative health and human services committee. That report would document the accessibility of state agency websites, mobile apps, and physical facilities. Each state agency would have to submit its own analysis 120 days before the report is due .

HB 295 doesn't have a hard compliance deadline like HB 120 did. It focuses on assessment, reporting, and gradual improvement. The bill is in committee as of March 2026.

What this means for public entities in New Mexico

The federal deadline hasn't changed. If you're a public university, a city government, a county, a school district, or any entity that gets federal funding, April 24, 2026 is the date.

The University of New Mexico has been preparing since 2024. They've formed committees, they're auditing content, they're training faculty. The Center for Teaching and Learning has resources on digital accessibility. The Accessibility Resource Center is involved. They're looking at everything from Canvas course pages to social media posts .

If you're at a smaller public entity in New Mexico, you might not have those resources. The New Mexico State Library offers training through its system. The Department of Information Technology has monthly meetings. But it's mostly on you to figure out.

The New Mexico Legislature is considering HB 295, which would create a central office to help. But that office wouldn't start reporting until 2028, and the funding is only $350,000 spread across two years . For context, that's less than one full-time senior staff position plus benefits for two years. It's not going to pay for massive overhauls.

What this means for private businesses

If you own a private business in New Mexico, the Title II rule doesn't apply to you directly. You're covered by Title III of the ADA, which prohibits discrimination in places of public accommodation.

Title III doesn't have a specific website rule. But plaintiffs' lawyers file website accessibility lawsuits under Title III all the time. They use WCAG 2.1 as the standard. If your site doesn't meet it, you're a target.

The City of Albuquerque has an ADA coordinator who handles requests for auxiliary aids and modifications. They ask for 72 hours notice before any scheduled event requiring accommodations . That's standard practice. If you're running a business in Albuquerque and you get a request for accommodation, 72 hours is a reasonable timeline to aim for.

Albuquerque also enforces local ADA regulations for public spaces. Buildings, sidewalks, and transportation systems have to be accessible. If services aren't accessible, complaints go to the Office of the ADA Coordinator .

The M.G. v. Armijo case and Medicaid services

Disability Rights New Mexico lists their priorities for fiscal year 2026 on their website. One of them is continuing to pursue M.G. v. Armijo . That's a lawsuit about private-duty nursing services for medically fragile children.

The case is about access to medically necessary Medicaid services. The plaintiffs argue that New Mexico isn't providing adequate private-duty nursing, which forces families to institutionalize children who could live at home with proper support. Disability Rights New Mexico is pursuing this as systemic litigation to expand access .

This matters for ADA compliance because it's about the integration mandate from the 1999 Supreme Court case Olmstead v. L.C. That case said people with disabilities have the right to receive services in the community rather than being forced into institutions. New Mexico is being sued over whether it's meeting that obligation for children who need nursing care.

Housing requirements in Albuquerque and beyond

The ADA applies to housing in specific ways. It covers public areas of housing facilities, leasing offices, and any services provided to tenants. The Fair Housing Act covers more of the actual dwelling units .

For new construction in New Mexico, buildings must meet accessibility standards. Since March 1991, new constructions have been required to include ramps, accessible parking, and ground-level entrances. For multi-floor buildings, elevators must be included .

In public housing, units need features like lower countertops, grab bars, roll-in showers, and lever door handles. The New Mexico Mortgage Finance Authority sets guidelines for these features .

If you're a landlord in Albuquerque, you have to allow reasonable modifications at the tenant's expense. That means if a tenant needs grab bars installed, you have to let them do it. If a tenant needs a ramp, you have to let them build it. You can require documentation of the disability if it's not obvious, but you can't refuse unreasonable modifications .

The Albuquerque Housing Authority has policies requiring accommodations to help individuals access services or facilities. That includes allowing service animals and adjusting policies to meet individual needs .

Physical requirements that haven't changed

The digital stuff is getting attention because of the deadlines. But the physical requirements for buildings are still in effect.

Accessible parking is where a lot of properties fail. Spaces need to be 8 feet wide with a 5-foot access aisle. The access aisle is where someone deploys a lift or gets out of a van. If you just paint a space blue without the access aisle, it's not compliant .

For lots with 1 to 25 total spaces, you need one accessible space. For 26 to 50 spaces, you need two. The requirements scale up as the lot gets bigger.

Entrances need doorways at least 32 inches clear width. Thresholds can't be more than half an inch high. If the entrance isn't level with the parking area, you need a ramp or lift.

Restrooms need at least one accessible stall with proper grab bar placement. Turning space needs to be 60 inches in diameter or a T-shaped turn space. Sinks need knee clearance underneath.

The City of Albuquerque's ADA coordinator handles complaints about physical barriers in public spaces. If sidewalks aren't accessible or buildings have barriers, that's who you contact .

The training options in New Mexico

Santa Fe Community College is offering a free training series called "Accessible: Digital Access Essentials for Professionals." It's six sessions, every Wednesday from noon to 12:30 p.m., starting May 21, 2025. The dates are May 21, May 28, June 4, June 11, June 18, and June 25. Any New Mexico resident can register online . The training is offered through the Continuing Education Department and Accessible New Mexico, LLC.

The Commercial Association of Realtors New Mexico is offering a course called "Property Managers Guide to ADA Compliance" on December 3, 2026. It's at the CNM Workforce Training Center, 5600 Eagle Rock Ave NE in Albuquerque, from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. The instructor is Irwin Harms. It offers 2 CE credits .

The Department of Information Technology has monthly meetings for state agencies on digital accessibility. They meet the fourth Thursday of every month. You can contact Renee Narvaiz at 505-827-2416 to join .

Who to contact if you need help

The New Mexico Department of Information Technology has a public information officer who handles accessibility questions. Renee Narvaiz is at 505-827-2416 or renee.narvaiz@doit.nm.gov .

The Economic Development Department takes accessibility questions at Info@edd.nm.gov or 505-827-0300 .

The Corrections Department has an email for website feedback: CD-WebsiteFeedback@cd.nm.gov .

Disability Rights New Mexico is the protection and advocacy organization for the state. They track legislation, do policy work, and investigate abuse and neglect in facilities. Their priorities for 2026 include monitoring congregate settings, assisting with service animal access, and advocating for special education students .

The UNM Accessibility Resource Center has resources online. The Center for Teaching and Learning has a digital accessibility website. UNM also has a social media accessibility checklist .

What's not happening

HB 120 isn't happening. It passed, then got vetoed. The April 1, 2026 state deadline doesn't exist anymore .

HB 295 is happening but slowly. It creates an office and a reporting structure, but the first report isn't due until May 2028. Agencies have to do their own analyses 120 days before that, so early 2028 .

The $350,000 appropriation is real but small. It's meant to stand up an office, not to fix every accessibility problem in state government. The office will train people and create standards, but agencies will still have to find their own money for actual fixes.

M.G. v. Armijo is ongoing. Disability Rights New Mexico lists it as a priority for 2026, so there's no resolution yet .

The things that trip people up

PDFs are still the biggest problem. Screen readers can't read PDFs that are just images. If you're posting documents online, they need to be tagged properly with headings, alt text for images, and readable text.

Color contrast catches people. WCAG 2.1 AA requires contrast ratios of at least 4.5:1 for normal text. Light gray on white doesn't pass. Dark gray on white usually does.

Link text matters. "Click here" tells a screen reader user nothing. "Apply for benefits" tells them exactly what the link does.

Forms need proper labels. If a screen reader user tabs into a form field, they need to hear what information goes there. Fields without labels are unusable.

Video captions are required. Automated captions need proofreading. The University of New Mexico uses YuJa for captioning, but they acknowledge that automated captions aren't perfect .

Service animals are another area where people get it wrong. Under the ADA, you can ask two questions: whether the dog is a service animal required because of a disability, and what work or task the dog has been trained to perform. You cannot ask about the person's disability. You cannot ask for documentation. You cannot require a vest . Disability Rights New Mexico lists service animal access as one of their priorities for 2026.

The bottom line

New Mexico has two tracks running at the same time. The federal track has a hard deadline of April 24, 2026, for all public entities. The University of New Mexico, the City of Albuquerque, and every state agency have to meet WCAG 2.1 AA by then. The Corrections Department and Outdoor Recreation Division have already posted statements saying they're working on it.

The state track is uncertain. HB 120 is dead. HB 295 is moving but won't create real enforcement until 2028 at the earliest. The governor vetoed the bill with the hard deadline, so state agencies are operating under federal law only.

For private businesses, the risk is lawsuits. Albuquerque has an ADA coordinator and complaint process. The Fair Housing Act and ADA both apply to housing. Physical requirements for parking, entrances, and restrooms haven't changed.

The M.G. v. Armijo case continues to move through the courts. Disability Rights New Mexico is pushing for more private-duty nursing services so medically fragile children can live at home rather than institutions. That case could change how Medicaid services are delivered in New Mexico.

If you're a property owner or business manager in New Mexico, you need to know which track you're on. Public entities have a hard deadline. Private entities have ongoing risk. Both need to address digital and physical accessibility. The resources exist: monthly meetings at DoIT, free training at SFCC, and a Realtors course in December. Nobody's getting a free pass just because a state bill got vetoed.