Brands for which expiration dates are July 2020 and 2023 may be brought current at this time. Your brand must be in a current status to ship livestock. You may bring them up-to-date now by clicking the "Renew your Brand" button on the right. It will step you through the process of renewing. If you prefer to print a form and send it in with a check, Click Here for the form.  Using either method, you can now register for 3, 6, 9 or 12 years at once to avoid going though this process every three years.

Brands that will expire July 2026 are considered current at this time but must be renewed by Oct 31, 2026. Livestock with this brand after that date will not pass inspection or be allowed to ship. To renew these brands, you must pay for the current renewal period, a total of $100.

Brands that expired in 2023 are still considered to be existing brands when we are researching new brand images, but livestock with those brands will not pass inspection and will not be allowed to be shipped. To renew these brands, you must pay both for the lapsed renewal period and the current renewal period, a total of $200.

Brands that expired in 2020 and remain in an expired state will be terminated after Oct 31, 2026. After October 31, 2026, these terminated brands cannot be renewed. Those brand owners who wish to renew with that image must start over and apply for it as a new brand. Please see the FORMS section below for new brand applications.

Brands that expired in 2017 are now considered terminated. This means that they cannot be renewed, and those images are no longer considered when researching brands for conflicts. Those brand owners who wish to renew with that image must start over and apply for it as a new brand. Please see the FORMS section below for new brand applications.

It is unlawful for a person to use a brand on livestock in New Mexico without first recording the brand with the New Mexico Livestock Board. A brand registration certificate confers on the person to whom it is issued the right to use the recorded brand on an animal at a given location (left hip, right hip, left rib, etc.) until the registration expires, is transferred, or is forfeited. New Mexico recorded brands may be used statewide.

A brand may be registered by filing an application for approval with the New Mexico Livestock Board at 2105 Osuna Rd NE Building South, Albuquerque, NM 87113-3203. The brand recording fee is $100 and must accompany the application. The fee is subject to change. The payment of the fee for recording a brand confers on the owner of the brand the right to use it until the end of the re-record period in which the brand is recorded.

TRANSFERRING BRANDS

Ownership of a brand is a property right and may be sold and transferred. The fee for the transfer of a brand is $100. The fee is subject to change.

In the event of a registration transfer, the brand shall not be used until the New Mexico Livestock Board has recorded the transfer. Once the transfer is recorded, the new owner will receive a certificate of brand in the form of a wallet card.

Brands may not be transferred online. A notarized brand transfer form and related documents must be brought into our office or mailed to our office. Click Here to print a brand transfer form to begin the process.

Follow the link below and click on the map where you need the inspection. You will be given a list of inspectors and their phone numbers.

Anyone desiring to move or transport livestock from one district to another, or beyond the limits of this state, except as provided in Section 77-9-42, NMSA 1978 and in 21 NMAC 32.2.11, must first notify the inspector in their district (see Employee Directory) within a reasonable period of time of the intention to move the livestock. The inspector shall set a time and location for inspection of such livestock and, upon inspection, shall issue the necessary certificate for livestock movement.

Effective September 15, 2010, the following are the inspection charges for services of the New Mexico Livestock Board, pursuant to 21 NMAC 32.10.1-8:

Service Charge for Form 1 one-way movement field inspections and Form 2 hide inspections

1 head and up is $10.00 per certificate/per species in addition to fees below for each species:
*Cattle & Bison $ 0.50 per head
*Equine $ 0.50 per head
*Hides $ 0.50 per hide
*Sheep & Goat $ 0.16 per head
*Pelts $ 0.12 per head

1-H (permanent equine hauling card)
$35.00 ($ 25.00 permit + $ 10.00 service chg)

1-HA (annual equine permit hauling card with two transfers of ownership)
$25.00 ($ 15 permit + $ 10.00 service charge)
*expires annually

The following abbreviations are used for listing the locations of brands on livestock:

L - refers to the left side of the animal.
R - refers to the right side of the animal.

H: Hip J: Jaw N: Neck R: Rib S: Shoulder

C: Cattle H: Horses S: Sheep

Examples of Combinations:

LHC - Left hip Cattle RHC - Right hip cattle
RSH - Right shoulder horses LRC - Left rib cattle
LSHC - Left shoulder hip cattle LHH - Left hip horses

It is unlawful for a person to use a brand on livestock in New Mexico without first recording the brand with the New Mexico Livestock Board. A brand registration certificate confers on the person to whom it is issued the right to use the recorded brand on an animal at a given location (left hip, right hip, left rib, etc.) until the registration expires, is transferred, or is forfeited. New Mexico Recorded Brands may be used statewide.

A brand may be registered by filing an application for approval with the New Mexico Livestock Board at 2105 Osuna Rd NE Building South, Albuquerque, NM 87113-3203. The brand recording fee is $100.00 and must accompany the application. The fee is subject to change. The payment of the fee for recording a brand confers on the owner of the brand the right to use it until the end of the re-record period in which the brand is recorded.

BRAND RECORDING AND TRANSFERS

Brand registrations are recorded in three-year cycles. Renewals are processed between July 1 and October 31 of renewal years. The years 2020, 2023, 2026, etc., are renewal years. By New Mexico State Statute, brands not renewed by October 31 are recorded as expired. It is unlawful to ship livestock displaying an expired brand.

Brands may be registered for 3, 6, 9, or 12 years at a time. Each three-year period requires a $100 registration fee.

Ownership of a brand is a property right and may be sold and transferred. The fee for the transfer of a brand is currently $100. For transfers that are performed from July through October of a renewal year, the transfer fee is waived.

In the event of a registration transfer, the brand shall not be used until the New Mexico Livestock Board has recorded the transfer. Once the transfer is recorded, the new owner will receive a certificate of brand ownership in the form of a wallet card.

Each character or symbol that forms a part of a brand has a distinct name. Click the link below to see examples and explanations of brands that might help you read a brand.