New Mexico Concrete Contractor License Requirements (2026)

New Mexico licenses this specialty through the Construction Industries Division (CID) as GS-4, Concrete, cement, walkways and driveways. The classification covers mixing, pouring, placing, and finishing concrete, including excavation, form work, and reinforcement placement. It also covers curbs, gutters, sidewalks, and driveway culverts on private property. The rule expressly excludes performing that work in public rights-of-way; a contractor should obtain a CID classification determination before bidding work that may fall outside GS-4.

Who Issues the New Mexico Concrete Contractor License?

New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department — Construction Industries Division (CID) issues and enforces the New Mexico concrete contractor license under NMSA 1978 Chapter 60 Article 13 (Construction Industries Licensing Act); NMAC Title 14 Chapter 6. CID licenses construction contractors and tradespeople statewide through its General Construction Bureau, Electrical Bureau, and Mechanical Bureau, enforces adopted building, electrical, plumbing, and mechanical codes, and conducts inspections and disciplinary proceedings.

Official portal: New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department — Construction Industries Division
Address: 2550 Cerrillos Road, Santa Fe, NM 87505
Phone: (505) 476-4700

New Mexico Concrete Contractor License Eligibility Requirements

Applicants must be at least 18 years old. Applicants must provide a Social Security Number. The reviewed CID rule and application do not state a general New Mexico-residency condition. CID licenses qualified business entities that employ or are owned by a qualifying party certified for the requested classification; the company must provide the required New Mexico tax registration and, when applicable, Secretary of State registration.

Good moral character

The CID application requires disclosures about prior licensing, scope, judgments, complaints, discipline, and disqualifying felonies. CID may hold or deny an application on the grounds stated in its rules and application instructions.

Background investigation

The reviewed CID/PSI materials require application disclosures but do not establish a universal fingerprint-background-check requirement for GS-4.

How Much Experience Do You Need for a New Mexico Concrete Contractor License?

Two years of practical concrete-trade experience, including one year at foreman level, for the GS-4 scope. CID says required experience must be within the 10 years immediately before application. Keep payroll, tax, project, or supervisor records for every period you claim; CID can ask for them when it reviews the application.

Accepted proof of experience or eligibility

Qualifying Party Certificate Application submitted to PSI
General Building Work Verification Form / work-experience affidavit completed by each person attesting to the experience

Education substitution

CID may credit qualifying technical training at one-half year of experience for each year of training, but training may not exceed one-half of the applicable work-experience requirement.

New Mexico Concrete Contractor Exam Requirements

Testing provider or authority: PSI for New Mexico CID. The following examination requirements cover the pathways described in this guide; follow each part's classification, waiver, and local-scope conditions. Unpublished format details do not remove an examination requirement:

New Mexico Business and Law Examination (or an approved Business and Law course) — 50 questions, 130 minutes, passing score 75%
GS-4 Concrete, Cement, Walkways, and Driveways trade examination — 60 questions, 150 minutes, passing score 75%

Examination fee: $68.88 for each of the Business and Law and GS-4 trade exams ($137.76 if taking both examinations).

Retake policy: CID/PSI preapproval is required. A candidate must test within six months after eligibility; for GS-4, no more than two attempts may occur in 30 days, and after two failures in that period the candidate must wait 30 days from the first attempt. Passing scores are valid for one year.

New Mexico Concrete Contractor Insurance and Bond Requirements

CID requires a $10,000 license surety bond, on its prescribed form, before it issues the New Mexico concrete contractor license.

General liability

The reviewed CID contractor materials do not state a universal GS-4 general-liability minimum. A project owner, contract, permit authority, or other program may impose separate coverage requirements.

Workers' compensation

Workers’ compensation coverage is required for CID licensees; the CID application notes that a sole proprietor with no employees may be exempt from workers’ compensation insurance requirements.

Additional financial requirements

The reviewed CID application requires a $10,000 code bond and specified entity, tax-registration, qualifying-party, and examination documents; it does not state a GS-4 financial-statement or bid-limit requirement.

How Much Does a New Mexico Concrete Contractor License Cost?

Fee	Amount
Application	$66
Examination	$137.76
Initial license	$156
Renewal (every 3 years)	$186

To turn these board fees into a realistic year-one budget — bond premium, liability insurance, and exam prep included — open the cost calculator preloaded for New Mexico concrete contractor.

New Mexico Concrete Contractor License Renewal and Continuing Education

The New Mexico concrete contractor license renews every 3 years. The renewal fee is $186. Licenses expire every three years on the last day of the month of issue. Renewal materials require the applicable fee, notarized renewal form with qualifying-party signatures, and a new bond or continuation certificate that covers the complete three-year renewal term. No GS-4 continuing-education requirement was identified in the reviewed contractor renewal materials.

Does New Mexico Accept Out-of-State Concrete Contractor Licenses?

New Mexico does not accept the NASCLA Accredited Examination for the New Mexico concrete contractor license.

Reciprocal State	Accepted Exam	Conditions
No formal bilateral reciprocity agreements identified.

The reviewed CID rule, application materials, and PSI bulletin do not identify a reciprocal GS-4 concrete credential. Obtain written CID/PSI guidance before relying on an out-of-state license or examination.

Weighing more than one jurisdiction? The national hub compares published Concrete Contractor license requirements by state — exam, bond, fee, and experience thresholds side by side.

How to Get a New Mexico Concrete Contractor License, Step by Step

Match the work to a CID classification. Use GS-4 only for its stated scope. Its private-property limitation excludes the listed concrete work in public rights-of-way; request a classification determination if the job is unclear.
Establish the qualifying party’s experience. Document two years of practical GS-4 trade experience, including one year at foreman level, through the PSI/CID work-verification process.
Obtain PSI/CID examination approval. Submit the Qualifying Party Certificate Application and experience affidavits to PSI. CID or its designee reviews the experience before testing can be scheduled.
Complete the Business and Law requirement and GS-4 exam. Pass both PSI examinations or complete an approved Business and Law course, as CID permits, then retain the score documentation.
Prepare the business-license packet. Submit the contractor application, qualifying-party documentation, $10,000 code bond, current New Mexico tax registration, entity registration when applicable, and fees to PSI.
Maintain the three-year license. Renew before expiration with the required renewal form, signatures, fee, and a new bond or continuation certificate covering the entire renewal term.

Application Checklist

Have each of these ready before you file with CID:

Confirm the proposed work fits the GS-4 scope and private-property limitation
Complete the qualifying-party application and work-experience affidavits
Obtain CID/PSI approval to schedule examinations
Complete the Business and Law requirement and pass the GS-4 trade examination
Obtain a $10,000 New Mexico contractor code bond for the full license term
Collect the current New Mexico tax-registration certificate and entity-registration documents when applicable
Submit the signed, notarized contractor application and required fees to PSI
Renew before expiration with an uninterrupted bond and current application information

Common Filing Mistakes

These are the problems most likely to delay or derail a New Mexico Concrete Contractor application, drawn from the instructions of CID and the other sources cited on this page.

Treating GS-4 as authority for public-right-of-way work

GS-4 includes certain concrete items only when installed on private property and says it may not perform that work in public rights-of-way.

Scheduling before experience approval

CID/PSI requires qualifying-party experience approval before an applicant can schedule the examination.

Missing the foreman-level portion of the experience requirement

GS-4 requires one of its two practical-experience years at foreman level; have each verifier describe the work accurately.

Submitting an incomplete business packet

CID/PSI lists the bond, tax registration, qualifying-party documentation, applicable scores or course certificate, and entity documents where applicable. Incomplete packets are returned.

Allowing the bond or renewal to lapse

The bond must cover the complete initial or renewal term. A missed renewal suspends the license, and a license not renewed within 90 days is cancelled.

Study and Reference Materials

These references are cited in the New Mexico sources for this guide or commonly used to prepare for concrete work; CLR receives no compensation for listing them.

New Mexico Contractor Candidate Information Bulletin — PSI for New Mexico CID. Use the current bulletin for the GS-4 outline, approved references, open-book rules, fees, and testing procedures.
14.6.6 NMAC — Classifications and Scopes — New Mexico State Records Center and Archives. Review the GS-4 scope before accepting work, particularly the public-right-of-way exclusion.
CID application and qualifying-party forms — PSI / New Mexico CID. Use current forms and instructions for the experience affidavit, application documents, bond, and renewal packet.

Concrete Contractor Pay and Employment in New Mexico

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that 1,540 cement masons and concrete finishers work in New Mexico, earning a median of $49,230 a year ($23.67 an hour). That is 14% below the national median of $57,020, ranking 40th of 51 jurisdictions BLS published. The lowest-paid 10% earn under $39,350 and the top 10% earn over $70,260. The trade is more concentrated in New Mexico's workforce than nationally (location quotient 1.33), so competition for jobs and for experienced hires tends to be higher.

Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers wages, New Mexico compared with the United States, May 2025
Measure	New Mexico	United States
Median annual wage	$49,230	$57,020
Median hourly wage	$23.67	$27.41
10th–90th percentile	$39,350–$70,260	$39,190–$85,480
Employment	1,540	206,170

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, occupation 47-2051 (Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers). Figures cover wage and salary employees and exclude self-employed owners.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does New Mexico have a dedicated concrete contractor classification?

Yes. CID lists GS-4, Concrete, cement, walkways and driveways, as a general-construction specialty classification.

What work does GS-4 authorize?

GS-4 covers mixing, pouring, placing, and finishing concrete, including excavation, form work, and reinforcement placement. It includes specified curbs, gutters, sidewalks, and driveway culverts on private property.

Can a GS-4 contractor perform concrete work in a public right-of-way?

No. The GS-4 scope says the classification may not perform that work in public rights-of-way. CID’s classification-determination process is the appropriate route when a project boundary or scope is uncertain.

How much GS-4 experience does the qualifying party need?

The classification requires two years of practical trade experience, one year at foreman level. CID’s application guidance says the required experience must be within the 10 years immediately before application.

How often does a New Mexico contractor license renew?

A contractor license expires every three years on the last day of the month in which it was issued. The renewal packet must include the required signatures, fee, and bond continuation or new bond for the entire renewal term.

Primary Sources

Regulatory requirements on this page are drawn from the official board, statute, and exam-provider materials listed below.

Verified 2026-09-08 · Next scheduled review 2026-12-07

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Concrete Contractor Licensing in Neighboring States

Contractors working near a state line, or weighing where to qualify first, should compare New Mexico's requirements against the bordering jurisdictions before committing to an application:

Arizona Concrete Contractor License Requirements — Arizona Concrete Contractor License — Arizona Registrar of Contractors (C-9 / R-9 / CR-9)
Colorado Concrete Contractor License Requirements — Colorado Concrete Contractor — No Standalone State Concrete License
Oklahoma Concrete Contractor License Requirements — Oklahoma Concrete Contractor — Local Licensing Framework
Texas Concrete Contractor License Requirements — Texas Concrete Contractor — Local Licensing Framework
Utah Concrete Contractor License Requirements — Utah S260 Asphalt & Concrete Contractor — Division of Professional Licensing

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Other New Mexico Trade Licenses

CLR also publishes these New Mexico licensing guides for other trades: