The New Mexico Environment Department Smoke Management Program (SMP) ensures prescribed burns are carried out safely. Certain prescribed burns must be registered through the Department. The SMP Guidance Document and other resources listed below provide information and tools on when and how to register prescribed burns.

Ventilation Category Waivers

The Air Quality Bureau has issued the following statewide waiver for both pile and broadcast burning. The waiver includes conditions that must be followed for those burns.

Under limited conditions, individual waivers might be granted in cases where the statewide waiver would not allow the goals of the burn to be completed. For individual waiver requests that seek to modify any of the statewide waiver conditions other than 7 and 11, evidence (that may include modeling) will be required to document that the burn will not cause members of the public to be exposed to concentrations above the air quality standards.

See the following information on the statewide waiver or individual waivers.

  • Individual Waiver Checklist describes the information to include in an individual waiver request.
  • NM SMP Daily Waiver Reporting Form (Excel) is used to record and report smoke observations on days when either an individual waiver or Statewide waiver are used.
  • Statewide Ventilation Waiver (updated January 24, 2025) for Broadcast and Pile Burns provides conditions for burning in fair or poor ventilation conditions that have been approved in areas under NMED jurisdiction.
  • BlueSky Playground is an example of a modeling tool that can help predict the air quality impacts of a prescribed burn.

Contact the Smoke Management Program

Email: NMENV.smoke@env.nm.gov

Phone: (505) 476-4330

Toll-Free: (800) 224-7009, ext. 4330 (or ask for Smoke Management)

Fax: (505) 476-4375

Attention: Smoke Management Program

Air Quality Bureau

New Mexico Environment Department

525 Camino de los Marquez, Suite 1

Santa Fe, New Mexico 87505

Air Quality Bureau contacts

Find a list of Air Quality Bureau contacts below:

Air Quality Bureau contacts

Ph: 505-476-4300

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