Starting a Business in Las Cruces: Licenses, Registrations & Checklist
A step-by-step plan to open a business in Las Cruces: what to file first, what depends on what, and which permits come before opening day. Change the business details to fit yours.
Permits and registrations specific to Las Cruces, NM
- Renew Las Cruces business registration · City of Las Cruces Business Registrations (city)
- Form the business: New Mexico Secretary of State
- Register for state taxes: New Mexico Taxation and Revenue Department
- Register as an employer: New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions
Startup sequence and prerequisites in Las Cruces
Based on your selections, this plan has 26 steps. What you file first decides what you can do next: later registrations and licenses wait on the ones below.
Do these first
- Maintain a registered agent in New Mexico
- File formation documents with the New Mexico Secretary of State
- Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
Then, once those are done
- Register for unemployment insurance (New Mexico) — after: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
- Register for state income tax withholding (New Mexico) — after: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
- New Mexico CRS (Combined Reporting System) registration (New Mexico) — after: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
- Register for and file New Mexico entity-level taxes — after: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
- City/county business registration — Las Cruces, Doña Ana County, New Mexico — after: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
- Obtain food service establishment / health permit — after: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
- Ensure certified food protection manager on staff — after: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
- Obtain certificate of occupancy for premises in Las Cruces — after: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
- Report new hires to the New Mexico new hire directory — after: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
- Carry workers' compensation insurance (New Mexico) — after: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
- Display required federal labor law posters — after: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
- Complete Form I-9 for each new hire — after: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
- Display required New Mexico workplace notices — after: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
- Provide paid sick leave (New Mexico) — after: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
No fee amounts are known for this plan yet.
Total incomplete: some fees unknown
26 of 26 steps have no fee amount in our data. The figures above count only the 0 steps with a recorded fee. Check each agency's fee schedule.
Things the formation documents depend on: a registered agent and any professional approvals.
File the formation documents with the state.
Obtain the EIN (and apply for tax-exempt status, for nonprofits). Most registrations need it.
State tax accounts, trade name, foreign qualification and publication requirements.
Licenses and permits you need before you operate: state, industry, local and professional.
Insurance, employment paperwork, new-hire reporting and workplace notices.
Recurring filings and payments, in the order they fall due.
Common questions about Las Cruces
The state licenses your industry through its own regulator, and the city and county add local permits. These are the authorities and local items on record for Las Cruces:
- Contractor licensing: New Mexico Construction Industries Division
- Real estate licensing: New Mexico Real Estate Commission
- Alcohol licensing: New Mexico Alcohol and Gaming Division
- Child care licensing: New Mexico Early Childhood Education and Care Department
- Health facility licensing: New Mexico Department of Health
- Renew Las Cruces business registration (City of Las Cruces Business Registrations, city)
With your current selections, the licenses and permits are: New Mexico CRS (Combined Reporting System) registration (New Mexico); Obtain food service establishment / health permit; Ensure certified food protection manager on staff; City/county business registration — Las Cruces, Doña Ana County, New Mexico; Obtain certificate of occupancy for premises in Las Cruces. Change the industry above to see yours.
Sources: sos.nm.gov, tax.newmexico.gov, dws.state.nm.us
In your plan for Las Cruces, requirements come from four levels. New Mexico sets formation, state taxes and employer rules; the city and county add local licenses and taxes.
- Federal (8): Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN); File federal income tax return: Form 1040 with Schedule C; Deposit federal payroll taxes; File Form 941 (Employer's Quarterly Federal Tax Return)…
- State (13): Maintain a registered agent in New Mexico; Register for and file New Mexico entity-level taxes; New Mexico CRS (Combined Reporting System) registration (New Mexico); File sales tax returns and remit tax (New Mexico)…
- County (1): Obtain food service establishment / health permit
- City (3): City/county business registration — Las Cruces, Doña Ana County, New Mexico; Obtain certificate of occupancy for premises in Las Cruces; Renew Las Cruces business registration
Sources: sos.nm.gov, tax.newmexico.gov
- Register for unemployment insurance with New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions.
- Workers' compensation: New Mexico Workers' Compensation Administration. Required when: 3 employees
- Register to withhold New Mexico income tax from wages.
- Your plan adds these employer steps: Report new hires to the New Mexico new hire directory; Carry workers' compensation insurance (New Mexico); Display required federal labor law posters; Complete Form I-9 for each new hire; Display required New Mexico workplace notices.
Sources: dws.state.nm.us, dws.nm.gov, tax.newmexico.gov