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
- City/county business registration — Las Cruces, Doña Ana County, New Mexico · City or county: Las Cruces / Doña Ana County (city)
- Obtain certificate of occupancy for premises in Las Cruces · Las Cruces (Doña Ana County) building department (city)
- 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 9 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 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 certificate of occupancy for premises in Las Cruces — after: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
No fee amounts are known for this plan yet.
Total incomplete: some fees unknown
9 of 9 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.
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
- City/county business registration — Las Cruces, Doña Ana County, New Mexico (City or county: Las Cruces / Doña Ana County, city)
- Obtain certificate of occupancy for premises in Las Cruces (Las Cruces (Doña Ana County) building department, city)
- Renew Las Cruces business registration (City of Las Cruces Business Registrations, city)
With your current selections, the licenses and permits are: 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
Formation comes first; tax, license and employer registrations wait on it. In your plan the first steps are:
- Maintain a registered agent in New Mexico
- File formation documents with the New Mexico Secretary of State
- Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
Sources: sos.nm.gov, tax.newmexico.gov
No fee amounts are recorded for your plan yet.
Steps without a recorded fee are not counted, so check each agency's fee schedule before you budget.
Sources: sos.nm.gov, tax.newmexico.gov
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 (2): Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN); File federal income tax return: Form 1040 with Schedule C
- State (3): Maintain a registered agent in New Mexico; Register for and file New Mexico entity-level taxes; File the annual unclaimed property holder report (New Mexico)
- 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.
Sources: dws.state.nm.us, dws.nm.gov, tax.newmexico.gov