New Mexico city camera notices: Albuquerque ASE and Santa Fe STOP speed cameras

This page covers two New Mexico city speed camera programs. Each runs under its own city’s ordinance:

The two programs have different amounts, deadlines, and hearing steps. Read which city and program your mailed notice names. This page does not describe any other New Mexico city’s or county’s camera program, any red-light camera program, or a state-run camera program. Confirm what your paper says.

An officer-handed New Mexico speeding citation is a different track. See What a New Mexico speeding ticket is.

US overview: What a mailed camera notice is. Contrast: What an NYC camera notice is · Three different California camera notices · Florida Notice of Violation vs Uniform Traffic Citation · Maryland school-zone speed monitoring vs SafeZones work-zone cameras · Colorado automated camera notices: CDOT Speed Enforcement vs local AVIS · Washington automated camera notices: local programs vs WSDOT work-zone cameras · Virginia automated camera notices: photo-speed, red light, and school-bus cameras · Tennessee automated camera notices: unmanned ASE, school-zone / S-curve speed, and school-bus cameras · Pennsylvania automated camera notices: red light, work-zone speed, Philadelphia speed, and school-bus cameras · Illinois automated camera notices: red light, Chicago safety-zone speed, school-bus stop-arm, and railroad-crossing cameras, plus state work-zone speed camera citations.

What NMSA 1978 § 3-18-17 says

NMSA § 3-18-17 (NMOneSource, official compilation of Chapter 3, retrieved 28 Oct 2026; the section’s history line ends “2023, ch. 192, § 1.”) states that a municipality, “including a home rule municipality that has adopted a charter pursuant to Article 10, Section 6 of the constitution of New Mexico, may by ordinance:” (A) “define a nuisance, abate a nuisance and impose penalties upon a person who creates or allows a nuisance to exist; provided that:” (1) “the total amount of assessed penalties and fines imposed by an ordinance for failure to obey a traffic sign or signal, including a red light offense or violation, or for a speeding offense or violation shall not exceed one hundred dollars ($100)”. That is the statute’s statement. Its words are “shall not exceed”. The amounts further down this page are each city’s own text.

The section then sets separate rules for two groups of municipalities. Paragraph (3) applies “in a municipality with a population of two hundred thousand or greater as of the last federal decennial census”. Paragraph (4) applies “in a municipality other than a municipality with a population of two hundred thousand or greater as of the last federal decennial census”. Each paragraph refers to a hearing officer “appointed by the presiding judge of the civil division of the district court with jurisdiction over the municipality” and to a “mail-in form alternative”; paragraph (4) adds “If offered by the municipality”. Each paragraph also states: “The notice of violation shall clearly explain the process for requesting a hearing, the hearing options, the deadline to request a hearing and where the request shall be submitted.” That is the statute’s statement. Read the hearing instructions printed on your notice.

Albuquerque: Automated Speed Enforcement (ASE)

The City of Albuquerque states that ASE citations “are issued by the City under the State’s Home Rule Authority” (cabq.gov ASE page, retrieved 28 Oct 2026). Its ASE FAQ states: “An Automated Speed Enforcement fine notice is a civil violation.” The city’s posted ASE regulation (cabq.gov PDF, signed in March 2022) identifies the ordinance as ROA 1994, Sections 7-15-1 to -5. This page did not retrieve the text of the Albuquerque ordinance itself. The statements below come from the city’s web pages and its sample fine notice.

The city’s sample fine notice (cabq.gov PDF, retrieved 28 Oct 2026) states: “Your vehicle was photographed speeding, in violation of § 7-15-3 and § 8-1-2-6, ROA (1994), NMSA 1978 § 66-7-301 and NMSA 1978 § 66-7-104 of the New Mexico State Motor Vehicle Code.” It also states: “The civil penalty is $100.00” and “You have thirty days from issuance of this notice to pay the fine, request a hearing, submit an owner’s affidavit or request community service.” Those are the city’s statements. This page does not list other amounts a notice may show. Read the amount due and the due date printed on your notice.

On the driving record, the sample notice states: “PAYMENT OF THE PENALTY AMOUNT FOR THE VIOLATION WILL NOT RESULT IN POINTS ADDED TO YOUR DRIVING RECORD.” The city’s ASE page states: “Automated speed enforcement citations do not affect your license or driving record.” It also states: “Vehicles with two or more unpaid ASE citations in default are subject to Parking Enforcement on City of Albuquerque streets and city-owned parking structures.” Those are the city’s statements about its own program.

On hearings, the city’s ASE page states: “Hearings are managed by the City of Albuquerque’s Independent Hearing Office and must be requested in a timely manner.” The ASE FAQ states: “The hearing officers are appointed by the presiding judge of the civil division of the district court”. That is the city’s statement.

A mailed Albuquerque ASE notice is not the same paper as an officer’s state penalty assessment notice. This page does not apply the state penalty assessment amounts or the MVD points schedule to an Albuquerque ASE notice.

Santa Fe: Santa Fe Traffic Operations Program (STOP)

Santa Fe Ordinance No. 2025-22 (santafenm.gov PDF, retrieved 28 Oct 2026) amends Section 24-4 SFCC 1987. It states: “PASSED, APPROVED, and ADOPTED this 12th day of November, 2025.” Section 24-4.1: “Section 24-4 SFCC 1987 shall be referred to as the Santa Fe Traffic Operations Program or "STOP"”. Section 24-4.2(D) declares that the section is a nuisance abatement section “enacted pursuant to the city’s authority under state law and that the remedies are purely civil and not criminal in nature.” The ordinance text is quoted as posted when retrieved. This page does not state when Santa Fe began mailing STOP fine notifications. Read the dates printed on your notice.

Section 24-4.5(A) keeps officer enforcement separate: “if a police officer personally and contemporaneously observes a traffic violation, the police officer may stop the vehicle and issue a citation under state law or the city of Santa Fe Traffic Code in the usual manner.” Section 24-4.5(B): “If the STOP administrator determines that a violation has occurred, the STOP administrator shall cause a STOP fine notification to be delivered to the registered owner.” That is the ordinance’s statement.

Section 24-4.5(D): “Within thirty-five (35) days from the effective date, the registered owner shall respond to the STOP fine notification in one of three ways: 1) pay the fine, 2) appeal the fine and request a hearing, or 3) file an owner’s affidavit making a nomination.” Section 24-4.3 defines the term: “Effective date means the date a STOP fine notification is mailed to the recipient as indicated on the face of the STOP fine notification.” It defines the hearing officer as “the city hearing officer, as appointed by the presiding judge of the civil division of the district court, pursuant to Section 3-18-17(A)(4)(e) NMSA 1978.” That is the ordinance’s statement. Read the effective date and the response due date printed on your notice.

Section 24-4.5(H) states: “Except as set forth in paragraph (3) below, the following fines are prescribed for all violations, including those imposed by the hearing officer.” Paragraph (3) concerns service to the city in place of payment. For speeding, paragraph (1) prints:

Item in SFCC 24-4.5(H)(1), as amended by Ord. No. 2025-22Fine printed
(a) “For each violation that is not within two years of a prior violation, the fines for speeding are as follows:” (i) “More than five (5) miles per hour over the speed limit in school and construction zones”$100
(a)(ii) “More than ten (10) miles per hour over the speed limit in all other locations”$50
(b) “For violations within two (2) years of the preceding violation, a fine for speeding more than ten (10) miles per hour over the speed limit is one hundred dollars ($100).”$100

Section 24-4.3 defines a school zone: “School zone means a posted "safety zone" as that term is defined under NMSA 1978 66-1-4.16 (2001) as amended from time to time.” That is the ordinance’s statement. This page lists the speeding fines printed in Section 24-4.5(H)(1). It does not list other amounts a notice may show, and it does not compute a total. The ordinance text does not mention points or the driving record. This page does not state whether a Santa Fe STOP fine affects a driving record. Confirm the amount printed on your notice.

The same ordinance also provides for vehicle noise cameras. Noise violations are outside this page.

Paths the notices describe (not which to choose)

The Albuquerque sample notice lists paying the fine, requesting a hearing, submitting an owner’s affidavit, or requesting community service. Santa Fe Section 24-4.5(D) lists paying the fine, appealing and requesting a hearing, or filing an owner’s affidavit making a nomination. We do not tell you whether to pay, request a hearing, or take any other step.

Violation.com does not collect New Mexico city fines. If you upload a camera notice, we summarize what the notice shows. It is not legal advice.

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Sources retrieved 28 Oct 2026:

Not legal advice. Not a law firm. Not affiliated with a government agency. Information Only.

Information on this page was last checked against official sources on November 3, 2026.