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New Mexico

Mini trucks in Chaves County, New Mexico

Kei trucks in New Mexico earn their keep on farms, ranches and private land.

Road use unclearPrivate land onlyAbout 900 road miles from the Port of Los Angeles
Check your stateState rules

Chaves CountyNew Mexico

CurryDe BacaEddyGuadalupeTorrance

Can I own one here

Owning one in Chaves County.

On your own land, yes

Owning a kei truck and working it on a ranch, a farm, a mine or private property does not depend on a road title. Some states still ask for a title or an off road registration.

A 25 year truck on the road

Road use unclear. New Mexico has no kei truck law. The MVD's written procedure for a vehicle built for sale abroad asks for conformity to federal safety and emission standards and a NHTSA bond release letter, and it has no lane for a vehicle imported at 25 years under the federal age exemption.

A newer governed truck

Private land only. The two statutory OHV definitions disagree on a governed work truck, so no OHV title path is settled.

Owning oneState rules

Roads and towns

Roads and towns in Chaves County.

Roads open. Chaves County opens its county roads to OHVs with a licensed and insured driver and Roswell opens its paved streets to side by sides, while state highways stay crossing only.

In town Some

  • Open Roswell. Paved streets owned and controlled by the city are open to recreational or utility off-highway vehicles that meet the state ROV definition. Walking trails and city parks are closed. Roswell Code 24-11 to 24-15, Ordinance No. 17-15, 11 January 2018, read 28 October 2026
  • Open Dexter. Riding an ATV on any street or alley in town or on a state highway is unlawful, and Lake Van property is closed. A side by side UTV with registration, insurance, head, tail and brake lights, seat belts and child restraints is exempt from that ban. Read on a one page town sheet with no adoption record. Town of Dexter ATV Ordinance 2019, section 8-1-1-A, read in the copy the department hosts, read 28 October 2026
  • To confirm Hagerman. No online code or OHV act was found for the town in this pass, so whether it opens a street is not known.
  • To confirm Lake Arthur. No online code or OHV act was found for the town in this pass, so whether it opens a street is not known.

County roads Open

Any road or street owned or controlled by the county, paved or gravel, but not inside a municipality unless the municipality has opened its own streets. 45 mph or the posted limit on paved county roads, a reasonable speed no higher than 45 mph on gravel or dirt. Ordinance No. O-099, adopted 21 May 2018, effective 21 June 2018, read 28 October 2026

State highways Closed

Closed to OHVs.

Getting one here

From Japan to Chaves County.

The nearest ports with a sailing from Japan on record

  • The Port of Los Angeles, about 900 road miles.
  • The Port of Oakland, about 1,200 road miles.
  • The Port of Tacoma, The Northwest Seaport Alliance South Harbor, about 1,600 road miles.

How to import a mini truck, step by step.

A newer off road truck never lands in California. It comes in through Tacoma or by way of Houston.

Trucks travel in containers, one to a 20 foot box with room for parts or three to a 40 foot box.

Road miles are an estimate, the straight line times 1.2.

The ground

Chaves County, counted.

Chaves County grows 4,472 acres of orchards and vineyards. 7 active surface mines and quarries work Chaves County's ground. Farms in Chaves County hold 41,880 acres of woodland.

485farmsUSDA National Agricultural Statistics Serviceread 28 October 2026216cattle operationsUSDA National Agricultural Statistics Serviceread 28 October 20262,309,179acres of land in farmsUSDA National Agricultural Statistics Serviceread 28 October 20264,472acres of orchards, vineyards includedUSDA National Agricultural Statistics Serviceread 28 October 2026182operations with horsesUSDA National Agricultural Statistics Serviceread 28 October 202641,880acres of woodland on farmsUSDA National Agricultural Statistics Serviceread 28 October 20267active surface mines and quarriesMine Safety and Health Administrationread 28 October 20269.1inches of snow a year, the station meanNOAA National Centers for Environmental Informationread 28 October 202625percent of people outside urban areasUS Census Bureauread 28 October 202665,157people in 2020US Census Bureauread 28 October 2026

Importing a kei truck

The essentials, in short.

A truck under 25 can come in only as governed off road equipment, and only if its engine family held an EPA nonroad certificate for that model year. No kei engine family was certified for mini trucks before model year 2010, so a truck built after 31 October 2001 and before model year 2010 has no federal door until its 25th birthday.

Two lanes

A road truck must be 25 years old by its own build date. A newer truck comes in only as governed off road equipment with a certified engine.

The 25 percent duty

Every kei truck pays the 25 percent truck duty at the port, whatever its age.

The paperwork

The customs entry and the two federal declarations, DOT Form HS-7 and EPA Form 3520-1, travel with the truck to your title office.

The title

Keep every stamped paper with the truck. Your state title office asks to see them.

Contact

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