N.M. Code R. § 18.19.3.10 – Inspectors of Vehicle Identification Numbers and Safety Equipment

A. The purpose of 18.19.3.10 NMAC is to expedite the process of registering and titling motor vehicles by authorizing certain individuals (other than division employees) to perform the inspections of vehicle identification numbers and safety equipment required under Sections 66-3-8 and 66-3-801 through 887 NMSA 1978. To protect the public, certain conditions must be met by any individual desiring to become an inspector.
B. An “authorized inspector” is an individual, other than an officer or employee of the division, to whom the director has delegated, under the provisions of 18.19.3.10 NMAC, the authority to conduct specified inspections of vehicles.
C. For the purposes of Sections 66-3-8 and 66-3-801 through 887 NMSA 1978, the division will accept an inspection of vehicle identification numbers and safety equipment performed by an authorized inspector as if the inspection had been performed by one of its own officers or employees as long as the inspection was performed in accordance with the Motor Vehicle Code and the regulations thereunder and the policies of the division.
D. The director may appoint any individual to be an authorized inspector if that individual has met the requirements of 18.19.3.10 NMAC. Appointments may be made for specified periods of time. The director may terminate the appointment of any individual as an authorized inspector at any time, without prior notice or explanation.
E. Any individual desiring to become an authorized inspector must:
(1) be eighteen years of age or older;
(2) not have been convicted of a felony;
(3) demonstrate to the division's satisfaction that he or she has completed satisfactorily training in:
(a) conducting inspections of the standard vehicle identification number provided by the manufacturers and
(b) inspecting vehicles which have been assembled or re-assembled to verify that such vehicles have the safety equipment set forth in Sections 66-3-801 through 66-3-887 and 66-7-401 through 66-7-416 NMSA 1978 or as set forth by federal law or regulation; and
(4) post, in accordance with the Bond Surety Act (Sections 10-2-13 through 10-2-16 NMSA 1978), a bond in the amount of $30,000 which indemnifies and protects the division against any and all liability in the event that any person is injured or suffers property damage as a result of the actions of the individual in the performance of the duties delegated through 18.19.3.10 NMAC.
F. An individual appointed as an inspector is authorized only to inspect vehicles on behalf of the division for vehicle identification numbers and for verification of safety equipment required by Sections 66-3-801 through 66-3-887 and 66-7-401 through 66-7-416 NMSA 1978 or by federal law or regulation. The authorized inspector may not permit any other individual to perform in the name of the authorized inspector any of the duties delegated under the appointment.
[4/7/89, 7/19/94, 10/31/96; 18.19.3.10 NMAC - Rn & A, 18 NMAC 19.3.10, 9/14/00]