N.M. Code R. § 18.21.3.18 – Erection and Maintenance

A. Erect and maintain informational signs: The department or when applicable the program manager shall furnish, erect and maintain traveler informational panels at locations specified by the department or when applicable the program manager, or it may agree or contract with any city, county, or other governmental agency of this state, or with an independent contractor, to erect and maintain such panels at specified locations. In the event the department chooses to use an independent contractor for program management, the department may allow the contractor to fully administer the program, including marketing, issuing permits and collecting fees as well as providing, erecting informational panels, installing business signs and maintaining all logo informational sign panels. Compensation to the contractor may consist of the fees generated by the program. All existing sign panels as well as all sign panels provided and installed by the contractor will remain the property of the department and the state of New Mexico.
B. Erect and maintain business signs: The department or when applicable the program manager shall perform all required installation, maintenance, and removal and replacement of all business signs upon specific information panels within the right-of-way or as stated in Subsection A of 18.21.3.18 NMAC.
C. Business sign damage and new signs: The department or when applicable the program manager shall not be responsible for damages to business signs caused by acts of vandalism or natural causes requiring repair or replacement of business signs. Permittees in such event shall provide a new or renovated business sign together with payment of the appropriate service charge to the department or when applicable the program manager to replace such damaged business signs. A service fee for each mainline and/or each ramp supplement and/or each trailblazer business sign shall be assessed in accordance with the current, approved LOGO fee schedule.
D. Business sign approval actions: Promptly upon the approval of applications for business signs to be affixed to traveler informational panels, the department or when applicable the program manager shall notify the party with which it has contracted, so that the panels may be erected. The department or when applicable the program manager shall furnish the party with which it has contracted with all necessary information in order to permit the department or when applicable the program manager to erect the panels.
E. Furnishing business signs: The department or when applicable the program manager shall notify businesses to which applications have been approved sufficiently in advance of the date the panels will be erected, or business signs will be affixed to them, to permit such businesses to furnish the necessary number and detail of their business signs to allow when applicable the program manager to fabricate and install the business signs. If the department or when applicable the program manager is notified that a motorist service business has failed to timely furnish detailed information of its business signs, or that the signs furnished are not in compliance with these requirements and, if the department or when applicable the program manager finds that the permittee has not shown due diligence, it may cancel the permit and forfeit the permit fee.
[9/30/98; 18.21.3.18 NMAC - Rn & A, 18 NMAC 21.3.18, 1/14/2005]