3.6.7.17

DESCRIPTION OF PROPERTY FOR PROPERTY TAXATION PURPOSES

1. A. DESCRIPTION SUFFICIENTLY ADEQUATE AND ACCURATE TO IDENTIFY REAL PROPERTY - IMPROVEMENTS MUST BE DE­SCRIBED: A description sufficiently adequate and accurate to identify real property is a description such that, if the description were included in a deed, title would pass and which identifies it sufficiently to permit it to be located on the ground and its boundaries determined.
2. B. UNIFORM SYSTEM OF REAL PROPERTY DESCRIPTION TO BE USED BY THE DEPARTMENT AND ALL COUNTY ASSESSORS: The department and all county assessors shall substantially comply with the current “New Mexico mapping manual” prepared by the division pursuant to Section 7-35-4 NMSA 1978. The system described in that manual replaces the “unit tax system” and any other system now in use in any county for the description, indexing or identification of real property. The director may permit, however, a reasonable time for replacement of these other systems. The department may insure substantial compliance with this subsection by installation of the required system by the department pursuant to Section 7-38-10 NMSA 1978.
3. C. REAL PROPERTY DESCRIPTIONS RECORDED WITH THE COUNTY CLERK: Legal descriptions or plats of real property filed pursuant to Section 14-8-16 NMSA 1978, for record in the office of the county clerk, certified as correct by a professional engineer or land surveyor licensed in the state and delivered to the county assessor are, in the case of legal descriptions, adequate descriptions for property taxation purposes, and in the case of plats, adequate documents for reference in descriptions for property taxation purposes.
4. D. MAPS PREPARED BY THE STATE ENGINEER PURSUANT TO THE LAND SURVEY ACT OF 1969: Where the state engineer has prepared maps containing a legal description of tracts of land surveyed pursuant to the Land Survey Act of 1969 and assigned each such tract a number, such lands for taxation shall be described by reference to the tract number and map number that designate the land and the date the map was filed and placed on record in the office of the county clerk.
5. E. DESCRIPTIONS BY REFERENCE TO RECORDED INSTRUMENTS: Descriptions by reference to instruments fully recorded with the county clerk and containing a description of the property sufficiently adequate and accurate to identify it, unless otherwise ordered by the secretary, are adequate descriptions for property taxation purposes when the instruments meet the conditions of this subsection. The instrument containing any such description by reference must show the time and place of filing or recordation of the instrument containing the description referred to, or other similar information, so that the instrument containing the description referred to can be located and identified.
6. F. DESCRIPTION BY CO-ORDINATES: Descriptions pursuant to the New Mexico coordinate system established by Sections 47-1-49 through 47-1-56 NMSA 1978 are adequate descriptions for property taxation purposes, provided they are otherwise adequate pursuant to Section 3.6.7.17 NMAC. In the event, however, there is a conflict in a legal description where state plane co-ordinates are used to describe any tract of land which in the same document is also described by reference to any subdivision, line or corner of the United States public land surveys, the description based on the public land survey will prevail.
7. G. SUBDIVISION DESCRIPTIONS BY NUMBER AND PLAT DESIGNATION: Description of parcels by number and plat designation are valid for the purpose of taxation for subdivisions approved pursuant to the New Mexico Subdivision Act (Sections 47-6-1 NMSA 1978 et seq.) provided they are otherwise adequate pursuant to these regulations.
8. H. EFFECT OF SUBSECTION B OF SECTION 7-38-9 NMSA 1978: The effect of Subsection B of Section 7-38-9 NMSA 1978 is to validate assessments, records and instruments maintained or issued by tax officers prior to the effective date of the Property Tax Code. This provision in no way authorizes the use of past practices of description, mapping or coding after January 1, 1975. However, certain subsections of this section do authorize the use of past practices of description and coding but only to the extent and subject to the conditions stated in those subsections.

9. I. GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS:

   (1) A “geographic information system” consists of three parts:

   (a) a digitized map or set of maps for the county in a format conforming to standards set by the department, with smart points, lines and areas;

   (b) a computerized database or databases containing required valuation information for each property in the county; and

   (c) a set of rules relating the map features to each other and to the property valuation database or databases such that every parcel mapped is identified with a property in the database.

   (2) Every county shall have a digitized set of maps for the county in place by June 2002. Every such set shall meet the specifications and standards set by the department for such sets. The department shall review each set to ensure conformance with requirements of this subsection and directives of the director.

   (3) Beginning in 2002, every county shall transmit to the department in accordance with instructions of the department but at least annually a copy of the county’s digitized county maps and property database. Such copies shall be retained by the department as back-up for the county system until replaced by a subsequent copy.

   [3/23/83, 12/29/94, 8/31/96, 2/14/00; 3.6.7.17 NMAC - Rn & A, 3 NMAC 6.7.17, 4/30/01]