66-3-1: Vehicles subject to registration; exceptions.

A. With the exception of vehicles identified in Subsection B of this section, every motor vehicle, manufactured home, trailer, semitrailer and pole trailer when driven or moved upon a highway and every off-highway motor vehicle is subject to the registration and certificate of title provisions of the Motor Vehicle Code except:

(1) any such vehicle driven or moved upon a highway in conformance with the provisions of the Motor Vehicle Code relating to manufacturers, dealers, lien-holders or nonresidents;

(2) any such vehicle that is driven or moved upon a highway only for the purpose of crossing the highway from one property to another;

(3) an implement of husbandry that is only incidentally operated or moved upon a highway;

(4) special mobile equipment;

(5) a vehicle that is propelled exclusively by electric power obtained from overhead trolley wires though not operated upon rails;

(6) a freight trailer if it is:

(a) properly registered in another state;

(b) identified by a proper base registration plate that is properly displayed; and

(c) identified by other registration documents that are in the possession of the operator and exhibited at the request of a police officer;

(7) a freight trailer or utility trailer owned and used by:

(a) a nonresident solely for the transportation of farm products purchased by the nonresident from growers or producers of the farm products and transported in the trailer out of the state;

(b) a farmer or a rancher who transports to market only the produce, animals or fowl produced by that farmer or rancher or who transports back to the farm or ranch supplies for use thereon; or

(c) a person who transports animals to and from fairs, rodeos or other places, except racetracks, where the animals are exhibited or otherwise take part in performances, in trailers drawn by a motor vehicle or truck of less than ten thousand pounds gross vehicle weight rating bearing a proper registration plate, but in no case shall the owner of an unregistered trailer described in this paragraph perform such uses for hire;

(8) a moped;

(9) an electric personal assistive mobility device;

(10) a vehicle moved on a highway by a towing service as defined in Section 59A-50-2 NMSA 1978;

(11) an off-highway motor vehicle exempted pursuant to Section 66-3-1005 NMSA 1978; and

(12) an electric-assisted bicycle.

B. A certificate of title required pursuant to Subsection A of this section is not required for a vehicle of a type subject to registration owned by:

(1) the government of the United States; or

(2) a carrier that is from a jurisdiction that is not a participant in the International Fuel Tax Agreement, that is authorized by the United States government or an agency of the United States government to conduct cross-border operations beyond the commercial border zone pursuant to the provisions of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement and that identifies New Mexico as the carrier's base jurisdiction.

C. A person who violates the provisions of this section is guilty of a penalty assessment misdemeanor. A person charged with violating this section shall not be convicted if the person produces, in court, evidence of compliance valid at the time of issuance of the citation.