New Mexico No Chase Law
Statewide conditions
Does New Mexico have a no-chase law? Partly — New Mexico sets statewide conditions on police pursuits, but it is not a blanket "no-chase" jurisdiction.
What governs pursuits in New Mexico
NMSA 1978 §§ 29-20-1 to 29-20-4 (Law Enforcement Safe Pursuit Act)
New Mexico's Law Enforcement Safe Pursuit Act directly restricts pursuits: under §29-20-4(C), an officer may initiate a high-speed pursuit only when the suspect poses a clear and immediate threat of death or serious injury (or comparable ongoing threat), and must not initiate or continue a pursuit when the danger it creates exceeds the danger of letting the suspect remain at large. It also requires every agency to adopt a written pursuit policy. Compliance with the Act is not an element of the separate 'aggravated fleeing' offense (a 4th-degree felony).
Will police chase a motorcycle in New Mexico?
No statewide law singles out motorcycles. Whether a motorcycle is pursued depends on the same statutory threat-of-death/serious-injury test and individual agency policy; many departments' policies flag motorcycle pursuits as higher-risk and favor breaking off absent a violent-felony threat.
No US state has a literal law forbidding officers from chasing motorcycles. What riders call a "no-chase law" is nearly always a department policy that tells officers to break off a pursuit when the danger to the public outweighs the arrest — and fleeing remains a crime in New Mexico regardless. See the state-by-state motorcycle guide for how this works everywhere.
Sources
- codes.findlaw.com/nm/chapter-29-law-enforcement/nm-st-sect-29-20-4/
- law.justia.com/codes/new-mexico/chapter-29/article-20/section-29-20-4/
- law.justia.com/codes/new-mexico/chapter-30/article-22/section-30-22-1-1/
Verified as of August 2026. Department policies can change without notice — check the agency's published policy for current break-off criteria.