The City of Ruidoso Downs
The official website for the City of Ruidoso Downs, NM
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the official website for the

City of Ruidoso Downs

Small city affordability and quality of life in Southern New Mexico. 

Located in Lincoln County, New Mexico, the City of Ruidoso Downs works hard to serve its residents. Whether you’re a business, resident, or visitor, we're committed to making Ruidoso Downs a vibrant place to live, work and play.

With plans for ongoing and future public works projects, new businesses opening and relocating to our city, exciting live and simulcast horse racing at the world-famous Ruidoso Downs Racetrack, and intriguing exhibits and programs at our Smithsonian affiliated Hubbard Museum Of The American West, the City of Ruidoso Downs offers an affordable, small-city lifestyle for both your personal and professional life.

Get involved, stay in touch, or use the contact button at the bottom of each page to let us know how we can help.

Featured News & Events.

News & Information
New Job Opportunities
New Job Opportunities

New employment opportunities are now available at the City of Ruidoso Downs. Click here to view current job openings. We are posting new positions as they become available.

Gross Receipts Tax
Gross Receipts Tax

If you are engaged in business in New Mexico, you must file a New Mexico tax return and pay gross receipts tax (GRT) for the privilege of doing business in New Mexico. The current Gross Receipts Tax Rate in effect for the City of Ruidoso Downs is 7.4375%. 

Hubbard Museum of the American West
Hubbard Museum of the American West

The Hubbard Museum of the American West (formerly the Museum of the Horse) is a Smithsonian affiliate with collections that showcase items from the three cultures that contributed so greatly to the settling of the American West—Anglo, Native, and Hispanic. 

Get to Know Us

Departments

City departments provide essential public services including law enforcement and fire protection, public works, planning and zoning, and City parks.

Browse City Departments >>

Government

The City of Ruidoso Downs has a mayor/council form of government with a four member city council. The Mayor and Council serve four-year terms and meet twice a month.

Meet City officials >>

business

Labor, energy, state and local taxes, and real estate expenses in Ruidoso Downs are below the U.S. average, making it an especially affordable area to establish a business. 

Learn more >>

faq

How to apply for building permits, register a new business, file a request for public information, submit a concern, or pay your utility bill?

Get the answers to frequently asked questions >>  

 
 
 
“The care of human life and happiness, not their destruction, is the first and only object of good government.”
— Thomas Jefferson