A. No person shall, with fraudulent intent, deface, remove, cover, destroy or alter the manufacturer's serial number, engine number, decal or other distinguishing number or identification mark or number placed under assignment of the motor vehicle division of the taxation and revenue department of a vehicle required to be registered under the Motor Vehicle Code [Chapter 66, Articles 1 to 8 NMSA 1978] or any vehicle, motor vehicle or motor vehicle engine or component as defined by the Motor Vehicle Code for which a dismantler's notification form has been processed through the division, nor shall any person place or stamp any serial, engine, decal or other number or mark upon the vehicle except one assigned by the division. Any violation of this section is a fourth degree felony.

B. This section shall not prohibit the restoration by an owner of an original serial, engine, decal or other number or mark when the restoration is made under permit issued by the division nor prevent any manufacturer from placing, in the ordinary course of business, numbers, decals or marks upon vehicles or parts thereof.

History: 1953 Comp., § 64-3-508, enacted by Laws 1978, ch. 35, § 95; § 66-3-508 NMSA 1978 recompiled and amended as § 30-16D-6 by Laws 2009, ch. 253, § 6 and Laws 2009, ch. 261, § 6.

Recompilations. — Laws 2009, ch. 253, § 6 and Laws 2009, ch. 261, § 6 recompiled and amended former 66-3-508 NMSA 1978, relating to altering or changing engine or other numbers, as 30-16D-6 NMSA 1978, effective July 1, 2009.

The 2009 amendment, effective July 1, 2009, in Subsection A, added "number" and "decal"; changed "division" to "motor vehicle division of the taxation and revenue department"; after "vehicle engine", added "or component as defined by the Motor Vehicle Code"; in the last sentence, changed "provision is a felony" to "section is a fourth degree felony"; and in Subsection B, added "decals".

Laws 2009, ch. 253, § 6 enacted identical amendments to this section. The section was set out as amended by Laws 2009, ch. 261, § 6. See 12-1-8 NMSA 1978.