A plain-language breakdown of the Cardiac Arrest Response Act (NMSA 24-10C), the 2025 school AED mandate under HB54, HB256 (2026), and the related statutes governing AED programs, schools, and coaches in New Mexico.
New Mexico operates one of the more structured public AED frameworks in the country. Under the Cardiac Arrest Response Act, NMSA 24-10C, any entity that acquires an AED must register the program with the Department of Health, designate a trained targeted responder to oversee the program, ensure all responders are trained in CPR and AED use through a department-approved course, maintain and test the device per manufacturer guidelines, coordinate with local EMS and 911 agencies, and report every clinical use of the AED to the department within 20 days. Physician medical direction is required as a structural component of a registered AED program.
Good Samaritan immunity under NMSA 24-10C-7 covers program participants when they have acted with reasonable care and in compliance with the Act. Separate protection is extended to untrained Good Samaritans — defined as persons without AED training who access a publicly available AED — provided they act without willful, wanton, or reckless behavior and without compensation.
New Mexico had never mandated AED placement in specific locations beyond the school context — until 2025. HB54, signed into law in 2025, requires every high school to install an AED by the start of the 2026-2027 school year, and every elementary and middle school to comply by 2027-2028, alongside a formal cardiac emergency response plan. A 2026 follow-on bill, HB256, extends that requirement to school athletic events specifically.
Not legal advice. This page summarizes publicly available statutes for informational purposes. Laws change and individual circumstances vary — consult a qualified attorney or the New Mexico Department of Health before relying on this for compliance decisions.
Every high school in New Mexico must install an AED and adopt a cardiac emergency response plan (HB54, 2025).
All elementary schools, middle schools, and charter schools must also comply with the AED and response plan mandate (HB54, 2025).
Each school’s cardiac emergency response plan must include a specific protocol for cardiac arrest during athletic events and practices (HB256, 2026).
AED programs must register with the Department of Health. Initial registration: $75 for four years. Renewal: $50 every four years.
New Mexico AED Requirements at a Glance
| Requirement | Summary |
|---|---|
| Good Samaritan Law (program participants) | Civil immunity for trained targeted responders, trainers, acquirers, property owners, and installation supervisors who have acted with reasonable care and in compliance with the Cardiac Arrest Response Act. |
| Good Samaritan Law (untrained bystanders) | Separate civil immunity for any person without AED training who accesses a public AED, provided they act without willful, wanton, or reckless behavior and without compensation. |
| AED Program Registration | Every AED program must be registered with the New Mexico Department of Health. Initial registration covers four years and costs $75; renewal is $50 every four years. |
| Trained Targeted Responder | A designated person must oversee all aspects of the AED program, including training, EMS coordination, protocol approval, quality assurance, and incident reporting. |
| Physician Medical Direction | An AED program must operate under the supervision of a physician medical director. |
| CPR/AED Training | All trained targeted responders must complete a department-approved initial course and recertify every two years. |
| EMS and 911 Notification | Local EMS agencies and emergency dispatch centers must be notified of the AED program’s existence, location, and operational scope before the program launches. |
| Device Maintenance | AEDs must be maintained per manufacturer guidelines, with monthly inspections by trained targeted responders. |
| Post-Use Reporting | Every clinical use of an AED must be reported to the Department of Health within 20 calendar days. |
| School AED Placement New — 2025 | High schools must install AEDs by the 2026-2027 school year. All other schools must comply by 2027-2028. Each school must develop a cardiac emergency response plan. |
| Athletic Events New — 2026 | School cardiac emergency response plans must include a response protocol specifically for athletic events (HB256, effective May 20, 2026). |
| Student CPR/AED Training | Health education courses in grades 9 through 12 must include hands-on CPR and AED instruction. Students entering 8th grade from 2012-2013 onward must complete this as a graduation requirement. |
| Athletic Coach Certification | All coaches of athletic sports in grades 7 through 12 at public schools must maintain current CPR certification including hands-on AED training. |
| AED Device Type | Programs must use semi-automated devices by default. Fully automated devices require a waiver from the Emergency Medical Systems Bureau. |
New Mexico AED Statutes & Regulations
NMSA 24-10C-4
Protection of public safety — program requirements
Core program obligations: designation, training, registration, EMS notification, maintenance
▾
Any person who acquires an AED must designate a trained targeted responder to oversee the program, including training oversight, EMS coordination, protocol approval, AED deployment strategy, quality assurance, and case review after each use. All trained targeted responders must be trained through a department-approved course. The device must be maintained and tested per manufacturer guidelines.
EMS must be activated immediately after any use. The program must be registered with the Department of Health. Local EMS and 911 agencies must be notified of the program before it launches.
NMSA 24-10C-7
Limited liability protections — Good Samaritan immunity
Two separate categories of protection: program participants and untrained bystanders
▾
Program participants — including trained targeted responders, CPR and AED trainers, device acquirers and distributors, property owners and operators, and installation supervisors — are protected from civil liability when they have acted with reasonable care and in compliance with the Act.
NMSA 24-10C-2
Findings and purpose
Legislative findings behind the Cardiac Arrest Response Act
▾
The legislature found that more than 350,000 Americans die annually from out-of-hospital sudden cardiac arrest, and that early defibrillation could prevent more than 20,000 of those deaths per year. The Cardiac Arrest Response Act exists to encourage greater acquisition, deployment, and use of AEDs across New Mexico communities.
NMSA 24-10C-3
Definitions
Key defined terms including AED, AED program, and Good Samaritan
▾
Defines an AED as an FDA-approved medical device capable of recognizing ventricular fibrillation or rapid ventricular tachycardia, determining whether defibrillation is needed, and delivering an electrical impulse upon activation.
Defines an AED program as a program of trained targeted responders registered with the department and operating under physician supervision.
NMSA 24-10C-5
Authority
Acquisition conditions and rights of licensed health professionals
▾
A person may acquire an AED only after meeting all requirements under NMSA 24-10C-4. The Act does not limit the rights of licensed health professionals to use AEDs within their authorized scope of practice.
NMSA 24-10C-6
Exemption
Physician prescription exception to program registration requirements
▾
Physicians, physician assistants, advanced practice registered nurses, and certified nurse-midwives may prescribe an AED for individual patient use outside of a registered AED program. Use under physician prescription does not require functioning within an approved program.
HB54 (2025)
AEDs in every school (new — 2025)
Staggered deadlines: high schools 2026-2027, all other schools 2027-2028
▾
Signed into law in 2025, HB54 amended the Emergency Medication in Schools Act. Once a school acquires an AED under HB54, the full requirements of the Cardiac Arrest Response Act apply to that program, including registration, physician medical direction, trained targeted responder designation, monthly inspections, and post-use reporting.
HB256 (2026)
Defibrillators at school athletic events (new — effective May 20, 2026)
Adds athletic event response protocol requirement to school cardiac emergency response plans
▾
HB256 builds on HB54 by closing a gap that would have left athletic events — one of the higher-risk settings for sudden cardiac arrest — outside the scope of the school response plan requirement.
NMSA 22-13-1 & 22-13-1.1
Student CPR/AED training and graduation requirements
Grades 9-12 health education mandate; graduation requirement since 2012-2013
▾
Health education courses in public schools for grades 9 through 12 must include lifesaving skills training following nationally recognized guidelines. That training must cover recognizing the signs of cardiac arrest, using an AED, and performing the Heimlich maneuver for choking. Instruction may be provided by school nurses, health teachers, athletic staff, or qualified volunteer trainers approved by the school district.
NMSA 22-13-31.2 & 6.63.8.8 NMAC
Athletic coach CPR/AED certification requirement
Licensing condition — not a recommendation — for all coaches in grades 7 through 12
▾
All school personnel coaching athletic sports in grades 7 through 12 at public schools must hold valid athletic coaching licenses and maintain current CPR certification that includes in-person, hands-on AED training.
7.27.8 NMAC
Cardiac Arrest Targeted Response Program — administrative regulation
Operationalizes NMSA 24-10C: registration, monthly inspections, reporting, exemptions
▾
This is the administrative regulation that operationalizes the Cardiac Arrest Response Act. It sets out detailed requirements for the supervising trained targeted responder, including overseeing the program, maintaining training records for at least three years, coordinating with local EMS and dispatch agencies, and reporting all AED uses to the department within 20 days.
Trained targeted responders must complete an initial department-approved course and recertify every two years. AED programs must use semi-automated devices by default; fully automated devices require a bureau waiver. Monthly inspections by trained targeted responders are required.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does New Mexico require physician medical direction for AED programs?+
Yes. Under the Cardiac Arrest Response Act, every registered AED program must operate under the supervision of a physician medical director. This is a structural requirement for program registration, not optional oversight.
Who is protected by New Mexico’s AED Good Samaritan law?+
Two groups. Program participants — including trained responders, trainers, acquirers, property owners, and installation supervisors — are protected when they have acted with reasonable care and in compliance with the Act. Separately, untrained Good Samaritans who access a public AED are protected if they act without willful, wanton, or reckless behavior and without compensation. Note that physicians are not specifically enumerated in the liability protection section.
Do New Mexico schools need AEDs?+
Yes, as of 2025. HB54 requires high schools to install AEDs by the 2026-2027 school year and all other schools by 2027-2028, alongside a cardiac emergency response plan. Once a school acquires an AED, it becomes subject to full Cardiac Arrest Response Act requirements including program registration, physician medical direction, and post-use reporting.
How much does AED program registration cost in New Mexico?+
Initial registration is $75 for a four-year period. Renewal costs $50 every four years. Registration is submitted to the Department of Health’s Emergency Medical Systems Bureau. This fee structure is unique to New Mexico — most states do not charge for AED program registration.
What happens after an AED is used in New Mexico?+
The trained targeted responder must submit a defibrillation report to the Department of Health within 20 calendar days. The report must include patient age, gender, location and estimated time of cardiac arrest, whether CPR was initiated, whether the arrest was witnessed, time and number of shocks, patient outcome, and transport details.
Are untrained bystanders protected if they use an AED in New Mexico?+
Yes. The Cardiac Arrest Response Act defines a Good Samaritan as a person without AED training who accesses a public device and provides emergency care. That person is protected from civil liability as long as they act without willful, wanton, or reckless behavior and without compensation.
What does the HB256 athletic events requirement add?+
HB256, effective May 20, 2026, requires each school’s cardiac emergency response plan to specifically address how the school will respond to cardiac arrest during athletic events and practices, including AED access during those events. This builds on HB54’s general school AED mandate by closing the gap for athletic settings, which are among the higher-risk environments for sudden cardiac arrest in school populations.
Do AED programs in New Mexico need to use semi-automated devices?+
Yes, by default. The administrative regulation under 7.27.8 NMAC requires programs to use semi-automated external defibrillators. Fully automated devices may be used only with a waiver from the Emergency Medical Systems Bureau.
Keep your New Mexico AED program audit-ready
New Mexico’s registration, reporting, and monthly inspection requirements mean program documentation is not optional. AED Log handles inspection records, expiration tracking, and audit-ready reporting across every device.
Statutes cited from Justia US Law and the New Mexico State Records Center and Archives. This page reflects HB54 (2025) and HB256 (2026).
This page is for informational purposes only and is not legal advice. For guidance specific to your situation, consult a qualified attorney or the New Mexico Department of Health.