BY STATE · NEW MEXICO · 49 CFR §40.281
How to Become a DOT SAP in New Mexico
Becoming a DOT Substance Abuse Professional is one uniform federal pathway, set in 49 CFR §40.281 and applied the same way in every state. What is specific to New Mexico is the underlying clinical credential — the license or certification you earn through the boards below to satisfy the §40.281(a) requirement before you complete SAP qualification training and pass the national exam.
TRACK A
Addiction-counselor certification (the DOT counselor path)
This is the path that satisfies the §40.281(a) “drug and alcohol counselor” category, which DOT accepts only through a NAADAC-, IC&RC-, or NBCC-affiliated board. In New Mexico that credential is:
Licensed Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselor (LADAC); Licensed Substance Abuse Associate (LSAA)
IC&RC-affiliated: Yes- Issuing board
- New Mexico Counseling and Therapy Practice Board (Regulation and Licensing Department)
- Education requirement
- Associate through master's degree accepted, with clinical-hour requirements scaling to education level — see the NM Counseling and Therapy Practice Board for current requirements.
- Supervised hours
- Supervised clinical hours scale by degree (higher for lower degrees) — see the NM Counseling and Therapy Practice Board for the current hour tables.
- Required exam
- NAADAC NCAC I exam (IC&RC ADC accepted as equivalent).
- Also accepted
- LADAC requires passing the NAADAC NCAC I exam; the board also accepts the IC&RC ADC exam as equivalent (NAADAC path is the primary route).
TRACK B
State clinical license
New Mexico also issues a clinical license that qualifies on its own under §40.281(a).
Licensed Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselor (LADAC) — this is a state LICENSE, not a private certification
- Issuing board
- New Mexico Counseling and Therapy Practice Board
OTHER PATHS
Other SAP-eligible boards in New Mexico
You do not have to be an addiction counselor. Any one of these New Mexico boards licenses a profession that satisfies one of the other five §40.281(a) SAP credential categories — physician, social worker, psychologist, employee assistance professional, or marriage and family therapist.
THE FEDERAL REQUIREMENTS
The federal steps are the same in every state
Once you hold a qualifying New Mexico credential above, the rest of the SAP pathway is set by federal rule and does not change by state. See the full federal requirements →
- 1 What credential do you need to become a DOT SAP?
- 2 What knowledge does a SAP need?
- 3 What qualification training and exam are required?
- 4 What continuing education must a SAP maintain?
- 5 What documentation must a SAP keep?
- 6 What does a DOT SAP actually do?
Sources
- https://www.rld.nm.gov/boards-and-commissions/individual-boards-and-commissions/counseling-and-therapy/
- https://www.humanservicesedu.org/new-mexico-substance-abuse-counselor/
Last reviewed: 2026-07-07
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