The United States Fish and Wildlife Service proposed listing the dunes sagebrush lizard as endangered under the Endangered Species Act throughout its range in New Mexico and Texas. The final determination was originally due in July 2011, but was delayed to allow the scientific community to continue research to see if the listing was necessary. In June 2012 the Fish and Wildlife Service decided not to list it, citing the "unprecedented commitments to voluntary conservation agreements now in place in New Mexico and Texas" that provide for the long-term conservation of the species.