Bernalillo County's Planning and Development Services Department, on the second floor of the county’s Alvarado Square building at 415 Silver Avenue South West (505-314-0350, Monday to Friday 8:00 am to 4:30 pm), permits and inspects construction in the unincorporated county — everything outside Albuquerque, Los Ranchos and Tijeras. The county is the most populous in New Mexico, and its unincorporated territory divides into three quite different places: the South Valley along the Rio Grande, the East Mountains on the far side of the Sandias, and the North Valley villages.
Those areas differ in almost every respect that matters to a building. The South Valley carries acequia easements, high groundwater and a large stock of older informal construction; the East Mountains bring slope, wildland fire exposure, well and septic dependence and snow load at altitude; the North Valley sits in the floodplain with its own irrigation network. The code is the same throughout — the state's, adopted by the Construction Industries Division — but almost nothing else is.
This guide covers unincorporated Bernalillo County. The City of Albuquerque, the Village of Los Ranchos de Albuquerque, the Village of Tijeras and the Village of Corrales in Sandoval County permit their own construction; Isleta Pueblo land is outside county jurisdiction entirely.
One county, three building environments. Unincorporated Bernalillo County covers the South Valley with its acequias and high groundwater, the East Mountains with slope, wildfire exposure, wells, septic systems and snow load, and the North Valley in the floodplain. The state code applies identically across all three; the site conditions do not, and they decide most of what a project actually costs.
What requires a building permit in Bernalillo County?
In Bernalillo County the practical questions are which authority issues the permit, whether local amendments apply, and the county's zoning and its varied unincorporated terrain.
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- Construction, alteration, relocation, enlargement, replacement, repair, change of occupancy or demolition in unincorporated territory
- Zoning and platting approval from the county ahead of the building permit
- Well and on-site liquid waste approval where the parcel is unserved, which is most of the East Mountains
- New buildings, additions and structural work, under the commercial or residential code as applicable
- Alteration, relocation, enlargement, replacement and repair of a building or structure
- Any change of use or occupancy, which brings the existing building code into the analysis
Often exempt
- Minor repairs, and the small items the state permit rule (14.5.2 NMAC) lists as exempt
- Minor repairs, such as replacing a lamp or fixing a faucet
- Swings and other playground equipment at a house
- Small accessory structures below the threshold — zoning and any local amendment still apply
Local building departments and what they change
Bernalillo County's layer is therefore its status, any amendments it has adopted, its zoning and platting, its fee schedule, and the three very different building environments the county's unincorporated territory contains.
New Mexico adopts its building codes statewide; a city or county with its own certified building official issues its own permits, and elsewhere the state Construction Industries Division does. New Mexico rules
Who handles permitting in Bernalillo County?
Planning and Development Services is the permitting authority for unincorporated Bernalillo County, administering the state code alongside the county's zoning and platting. The City of Albuquerque and the villages permit their own, the Construction Industries Division licenses contractors statewide, and Isleta Pueblo land is outside county jurisdiction.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Department | Bernalillo County Planning and Development Services |
| Office | Bernalillo County @ Alvarado Square, 415 Silver Avenue South West, second floor, Albuquerque, NM 87102 |
| Phone | (505) 314-0350 · inspections 505-314-0351 · Monday to Friday, 8:00 am to 4:30 pm |
| Scope | Unincorporated Bernalillo County |
| Codes | State codes at 14.7 NMAC, 2021 I-codes as amended |
| Contractor licensing | Construction Industries Division, statewide |
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
Get a free quote →In 2025, building permits issued in unincorporated Bernalillo County authorized 143 new privately owned housing units, all of them single-family homes, according to the U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey.
Permit types
Residential permits
A house in unincorporated Bernalillo County is permitted by the county against the New Mexico Residential Building Code as amended, with zoning cleared first. In the East Mountains that usually means a well and an on-site liquid waste system, a defensible-space assessment for wildfire exposure and a snow load appropriate to the altitude; in the South Valley it means the acequia and groundwater questions instead.
Commercial permits
Commercial work in unincorporated Bernalillo County clears the county's zoning and site development, then plan review against the New Mexico Commercial Building Code, with the county carrying both. The South Valley's industrial corridors and the East Mountains' small commercial centres present very different fire access and water supply positions.
Which authority issues the permit
In unincorporated Bernalillo County the Rio Grande floodplain and acequia network govern the valleys, the East Mountains bring slope, wildland fire exposure and altitude snow loads, and Isleta Pueblo land is outside county jurisdiction.
New Mexico licenses contractors at state level through the Construction Industries Division, in classifications tied to a qualifying party. New Mexico rules
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Fees follow the county's schedule for unincorporated territory, with well and liquid waste approvals charged separately and contractor licensing charged by the state.
| Item | Fee or rule |
|---|---|
| Building permit | The county's fee schedule, for unincorporated territory |
| Zoning and platting | County approval ahead of the permit |
| Well and liquid waste | Separate approvals where the parcel is unserved |
| Trade permits | Electrical, mechanical and plumbing/gas permits issued by the county, applied for online through Accela Citizen Access by state-licensed contractors |
| Contractor licence | Issued by the Construction Industries Division, valid statewide |
| City permits | Albuquerque and the villages issue their own |
The East Mountains are a different build. A house in the East Mountains typically needs a well, an on-site liquid waste system, defensible space for wildfire exposure and a snow load set by altitude — none of which a South Valley project faces. The two sit in the same county under the same code, and their construction budgets are not comparable.
Rather not deal with the Bernalillo County building department?
Get a free quote →Trade permits and who may pull them
Permit required
- Unserved parcels — well and on-site liquid waste approvals alongside the building permit
- Electrical — state-licensed electrical contractor; separate permit and inspection
- Mechanical — state-licensed mechanical contractor; separate permit, covering heating, cooling and refrigeration
- Plumbing — state-licensed plumbing contractor; separate permit under the New Mexico Plumbing Code. Natural gas piping needs a gas-fitting licence and follows the New Mexico Mechanical Code
- Liquefied petroleum gas work, which the division regulates separately
Typically exempt
- Building, plumbing or electrical work a homeowner does on their own primary residence under a homeowner permit; heating, cooling and gas work need a licensed contractor
Electrical, mechanical and plumbing work is permitted separately and done by contractors holding the matching state licence. New Mexico rules
How to apply for a Bernalillo County building permit
A city or county with its own certified building official issues its own permits; elsewhere the Construction Industries Division does it directly.
Zoning and platting are always handled by the city or county, not by the division.
A city or county with its own building department may adopt local rules stricter than the state codes, which are the minimum.
The division licenses contractors statewide in the classification matching the work.
The commercial code, the residential code or the existing building code, depending on the building and the work.
Footing to final with the authority that issued the permit, then the certificate of occupancy.
Review, corrections and what actually causes delay
Bernalillo County reviews unincorporated work against the state code. What delays a file here is an East Mountains house designed without the well, waste and fire questions settled, and a parcel assumed to be inside Albuquerque or one of the villages.
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Get a free quote →Inspections in Bernalillo County
Inspections follow the adopted codes' sequence — footing, foundation, framing, rough trades, insulation and final — and are requested from whichever authority issued the permit, with the trades inspected on their own permits. Work that passes final receives a certificate of occupancy for new buildings and changes of occupancy. Bernalillo County inspects the work it permits in the adopted codes' sequence, with the trades inspected on their own permits; inside Albuquerque and the villages, inspection is theirs.
Bernalillo County permit search and official resources
- Bernalillo County Planning and Development Services — the department, its zoning and its permitting
- New Mexico Construction Industries Division — the statewide codes and contractor licensing
- 14.7.3 NMAC — New Mexico Residential Building Code — the 2021 International Residential Code as amended by the state
- New Mexico Construction Industries Division — the statewide codes, contractor licensing and the division's own permitting
- 14.7.2 NMAC — New Mexico Commercial Building Code — the 2021 International Building Code as amended by the state
- 14.7.3 NMAC — New Mexico Residential Building Code — the 2021 International Residential Code as amended by the state
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →Frequently asked questions
Does the county permit inside Albuquerque?
No. Albuquerque is its own local enforcement agency; the county permits unincorporated territory and the villages permit their own.
What is different about the East Mountains?
Slope, wildland fire exposure, well and septic dependence and altitude snow loads — a materially different build from a valley project under the same code.
Do I need a well and septic approval?
On unserved parcels, yes — which is most of the East Mountains. Both are separate approvals alongside the building permit.
What are acequias?
Traditional irrigation ditches crossing many valley parcels, carrying easements and access rights that constrain siting.
Which code applies?
The state code adopted by the Construction Industries Division, on the 2021 International Codes as amended.
Is pueblo land inside county jurisdiction?
No. Isleta Pueblo land is outside county permitting jurisdiction entirely.
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Bernalillo County covers three building environments under one code. We identify which one the parcel is in before anything is designed for it.
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More New Mexico permitting guides
More New Mexico permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Bernalillo County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.