Cibola County, New Mexico Building Permit Guide

Cibola County has no building department and no zoning ordinance. Every building permit in the county, including in Grants and Milan, is issued by the state Construction Industries Division (CID). In the non-municipal parts of the county the application first needs a signature from the county’s Planning and Rural Addressing Department (505-285-2555), which checks the site plan against the flood maps and, where the site is in a flood hazard area, requires a $25 Floodplain Development Permit. Grants and Milan each require their own zoning approval first.

What needs a permit or sign-off in Cibola County?

The construction permit itself is a state permit. What the county adds is a short list of its own approvals, most of them tied to where the building sits rather than how it is built.

In the flood ordinance, “development” means any man-made change: buildings and other structures, mining, dredging, filling, grading, paving, excavation, drilling, and the storage of equipment or materials. The county says only a small part of its area is in the mapped flood hazard zone.

Who issues building permits, town by town

The county’s own FAQ answers it in one line: all building permits are issued from the New Mexico Construction Industries Division. The Planning department works in the non-municipal, non-Tribal parts of the county, and the two incorporated places add a zoning step of their own.

• Unincorporated Cibola County: CID issues the permit; county Planning signs for planning and floodplain compliance.
• Grants (population 8,933): the City’s Land Use Code states that building permits are issued by CID, to which the City has delegated its Building Official role. The City issues a Zoning Permit first, which it calls a Zoning Compliance Permit and takes through its GovWell portal; the Code Enforcement Official decides it without a hearing. The same office assigns addresses for new homes and businesses in the city and can confirm a property’s floodplain status. Code Enforcement Office, 551 Washington Avenue, 505-287-5646, open Monday to Thursday, 7:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
• Milan (population 2,468): the Village’s zoning ordinance (Ordinance 303, adopted May 21, 2026) defines the building inspector as the CID building inspector, so the construction permit is the State’s. The Village’s application checklist asks for zoning approval from its Code Enforcement Office, a site plan, the legal description, a floodplain determination certificate, the CID permit number and a Utility Turn-On Permit issued by that office and paid for at Village Hall. Zoning fees are set by resolution of the Board of Trustees and kept on file with the Village Clerk. Village Hall, 623 Uranium Avenue, 505-285-6694; Zoning/Code Enforcement Officer, 505-290-4605, Monday to Thursday, 7:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
• Tribal land: outside county and state permitting.

The county signature and other applications

Since January 2020 the county has followed a written procedure, “Signature on Building Permits issued by CID”, because CID enforces a signature requirement for planning and zoning and for floodplain administration on permits in the county. The Planning Coordinator is the point of contact; if the coordinator is away, the Rural Addressor can sign instead, provided the parcel is not in a flood hazard area.

The reviewer looks for two things: a site plan of the proposed building, and whether the site falls in a FEMA special flood hazard area. Outside the flood area the county signs. Inside it, the applicant is handed a Floodplain Development Permit application and the signature is withheld until that permit is complete. The county keeps a scanned copy of each permit and may share it with the Assessor.

Forms the department publishes:

• Floodplain Development Permit application.
• Road Infrastructure Placement Permit.
• Address Request Form.
• Claim of Exemption, Summary Review and Preliminary Plat applications, with the subdivision ordinance and a customer checklist.
• Split/Combine Request and Variance applications.

Fees

The county’s written procedure sets no charge for the signature itself. Its fees are for the floodplain permit and for dividing land; the building permit fee is CID’s.

Grants and Milan publish no figure for their zoning approvals; Milan’s ordinance leaves the amounts to a Board of Trustees resolution.

Electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits

Grants has delegated its Building Official role to CID and Milan’s ordinance treats the CID inspector as its building inspector, so there is no local trade programme anywhere in the county. Electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits are state permits, applied for in the same CID portal as the building permit.

Milan’s checklist also asks for the Manufactured Housing Division number when a manufactured home is being set, alongside the CID permit number.

Documents to prepare

How to get a permit in Cibola County

Inspections

CID inspects the construction and the trades in the county, Grants and Milan alike; requests go through its inspection request page with the permit number.

The county inspects for one thing only, flood compliance. Its procedure reserves the right to visit a building site when the proposed structure is within 100 feet of a special flood hazard area, and a development in the flood area cannot be used or occupied until the county issues a Certificate of Compliance.

Local Cibola County rules

No zoning, but an environment ordinance: Ordinance 2020-01, the Comprehensive Environment and Safety Ordinance, regulates outdoor lighting, water conservation, illegal tire dumping, waste and litter, and dangerous and abandoned buildings. The county warns that its water conservation section may affect CID building permits.

“Non-residential” on a tax notice: the county says this is only the Assessor’s label for land with no house on it and does not stop you building one.

Flood maps: the effective Flood Insurance Rate Map is dated December 17, 2010, and Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance 10-02 took effect on November 10, 2010. The county’s form says a floodplain permit expires if work has not started within 6 months of issue, and also that all work must be completed within 180 days of approval. New or substantially improved buildings must have the lowest floor at or above the base flood elevation, or at least 2 feet above the highest adjacent grade in AO zones.

Lot size: the subdivision ordinance sets a 1-acre minimum unless the lots are on community water and community liquid waste systems; smaller lots that pre-date the ordinance need written Environment Department approval when they come in under a claim of exemption.

Splitting or combining parcels: all taxes must be paid in advance, parcels to be combined must touch and be in the same ownership and tax area, and the change takes effect on January 1 of the following year.

Wells and septic: the county keeps no well records and refers owners to the Office of the State Engineer. Liquid waste permits come from the New Mexico Environment Department; its Milan field office is at 708 Uranium Avenue (505-209-4042).

New Mexico building code

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

Official resources for Cibola County

These are the primary sources behind this guide. Codes, fee schedules and procedures change — confirm the position for your filing date.

• Cibola County Planning and Rural Addressing
• Cibola County Planning FAQs
• Cibola County Floodplain Administration
• Cibola County procedure: signature on building permits issued by CID (PDF)
• Cibola County planning documents and forms
• Cibola County planning and zoning information
• New Mexico CID: apply for a permit
• New Mexico CID frequently asked questions
• New Mexico CID inspection requests
• City of Grants permits (Zoning Compliance Permits)
• Village of Milan Code Enforcement / Planning and Zoning
• New Mexico Environment Department liquid waste field offices

Frequently asked questions — Cibola County

Who issues building permits in Cibola County?

The New Mexico Construction Industries Division. The county states that it does not issue construction permits, and Grants’s Land Use Code says the same of permits inside the city.

Do I need a county permit to build on my land?

Not a building permit. You need the county Planning signature on the state application, and a $25 Floodplain Development Permit if the site is in a special flood hazard area.

Does Cibola County have zoning?

No. The county has no zoning ordinance; Grants and Milan have their own zoning inside their limits.

Who issues septic permits in Cibola County?

The New Mexico Environment Department, through its Milan field office at 708 Uranium Avenue, 505-209-4042.

Who do I call at the county?

The Planning Coordinator on 505-285-2555, or the Rural Addressor and Floodplain Manager on 505-285-2515. The office closes for lunch from noon to 1:00 p.m.

What do I need in Grants or Milan?

In Grants, a Zoning Compliance Permit from the City through its GovWell portal, then the CID permit. In Milan, zoning approval from the Village Code Enforcement Office, the CID permit and a Utility Turn-On Permit. Neither issues the building permit itself.

Simplify Cibola County permitting with Alliance Permitting

Alliance Permitting is a permit documentation and submission company in New Mexico. We prepare your paperwork, file it correctly and coordinate with the permitting authority through issuance. We are not a contractor and we do not perform licensed plan review or inspections; that work stays with your licensed team and the jurisdiction.

This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Cibola County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.