Clovis, New Mexico Building Permit Guide

Clovis is a full local building jurisdiction. Its Department of Building Safety at 1221 Mitchell Street does the permitting, plan review and inspection for all building, electrical, plumbing and mechanical work in the city and in a 5-mile extraterritorial area, and it also serves Portales and Texico. Apply through the City’s online permitting portal or email the application and drawings; fees come from two valuation tables, and inspections need 24 hours’ notice.

What requires a building permit in Clovis?

Building Safety’s own answer is that a permit is needed to construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move, demolish or change the occupancy of any commercial or residential building or structure, and that the Building Official decides on other projects and repairs.

Clovis adopted the 2021 International Residential Code but swapped its list of exempt work for the International Building Code’s list, and removed the fence exemption from that list. The City also left out the residential code’s automatic fire sprinkler section (R313).

Who handles permits in and around Clovis?

The Department of Building Safety describes itself as a fully integrated building services department: permitting, inspections, code compliance and zoning sit in one office, led by Building Safety Director Pete Wilt. Its jurisdiction covers the City of Clovis and a 5-mile extraterritorial area, plus the City of Portales with a 3-mile extraterritorial area, and Texico. Portales asks its applicants to call on its own Planning Department first, because there may be initial paperwork to complete there before the Clovis permit.

That reach matters for rural sites. Curry County’s 2024 comprehensive plan records the same split: Clovis has a 1-mile radius for planning and platting and a 5-mile radius for permitting. A project on county land inside the 5 miles files its building and trade permits with Clovis Building Safety rather than with the State.

Online permitting and who may apply

Clovis takes permit applications in its online permitting portal. The City’s account guide walks through it: register (an account is mandatory to track applications, invoices and inspections), choose Apply, open the All tab to see every permit application, pick the one that fits and submit it. Staff contact you if more information or payment is needed. The invoice can be paid online or at the Building Safety office, and once it is paid the permit is issued and appears in the portal.

The department also accepts complete applications and drawings by email, and the counter at 1221 Mitchell Street will help work out which permit a project needs.

Who can take out the permit depends on the job:

• Commercial construction: a contractor holding a New Mexico state licence and a City of Clovis Business License.
• Residential construction: either a licensed contractor with both of those credentials, or a homeowner who owns and occupies the single-family residence.
• Electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits: licensed contractors only, again with the state licence and the City business licence.

Clovis permit fees

The city code leaves fees to the City Commission, which sets them from time to time, and requires the approved fees to be published and available from Building Safety. The department’s published sheet, Permit Fees Calculation, has two tables. Type I applies to residential permits pulled by a licensed contractor. Type II applies to homeowner permits, sign permits and commercial construction. For each valuation band the sheet gives a base amount and a rate per $1,000 of valuation.

These fees apply inside the city and in its planning and platting jurisdiction. The Zoning Department publishes a separate Zoning Fees sheet for rezonings, plats and variances.

Electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits

All three trades are permitted and inspected by Building Safety, not by the State, anywhere in its jurisdiction. Only licensed contractors can take them out. By ordinance Clovis has adopted the 2020 National Electrical Code, the 2021 International Mechanical Code and the 2021 International Plumbing Code, together with the International Fuel Gas Code.

The Director of Building Safety enforces the building, residential, mechanical, plumbing, electrical, fuel gas, energy and existing building codes. The Fire Code is the exception: primary enforcement belongs to the Fire Chief or a designee.

What to have ready

Building Safety asks for a complete application and all drawings, either uploaded in the portal or emailed. The online form collects your contact details and the address of the work, and the licence rules above mean a contractor application needs the state licence and the City of Clovis Business License on file.

• For a site that may flood, the city code requires a development permit from the floodplain administrator before work starts in a flood hazard area.
• For a manufactured or mobile home, the placement permit application identifies the home and its location and shows it meets the City’s placement standards; flood certificates are added where the lot is in the flood plain zone.
• For a rezoning, plat or variance, start with the Zoning Department, which is part of Building Safety and works from the Unified Development Ordinance.

How to apply for a Clovis permit

Inspections in Clovis

Each major phase of a project has to be inspected to confirm the work matches the code, the permit and the approved plans. The company doing the work is the one required to request each inspection. Allow 24 hours’ notice. Most inspections are scheduled through Building Safety administration on 575-769-7829, and a portal account also lets you request and track them online.

Work done without a permit, or outside its terms, can be stopped by the inspector; an oral stop order is followed by a written one within 24 hours. Fines under the city code start at $100 to $300 for a first offence, and each day counts as a separate offence.

Clovis rules that catch people out

Fences: every fence needs a permit. On an interior lot a fence between the street line and the building line is limited to 24 inches, or 48 inches if it is woven wire or another design that is at least 80% open.

Mobile and manufactured homes: the person or company that moves the home to the lot must get the placement permit before the home is set or connected to utilities. A first conviction for placing a home without the permit carries a fine of up to $250.

Flood hazard: the City Manager is the floodplain administrator under the code, and the City’s Certified Floodplain Manager is reached through the Planning & Zoning office.

Signs and the right-of-way: Clovis generally treats the right-of-way as starting at the back of the curb and running, in some places, 10 feet or more into the property. Temporary signs belong at least 5 feet behind the curb or pavement edge.

Metropolitan Redevelopment Areas: the City Commission designated two redevelopment areas in November 2019, and Building Safety links the plan for them from its permit page.

Ownership records: the City sends property ownership questions to the Curry County Assessor on 575-763-6581.

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 Clovis permitting resources

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

• Clovis Department of Building Safety
• Clovis Permitting & Inspections
• Clovis Online Permitting portal
• Clovis Permit Fees Calculation (PDF)
• How to create a Clovis online permit account (PDF)
• Clovis Building Safety FAQs
• Clovis Zoning Department
• Clovis flood hazard information
• Clovis City Code, Title 15: buildings and construction
• New Mexico Construction Industries Division

Clovis building permit FAQs

Does Clovis issue its own building permits?

Yes. The City’s Department of Building Safety permits and inspects building, electrical, plumbing and mechanical work in Clovis and within 5 miles of it, and also serves Portales and Texico.

How much is a building permit in Clovis?

Fees follow valuation. For a contractor-built home (Type I) the published table runs from $28 plus $5.60 per $1,000 at the low end to $398 plus $2.24 per $1,000 between $100,001 and $500,000. Homeowner, sign and commercial permits use the higher Type II table.

Can a homeowner pull a permit in Clovis?

For residential construction, yes, if the applicant owns and occupies the single-family home. Electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits go only to licensed contractors.

Do I need a permit for a fence in Clovis?

Yes. The city code requires a permit to build or alter any fence, and it limits front-yard fences to 24 inches, or 48 inches for open designs.

What work does not need a permit?

Cosmetic alterations such as paint, trim, floors and tile. The code also exempts detached sheds up to 120 sq ft.

How do I schedule an inspection?

Call Building Safety on 575-769-7829 or use the online portal, and give 24 hours’ notice.

I am building outside the city limits. Who do I call?

If the site is within 5 miles of Clovis, call Building Safety. Curry County’s comprehensive plan confirms the City’s 5-mile permitting radius.

Simplify Clovis 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 Clovis permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.