Farmington, New Mexico Building Permit Guide

Building, plumbing, mechanical and electrical work in Farmington is permitted by the City’s own Building Inspection Division, part of Community Development. There is no online permitting: applications, hard-copy plans and payment are all handled at the counter on the 2nd floor of the Annex Building, 805 Municipal Drive. A building permit is valid for 2 years, and inspections are booked by phone for the next business day in most cases.

Does your Farmington project need a permit?

The City answers this with two lists on its “Do I need a Construction Permit?” page. The required list is long, and it says permits apply to “all phases” of the work named.

A driveway may also need a Street Cut Permit. Homeowners cannot replace the curb, gutter or sidewalk in front of their house without one, and the street cut application needs sign-off from 3 divisions: Planning, Water and Wastewater, and Building Inspection.

Who issues permits in Farmington?

The Building Inspection Division sits in the Community Development Department, whose director is Derrick Childers. It has its own electrical inspector and plumbing and mechanical inspector, and it gathers review comments from the other City departments and divisions that look at each set of plans.

The City states that its permits are required within the City of Farmington. For land outside the limits, San Juan County’s Community Development Department says its Building Department handles building and permitting in the unincorporated areas of the county; its Building Division is on 505-334-4313 and applications go through the county’s own permitting portal.

Applying at the counter

Farmington states plainly that it does not have permits online and does not take online payments. To get a work permit you go to the Community Development counter in the Annex Building with a hard copy of every application and plan.

• Payment: check, money order, cashier’s check or credit card. American Express, MasterCard and Visa can be taken over the phone if necessary; Discover is not accepted.
• Business licence: a City of Farmington business licence is needed to do building code work within the city limits.
• Secondary permits: electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits can be submitted without construction drawings, though equipment cut-sheets may be asked for.
• Homeowner permits: available for building work on your primary residence. Homeowners can also take electrical and plumbing permits after passing the homeowner test, but not mechanical permits.

A permit can be cancelled by a written request from both the owner and the general contractor, and a replacement applied for at once. If only one side cancels, the code imposes a 7-day wait before a new permit is issued, during which the division inspects the work done so far.

Farmington permit fees

Farmington does not post a fee table on its building pages. Under the city code, the schedules of building permit, plan review, electrical, plumbing and mechanical fees are prepared by the Community Development Director, adopted by City Council resolution and kept on file with the City Clerk and at the Building Inspection Division, where anyone can inspect them during business hours.

The City’s Manual of Fees page carries no figures. It says the way to get a permit fee is to contact one of the Building Inspectors on 505-599-1304; the adopted schedule can be read at the City Clerk’s office in City Hall, 800 Municipal Drive.

Electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits

All three are City permits. The code requires the City to employ a plumbing and mechanical inspector, and the electrical inspectors have a wider beat than the building inspectors: they carry out electrical service connect inspections throughout the Farmington Electric Utility System’s service area. New electric service estimates are handled by the utility on 505-599-8310.

An electrical permit is valid for 1 year. The division sends a renewal notice 30 to 60 days before it expires, a permit can be renewed once, and no further inspections are made on a permit that has lapsed. Fire protection systems are on the City’s permit-required list as well.

Plans and documents

The plot plan can be on letter or legal paper. Roof truss plans must be on site before the framing inspection. If you submit mail-order plans, the City expects the house to be built exactly as drawn, with no marked-up alterations.

Farmington’s Design Loads page gives a minimum roof live load of 20 psf and a frost depth of 24 inches; the division’s FAQ also lists a basic wind speed of 90 mph (3-second gust).

Steps to a Farmington permit

Inspections and closing out

Call 505-599-1304 to schedule, and have the permit number (the Application Number) ready. Requests are taken a day in advance and the inspection is on the next business day in most cases. The division decides which inspections a project needs when it issues the permit, and every permit ends with a final inspection.

A Certificate of Occupancy is usually issued for new construction only, after the departments concerned have inspected. The building inspector hands it to the general contractor in the field. Tenant remodels, alterations and improvements get a Final Inspection Slip instead.

The division keeps building, electrical, plumbing and mechanical permit records and plans for 10 years from the date of issue.

Farmington specifics

Permit life: a building permit is valid for 2 years from issue and is no longer valid if no work begins within 180 days. The Building Official can renew it once where the delay was beyond the permit holder’s control.

Fences and walls: all fence work needs a permit, including replacement, for anything 18 inches or taller. A fence over 6 feet needs an engineered scale drawing and a retaining wall over 3 feet must be designed by an engineer. Planning checks zoning and setbacks, and Water and Wastewater checks for main lines.

Easements: buildings may not be placed over utility easements, in rights-of-way or over the building line.

Yard lines and sprinklers: a homeowner can pull the permit to replace a water or sewer yard line or to install an irrigation system at a primary residence, but work in the street needs a licensed contractor.

Emergency work: the code allows work that cannot wait, after hours or on a holiday, provided the permit is applied for by the next business day.

Manufactured homes: for additions, alterations and repairs to a mobile or manufactured home, the City refers owners to the state Manufactured Housing Division on 505-476-4770.

Adopted codes: the City lists the 2021 New Mexico Commercial Building, Existing Building, Plumbing, Mechanical and Energy Conservation codes, the 2020 New Mexico Electrical Code and the 2021 International Fire Code, as amended by Chapter 7 of the City Code.

Development code: zoning, special use permits and subdivisions are handled by the Planning Division under the Unified Development Code.

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 Farmington permitting resources

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

• Farmington Building Inspection Division
• Farmington: Do I need a Construction Permit?
• Farmington: schedule inspections
• Farmington residential building requirements
• Farmington new house plan submittal requirements (PDF)
• Farmington commercial building requirements
• Farmington Building Inspection FAQs
• Farmington Manual of Fees page
• Farmington: adopted construction codes
• Farmington design loads
• Farmington: mobile homes and manufactured housing
• Farmington Planning Division
• Farmington City Code, Chapter 7: buildings and building regulations
• New Mexico Construction Industries Division

Farmington building permit FAQs

Can I apply for a Farmington building permit online?

No. The City says it does not have permits online and does not accept online payments. Apply in person at 805 Municipal Drive, Annex Building, 2nd floor.

What will my Farmington permit cost?

The City publishes no figures. Its Manual of Fees page bases building permit fees on type of construction, square footage and materials, its FAQ says they vary with construction valuation, and electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits are fixed amounts by type of work. The schedules are adopted by City Council resolution and kept at the City Clerk’s office and the Building Inspection Division; a Building Inspector on 505-599-1304 gives the fee for a project.

Do I need a permit for a fence or a shed?

Yes to both. All sheds are on the permit list, and all fence work 18 inches or taller needs a permit.

Can a homeowner pull a permit in Farmington?

Yes, for building work on a primary residence. Electrical and plumbing permits need the homeowner test, and homeowner mechanical permits are not issued.

How long is a permit valid?

2 years from issue, and it lapses if no work begins within 180 days. Electrical permits last 1 year.

How do I book an inspection?

Phone 505-599-1304 with your application number a day in advance.

What happens if I build without a permit?

The code sets the combined permit and investigation fee at 5% of the permit valuation, and working past a posted stop-work notice carries a minimum fine of $100 for a first offence.

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