The county says it plainly: Grant County does not issue building permits. If you are building or renovating anywhere in the county, the state Construction Industries Division (CID) office in Las Cruces (575-524-6320) takes the application and also handles the plumbing, mechanical and electrical permits and inspections. One local step comes first. CID will not issue a building permit until the Floodplain Development Permit Application process has been completed with the county Planning Department or the municipality concerned; the county’s application costs $25.
What needs approval in Grant County?
Two layers apply to a typical project: the state permit for the building itself, and the county’s land and flood approvals.
State (CID Las Cruces)
- Building permit and plan review for new buildings, additions and renovations
- Electrical permits and inspections
- Plumbing and mechanical permits and inspections
Grant County Planning
- Floodplain Development Permit Application, before CID issues
- Rural address
- Claim of Exemption for a land division, land combination or boundary line adjustment
- Subdivision review under the county Subdivision Regulations
- Code enforcement, including dangerous or abandoned buildings (Ordinance O-22-02)
The county’s floodplain application covers more than buildings. It lists new structures, additions, alterations, relocations, demolition and replacement, and also clearing, fill, mining, drilling, grading, excavation, watercourse alteration, drainage improvements, road or bridge construction, subdivisions and individual water or sewer systems.
Who issues permits across Grant County?
The county’s wording is “anywhere in Grant County”, so the Las Cruces office of CID is the building authority for the unincorporated county and its four municipalities alike. What changes inside a town is who handles the floodplain permit and any zoning.
Short on time to read all of this?
Get a free quote →- Unincorporated Grant County: CID Las Cruces issues the permit; the county Planning Department handles the floodplain application, addressing and land divisions.
- Silver City (population 9,284): the Town’s Community Development Department (City Hall Annex, 1203 N Hudson Street, 575-534-6349) administers the Land Use Code and issues its own administrative permits: an Administrative Subdivision approval, a Manufactured Home Moving Permit and a Drainage and Grading Permit that is required before construction. For the building permit itself the Town posts CID’s Permit Guide for Residential Construction, and its Land Use Code sends builders to CID, for example for any fence or wall over 6 feet tall.
- Bayard (population 2,048): a City step comes before the state permit. Before anything is built, structurally altered, enlarged, demolished or moved, or a mobile home is installed, the City Code requires the owner to deliver an administrative application to the City’s zoning official, pay an administrative review fee set by council resolution and have the project reviewed. The same code says building permits are obtained from CID and must be posted on the site. City Hall, 800 Central Avenue, 575-537-3327.
- Hurley (population 1,211) and Santa Clara (population 1,592): neither publishes a building or zoning permit of its own, and both fall under the county-wide CID arrangement. For the floodplain permit the county refers applicants to the municipality: Hurley Town Hall, 101 Cortez Avenue, 575-537-2287, and Santa Clara Village Hall, 516 Fort Bayard Street, 575-537-2443.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Building, electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits | NM Construction Industries Division, 505 South Main Street, Suite 103, Las Cruces; 575-524-6320 |
| County office | Grant County Planning & Community Development |
| Address | 1400 Highway 180 East, Silver City, NM 88061 (mail: PO Box 898, Silver City, NM 88062) |
| Planning Department | 575-574-0007 |
| Subdivision regulations | 575-574-0018 |
| GIS and mapping | 575-574-0037 |
| County main line | 575-574-0000 |
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
Get a free quote →Applications the county and the State publish
Grant County’s Building Permits page carries three state documents so that applicants can prepare before contacting Las Cruces: CID’s Building Permit Application and its Building Permit Guides for residential and for commercial construction. The county’s own forms are on the Planning & Community Development page:
- Flood Plain Development Permit Application, a multi-section form signed by the applicant and reviewed by the county’s floodplain administrator.
- Claim of Exemption, required for every land division, combination and boundary adjustment in the unincorporated county.
- Land Divisions, Land Combinations & Boundary Line Adjustments Guide, a step-by-step guide that starts with hiring a New Mexico professional surveyor.
CID takes building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing applications through its online portal.
What it costs
Grant County’s only construction-related charge is the floodplain application. The permit fees themselves are the State’s.
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| County Flood Plain Development Permit Application | $25 |
| State building permit | Calculated by CID from the type of construction, square footage, materials and construction cost |
| City of Bayard administrative review | Set by City Council resolution; paid before the zoning official’s review |
CID’s fee page says the best way to get the building permit figure is to contact one of its offices; the office the county names is Las Cruces, 575-524-6320.
Trade permits
The county’s page is specific that the Las Cruces office “also manages permit applications and inspections for the plumbing, mechanical, and electrical trades”. That covers work inside the four towns as well.
Rather talk it over?
Call 1-855-478-4290 →Documents to line up
County floodplain application
- Applicant, builder and engineer names, addresses and phone numbers
- Street address, lot number and legal description
- Latitude and longitude of the project
- Parcel or account number
- A sketch showing the project location
- Estimated cost of the project and square footage of the structure
State building application
- CID’s Building Permit Application
- Plans prepared to the CID Building Permit Guide for residential or commercial construction
- Zoning approval, where a town has zoning
- The completed floodplain permit paperwork
The county asks for enough detail to find the site easily and warns that an incomplete location description delays the application.
Step by step
Inside Silver City, Bayard, Hurley or Santa Clara the municipality handles the floodplain permit; elsewhere the county does.
Rural addressing and any Claim of Exemption go through county Planning at 1400 Highway 180 East.
Complete the Flood Plain Development Permit Application and pay the $25 fee; no work may start until that permit is issued.
In Silver City, apply for the Drainage and Grading Permit before construction and any moving permit 5 business days ahead. In Bayard, hand the administrative application to the zoning official first.
Send the state application, plans and the floodplain paperwork; call 575-524-6320 for the fee.
Request building and trade inspections from CID and keep the permit posted.
Rather not deal with the Grant County building department?
Get a free quote →Inspections
Building, electrical, plumbing and mechanical inspections are all CID’s. Requests go in through the division’s inspection request page with the permit number, not to an individual inspector.
On the county side, signing the floodplain application gives the local administrator consent to make reasonable inspections to check compliance, and the form states that the development is not to be used or occupied until a Certificate of Occupancy has been issued.
Local points for Grant County
Six-month clock: a county floodplain permit expires if no work has started within 6 months of issue, and it can be revoked if the application contained false statements.
Land divisions: only the current owner can start a division, combination or boundary adjustment. A New Mexico surveyor prepares the plat, property taxes must be paid in full through the current year, and the Claim of Exemption must be approved before the land changes hands.
Silver City’s ETZ: the Town’s administrative subdivision process applies inside the town limits and in its extraterritorial zoning area, and a survey is required.
Unsafe structures: county Ordinance O-22-02 provides for the abatement of dangerous or abandoned buildings and manufactured housing.
Septic systems: liquid waste permits come from the New Mexico Environment Department; its Silver City field office is at 3082 32nd Street Bypass, Suite D (575-388-1934).
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 Grant County
These are the primary sources behind this guide. Codes, fee schedules and procedures change — confirm the position for your filing date.
Want this handled start to finish?
Get a free quote →- Grant County: building permits
- Grant County Planning & Community Development
- Grant County Flood Plain Development Permit Application (PDF)
- Grant County land divisions, combinations and boundary adjustments guide (PDF)
- New Mexico CID: apply for a permit
- New Mexico CID permit fees
- New Mexico CID inspection requests
- Town of Silver City planning and permitting
- City of Bayard Code of Ordinances (zoning: chapter 42)
- New Mexico Environment Department liquid waste field offices
- 14.6.5.9 NMAC: the state rule on building officials and local jurisdictions
Frequently asked questions — Grant County
Does Grant County issue building permits?
No. The county directs anyone building or renovating in Grant County to the state Construction Industries Division in Las Cruces, 575-524-6320.
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →What do I need from the county before applying to the State?
The Floodplain Development Permit Application process must be completed first; CID will not issue the building permit without it. The county’s application fee is $25.
Who issues building permits in Silver City?
CID’s Las Cruces office. The Town’s Land Use Code refers builders to CID for the building permit, and Silver City’s Community Development Department issues the Town’s drainage and grading, moving and subdivision approvals.
What does Bayard require before I build?
An administrative application delivered to the City’s zoning official, with a review fee, before the work starts. The building permit is then obtained from CID and posted on the site.
Where do I get electrical and plumbing permits?
From the same CID office, which manages applications and inspections for the plumbing, mechanical and electrical trades.
Where is the county Planning office?
At 1400 Highway 180 East in Silver City; the Planning Department number is 575-574-0007.
Who permits a septic system?
The New Mexico Environment Department, through its Silver City field office on 575-388-1934.
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More New Mexico permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Grant County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.