Los Alamos County, New Mexico Building Permit Guide

Building permits in Los Alamos County come from the County’s Building Safety Division, part of the Community Development Department at 1000 Central Avenue, and you can apply through the Citizen Self Service portal, by email or in person. Fees follow a valuation table in the County Code, a plan review fee of 65% is paid at submittal, and most residential permits are processed in 3 business days. Electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits are issued by the state Construction Industries Division (CID), not the County.

What needs a building permit in Los Alamos County?

The County Code makes it unlawful to construct, alter, repair, remove or demolish a building or structure without a permit from the building official, and each building or structure needs its own permit. The Building Safety Division says permits and inspections are required for new construction, additions, remodeling, accessory structures and fences, whether the property is commercial, public or residential.

A small shed still goes through the County: the small accessory structure checklist asks for a scaled site plan, and the shed must sit at least 5 ft from any lot line and 10 ft from the house.

Who issues permits in Los Alamos County?

Los Alamos is an incorporated county with no separate city government, and the Census Bureau lists no incorporated city, town or village inside it. The Los Alamos townsite and White Rock are both permitted by the County’s Building Safety Division, which reviews plans, issues building permits, inspects the work and enforces the nuisance code. The division is accredited by the International Accreditation Service.

Planning, zoning and site plan cases are handled by the Planning Division in the same department and on the same phone number.

Permit types, checklists and how to file

Community Development takes permit applications three ways: through the Citizen Self Service portal, where plans and supporting documents are uploaded, by email to the permit technicians, or in person by appointment. Paper submittals need 2 sets of the building plans and site plans.

The County publishes one Permit Application form and a separate checklist for each project type. Forms that go with them:

• New Mexico CID Homeowner’s Responsibility form, for an owner acting as the general contractor. The County accepts it only for a single-family dwelling that is the owner’s primary residence.
• Owner’s Affidavit, the notarized statement from the property owner that the County’s commercial checklists ask for.
• Curb Cut, Driveway Apron and Excavation Application, issued through Traffic & Streets rather than Building Safety.
• Department of Public Utilities service request form, to add or change electric, gas, water or wastewater service.
• Final Report of Required Special Inspections, for projects with special inspections.

Los Alamos County permit fees

Fees are set in Chapter 10, Article III of the County Code (Sec. 10-111) and repeated on the County’s Building Permit Fees sheet. The fee is based on the total value of the work, including finish work, roofing, electrical, plumbing, heating and air conditioning.

The plan review fee is 65% of the building permit fee. It is charged on top of the permit fee and paid when the documents are submitted; the permit fee itself is paid when the permit is approved. For a project valued at $200,000 the permit fee is $1,553.75 and the plan review fee is $1,009.94, or $2,563.69 together.

Other charges in the Code: $47 per hour for extra plan review caused by changes or revisions, for re-inspections and for inspections outside business hours (2-hour minimum), and actual cost when the County uses an outside consultant. A refundable $250 cash deposit is required when construction is next to an existing sidewalk or curb and gutter. Starting work before the permit is issued doubles the fees, and half of the permit fee is refunded if a permit is cancelled before construction starts.

Electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits

The County does not issue trade permits. CID permits and inspects electrical, plumbing and mechanical work in Los Alamos County, and those permits are obtained separately from the County application; the County directs applicants to CID’s Santa Fe office at 505-476-4700.

The two agencies’ inspections are tied together. Rough and final electrical and plumbing or mechanical inspections appear on the County’s inspection list as CID inspections, and the County asks you not to request its final inspection until the state’s final electrical and mechanical inspections are done.

For commercial work, a new installation, or an existing one that needs an electrical permit for the service entrance, must have an exterior disconnecting means that meets the County Department of Public Utilities’ electric distribution requirements. Commercial plans go to the Fire Marshal’s Office through Community Development; fire suppression and detection plans can be handed straight to the Fire Marshal, stamped by a New Mexico professional engineer and a designer certified to at least NICET III.

Application documents and review times

Each checklist is specific to the project. The lists for a new house and a new commercial building include:

Most permit applications need a recent survey of the lot showing all utilities, and the Code requires the location of new construction to be field certified by a licensed surveyor. Plans must be drawn to scale, at a minimum of ¼ inch per foot.

Plan review takes about 3 business days for most residential permits and 5 business days for the Building Safety Division’s part of a commercial review; other departments can take longer. A permit lapses if work does not start within 180 days of issue and expires 2 years after issue, with one extension of up to 180 days at the building official’s discretion. The 180-day limit also applies when work is suspended or abandoned, and under the Building Safety Division’s Expired Permits policy (revised October 27, 2025) an expired permit cannot be reactivated or renewed: a new permit is needed for the work that was not completed or inspected.

How to apply: 6 steps in Los Alamos County

Inspections and the certificate of occupancy

Request County inspections by calling 505-662-8120 before 4:00 p.m. on the day before you want the inspector. Contractors who need a 2-hour window must ask by email to BuildingInspectionRequests@losalamosnm.gov before 8:00 a.m. on the day of the inspection; a window cannot be requested by phone.

The permit card has to be visible from the street and the issued permit paperwork must be on site for the inspector to sign. Work stays exposed until it is approved, and if the work is inside an occupied house, the owner, contractor or a representative has to be there.

A new house or addition is typically inspected at footing, foundation, slab or under-floor, framing, sheathing, air barrier, lath and stucco, insulation and drywall, with curb cut and drainage inspections by County engineering. Commercial projects add final sign-offs from Planning, Fire, Engineering and Utilities, and the County asks for at least 1 week’s notice for a commercial final. Every project ends with a final inspection for a Certificate of Completion or a Certificate of Occupancy.

Local details that affect a Los Alamos project

Wildfire rules: Ordinance No. 02-368, adopted on May 6, 2025, brought parts of the 2021 International Wildland-Urban Interface Code into the County Code. Roofs must be Class A assemblies and skylights tempered glass, and the County wants manufacturer specification sheets showing the Class A rating for all roofing materials with a re-roof or new roof application.

Design criteria: the County publishes a 30 psf ground snow load, 90 mph wind speed, Seismic Design Category C and energy code Climate Zone 5B. Footing frost depth is 36 inches in Los Alamos and 24 inches in White Rock, and water lines are buried 48 inches deep in the townsite and 36 inches in White Rock.

County-owned utilities: electric, gas, water and wastewater service all come from the County Department of Public Utilities. For rooftop or ground-mounted solar, the Department of Public Utilities approves the customer-owned generation application first (systems are capped at 10 kW), and a net meter is installed only once the CID and County permits and inspections are complete.

Pre-application meetings: a new business can meet the Building Official, the Fire Marshal and Community Development staff before submitting plans; book through Community Development on 505-662-8120.

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 Los Alamos County

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

• 14.6.5.9 NMAC building officials and AHJ authority
• New Mexico CID permits, codes and inspections
• Los Alamos County Building Safety Division
• Los Alamos County Community Development Department
• Los Alamos County Citizen Self Service permit portal
• Residential building information and checklists
• Commercial building information and checklists
• Los Alamos County inspections
• Los Alamos County Building Permit Fees sheet
• County Code Chapter 10, Buildings and Building Regulations
• Building codes, policies and design loads
• Fire Marshal plan review and permitting

Los Alamos County permit FAQs

Who issues building permits in Los Alamos and White Rock?

The Los Alamos County Building Safety Division, part of the Community Development Department at 1000 Central Avenue, Suite 150. There is no separate city building department anywhere in the county.

How much is a building permit in Los Alamos County?

The fee comes from the valuation table in County Code Sec. 10-111, plus a plan review fee of 65% of the permit fee. A $200,000 project pays $1,553.75 for the permit and $1,009.94 for plan review.

Does the County issue electrical and plumbing permits?

No. The state Construction Industries Division permits and inspects electrical, plumbing and mechanical work in Los Alamos County; its Santa Fe office is on 505-476-4700.

How long does a Los Alamos County permit take?

About 3 business days for most residential permits and 5 business days for the Building Safety Division’s review of a commercial permit, with other departments sometimes taking longer.

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

Yes. The County lists fences and accessory structures among the work that needs a permit, and it has checklists for fences, for sheds up to 200 sq ft and for larger accessory buildings.

Can a homeowner pull a permit in Los Alamos County?

Yes, with the CID Homeowner’s Responsibility form, for a single-family dwelling that is the homeowner’s primary residence.

How do I schedule an inspection?

Call 505-662-8120 before 4:00 p.m. the day before, or email BuildingInspectionRequests@losalamosnm.gov.

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