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Change of Use / Certificate of Occupancy in Village of Los Ranchos de Albuquerque, New Mexico

The Village of Los Ranchos de Albuquerque does not publish a standalone 'Change of Use' or 'Certificate of Occupancy' permit application separate from its general Building Permit process — the Village's own Forms page, listing over 40 distinct permit and license applications, contains no such product. The closest Village-administered product is the Zoning Certification Application ($25.00 fee), which verifies a property's CURRENT zoning/use status rather than authorizing a change of use or issuing a certificate of occupancy. Because Bernalillo County Planning & Development Services Building Section is the Village's designated authority for issuing Building Permits (Village Code Sec. 9.4.2(L), documented in the Building Permit entry), and because the Village has directly adopted the 2015 New Mexico Existing Building Code (14.7.7 NMAC) by ordinance (Sec. 9.5.1), a change in occupancy classification or use that triggers Existing Building Code compliance for a Los Ranchos property would be processed through Bernalillo County's general Building Permit application (as an alteration/change-of-occupancy scope), with a Certificate of Occupancy issued by Bernalillo County upon a successful final inspection. Bernalillo County's own published Building Permit Information page likewise lists no separate, dedicated Change-of-Use or Certificate-of-Occupancy application distinct from its general Building Permit Application.

Verified 2026-07-23 · Source

When you need this permit

  • Contact Village Planning & Zoning ((505) 344-6582 / pandz@losranchosnm.gov) to confirm whether a proposed change in use requires only the Village's own Zoning Certification Application (a status verification, with no construction component) or a Bernalillo County Building Permit (if occupancy classification or Existing Building Code compliance is triggered)
  • If a Bernalillo County Building Permit is required, the applicable requirements mirror the general Building Permit entry: compliance with the Village's directly-adopted 2015 New Mexico Building/Existing Building Code family, plus Middle Rio Grande Conservation District (MRGCD) Tract considerations under Village Code Sec. 9.4.3 if applicable
  • For the Village's own Zoning Certification Application specifically: submit property owner name/address, legal description (if the property has no formal address), and a written list of the specific zoning/use questions to be addressed, along with the $25.00 application fee
  • Submitting the Zoning Certification Application authorizes Village Planning & Zoning staff to inspect the property to determine the status of the use, and any violations found during that inspection are subject to immediate correction

Required documents

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Fee schedule

Village Zoning Certification Application FeePrinted directly on the Village of Los Ranchos Zoning Certification Application form ('Application fee of $25.00 due at submittal'), current as accessed 2026-07-22.
$25.00
Bernalillo County Building Permit Fee (if an occupancy/use change triggers Existing Building Code compliance review)
Bernalillo County's own Administrative Resolution 25-2009 fee-schedule PDF (bernco.gov/planning/wp-content/uploads/sites/58/2021/04/BuildingFees.pdf, linked from… Show full citationBernalillo County's own Administrative Resolution 25-2009 fee-schedule PDF (bernco.gov/planning/wp-content/uploads/sites/58/2021/04/BuildingFees.pdf, linked from bernco.gov/planning/building-services/permit-fees-res-25-2009/) is the resolution referenced by Ch. 10's 'set forth by Administrative Resolution' language, and its figures are documented in the general Building Permit entry. Table 3-A applies to alteration/change-of-occupancy scopes the same as new construction; no separate, dedicated Change-of-Use or Certificate-of-Occupancy fee line exists (the general Building Permit Table 3-A fee governs). CAVEAT: the resolution's own preamble text describes establishing fees for 'construction projects within the unincorporated areas of Bernalillo County' -- Los Ranchos is incorporated, and it is not independently confirmed that Table 3-A is applied verbatim, without modification, to County-issued Building Permits for Los Ranchos properties. Confirm applicability with Bernalillo County Planning & Development Services, (505) 314-0350.
$30.00 plus $4.00 per $1,000.00 of valuation (Building Permit Fee), plus $30.00 plus $2.00 per $1,000.00 of valuation (Building Plan Review Fee)

Review timeline

Plan review
Not published — contact the department

How long did your Change of Use / Certificate of Occupancy permit actually take in Village of Los Ranchos de Albuquerque?

Anonymous — one question, no email. Answers are combined and only shown once at least 5 people have reported.

Inspection process

  1. 1

    Zoning / Use Status Inspection

    Village Planning & Zoning staff inspect the property to determine the status of the use, per the authorization the applicant grants by submitting the Zoning Certification Application; any violations found are subject to immediate correction.

See the full Village of Los Ranchos de Albuquerque inspection guide — scheduling & re-inspection fees →

Tips

  • Call Village Planning & Zoning before applying for anything -- because no standalone Change of Use or Certificate of Occupancy product exists, staff will tell you whether your situation needs only the $25 Zoning Certification (a status letter) or a full Bernalillo County Building Permit (if occupancy classification or Existing Building Code compliance is triggered).
  • Because Bernalillo County is the Village's designee for Building Permit issuance, expect any occupancy-classification change with a construction component to be measured against the county's own Chapter 10 Building Ordinance, not just the Village's directly-adopted 2015 codes -- the same governance split already documented for this jurisdiction's general Building Permit.

Frequently asked questions

Village of Los Ranchos de Albuquerque requires a change of use / certificate of occupancy permit for: Contact Village Planning & Zoning ((505) 344-6582 / pandz@losranchosnm.gov) to confirm whether a proposed change in use requires only the Village's own Zoning Certification Application (a status verification, with no construction component) or a Bernalillo County Building Permit (if occupancy classification or Existing Building Code compliance is triggered); If a Bernalillo County Building Permit is required, the applicable requirements mirror the general Building Permit entry: compliance with the Village's directly-adopted 2015 New Mexico Building/Existing Building Code family, plus Middle Rio Grande Conservation District (MRGCD) Tract considerations under Village Code Sec. 9.4.3 if applicable; For the Village's own Zoning Certification Application specifically: submit property owner name/address, legal description (if the property has no formal address), and a written list of the specific zoning/use questions to be addressed, along with the $25.00 application fee; Submitting the Zoning Certification Application authorizes Village Planning & Zoning staff to inspect the property to determine the status of the use, and any violations found during that inspection are subject to immediate correction. If your project isn't listed, confirm with Village of Los Ranchos de Albuquerque Planning and Zoning Department (Director: Shanna Schultz, AICP) at (505) 344-6582 (fax (505) 344-8978) before starting work.

No standalone Certificate-of-Occupancy fee line exists. The Village's Zoning Certification Application (a related but distinct status-verification product) costs $25.00; a Bernalillo County Building Permit fee, if one is triggered by the change, follows the county's own Administrative Resolution 25-2009 (Table 3-A): $30.00 plus $4.00 per $1,000.00 of valuation for the permit itself, plus $30.00 plus $2.00 per $1,000.00 of valuation for plan review.

Village of Los Ranchos de Albuquerque does not publish a plan-review timeline for this permit. Contact Village of Los Ranchos de Albuquerque Planning and Zoning Department (Director: Shanna Schultz, AICP) at (505) 344-6582 (fax (505) 344-8978) for current turnaround.

You'll need: Zoning Certification Application. Depending on your project, Village of Los Ranchos de Albuquerque may also ask for: Bernalillo County Building Permit Application (if an occupancy classification change triggers Existing Building Code compliance). See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

Village of Los Ranchos de Albuquerque requires 1 inspection(s) for a change of use / certificate of occupancy permit, in order: Zoning / Use Status Inspection. Schedule each through Village of Los Ranchos de Albuquerque Planning and Zoning Department (Director: Shanna Schultz, AICP) ((505) 344-6582 (fax (505) 344-8978)).

Apply through Village of Los Ranchos de Albuquerque Planning and Zoning Department (Director: Shanna Schultz, AICP) at 6718 Rio Grande Blvd. NW, Los Ranchos, NM 87107. Phone: (505) 344-6582 (fax (505) 344-8978), email: Shanna Schultz (Director): sschultz@losranchosnm.gov; Michelle Austin (Business Licenses & Building Permit intake): maustin@losranchosnm.gov; Brennon Williams (Public Hearing deadlines): bwilliams@losranchosnm.gov; Planning & Zoning general: pandz@losranchosnm.gov; Village general: info@losranchosnm.gov. Office hours: 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday-Friday. The Village does not accept online submittals for Planning & Zoning applications; two (2) complete sets of plans plus the filled-out application form must be dropped off in person at Village Hall, or in the after-hours drop-off box outside the main doors (the Village disclaims responsibility for documents left there). Effective September 1, 2025, all permit fees are collected at the time of a complete application's submittal rather than at issuance, per the Village's own 'Notice of Changes to Permitting Process' (Aug. 11, 2025).. Official information: https://www.losranchosnm.gov/planning-and-zoning.

Village of Los Ranchos de Albuquerque, New Mexico has adopted: Governance model, verbatim from the Village's own codified ordinances (Chapter 9, Article 4, § 9.4.2(L), hosted by American Legal Publishing at codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/losranchosnm): 'BUILDING PERMIT shall mean a permit issued by the Village or its designee for construction on an MRGCD Tract pursuant to the applicable ordinances in effect at the time a zone review and a Building Permit are applied for. Bernalillo County is currently the designee for the Village for the purpose of issuing Building Permits.' That definition sits within Article 4 (Middle Rio Grande Conservation District Tracts) and is drafted specifically for construction on MRGCD Tracts, a land classification covering a substantial share of Los Ranchos parcels — nearly every Village permit application form has a dedicated 'MRGCD Map No.' field. In practice the Village is the front door and pre-consultation point for a Building Permit application (email Michelle Austin with the property address, added square footage and proposed use; there are two different types of residential building permits), while Bernalillo County's Planning & Development Services Building Section (415 Silver SW / 111 Union Square SE, Albuquerque, (505) 314-0350) is the named designee for issuance on MRGCD Tracts. So expect two offices on a structural project. By contrast, the Village directly administers its own Zone Review Permits for fence and wall, pool and spa, re-roof, solar panel and demolition work — these are processed entirely at Village Hall with Village-printed fees and never routed to the County. Sources: codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/losranchosnm/latest/losranchos_nm (Chapter 9, Articles 3-5); losranchosnm.gov/forms/.; Pursuant to § 3-17-6 NMSA 1978 (2007) and the Village's own codified ordinances (Chapter 9, Article 5, § 9.5.1 'Code Adopted By Reference'), the Village of Los Ranchos de Albuquerque has directly adopted, verbatim: (A) Building Codes in General — 2015 New Mexico Commercial Building Code (14.7.2 NMAC), 2015 New Mexico Residential Building Code (14.7.3 NMAC), 2015 New Mexico Earthen Building Materials Construction Code Phase III (14.7.4 NMAC), 2009 New Mexico Non-Load Bearing Baled Straw Construction Building Code Phase III (14.7.5 NMAC), 2009 New Mexico Energy Conservation Code (14.7.6 NMAC), 2015 New Mexico Existing Building Code (14.7.7 NMAC), 2015 New Mexico Historic Earthen Buildings (14.7.8 NMAC); (B) Plumbing Codes — 2015 New Mexico Plumbing Code (14.8.2 NMAC), 2012 New Mexico Swimming Pool, Spa and Hot Tub Code (14.8.3 NMAC); (C) Mechanical Codes — 2015 New Mexico Mechanical Code (14.9.2 NMAC), Boilers (14.9.4 NMAC), Medical Gas Installation and Certification (14.9.5 NMAC), 2012 New Mexico Solar Energy Code (14.9.6 NMAC); (D) Electrical Codes — 2017 New Mexico Electrical Code (14.10.4 NMAC), 2012 New Mexico Electrical Safety Code (14.10.5 NMAC); (E) Miscellaneous — errata sheets to the adopted uniform/international codes, AND 'the Bernalillo County amendments to the International and New Mexico Codes known as the Uniform Construction Codes of Bernalillo County.' Because Bernalillo County is the named designee for actual Building Permit issuance (see governance note above), a project may in practice also be measured against Bernalillo County's own Chapter 10 Building Ordinance (Uniform Construction Codes of Bernalillo County). The county ordinance as posted (Ordinance 2011-12, repealing 2009-5) lists 2009-edition International Codes, but Bernalillo County's own Ordinances & Codes page indicates that ordinance chapter has since been further amended (most recently by County Ordinance No. 2024-18, effective 8-13-2024) — the county's current code editions under that amendment are not independently confirmed here and should not be assumed identical to the 2009 baseline. Sources: codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/losranchosnm (§ 9.5.1); bernco.gov/planning/wp-content/uploads/sites/58/2021/04/BuildingOrd.pdf; bernco.gov/planning/ordinances-codes/.; Village Code of Ordinances, Chapter 9, Article 2 (Zoning and Zone Map) governs zone-specific setbacks, height, and use requirements; Article 3 (Permits for the Sale, Construction and Remodeling of Property) requires a separate $35.00 realtor Parcel Permit for each property sold in the Village (not a construction permit, and out of scope for this record) and an annual business license for any contractor/developer performing work in the Village. Source: codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/losranchosnm.. Local amendments apply — see the Village of Los Ranchos de Albuquerque overview page for the full list.

No standalone product exists. The Village's own Zoning Certification Application ($25.00) verifies current zoning/use status, while an occupancy-classification change that triggers Existing Building Code compliance is processed through Bernalillo County's general Building Permit application, the same designee arrangement already documented for this jurisdiction's Building Permit.

Sources & verification

Verified against official sources. Last reviewed 2026-07-23.

Fee schedules

Applications & forms

Codes & ordinances

Department & other records

Fees, timelines, and adopted codes are researched from each jurisdiction's published records — see how we verify. Requirements change and vary by project, so always confirm the current details with the Village of Los Ranchos de Albuquerque building department before you submit. PermitBase is an independent reference and is not affiliated with any government agency.

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