Clovis building permits
VerifiedDepartment contacts, adopted codes, permit types, fees, and gotchas for Clovis, New Mexico.
Last verified 2026-07-02 · Source · Embed this page’s badge · Version history
Building department
- Address
- 1221 Mitchell Street, Clovis, NM 88101
- Phone
- 575-769-7829
- Office hours
- Mon–Fri 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
- Website
- Official site
- Permit portal
- Apply online at Clovis's portal
Inspection guide
See how inspections work in Clovis — sequence, scheduling & re-inspection fees.
Codes adopted
New Mexico sets construction codes statewide by rule, not through home-rule discretion. Under the Construction Industries Licensing Act (NMSA 1978 §§ 60-13-1 et seq.), the state's Construction Industries Commission and Division (CID, within the Regulation & Licensing Department) adopt the technical construction codes codified at New Mexico Administrative Code (NMAC) Title 14 — including the state's own Building, Residential, Existing Building, Mechanical, Fuel Gas, Plumbing, Solar Energy, and Swimming Pool codes, and the National Electrical Code (14.10.4 NMAC currently adopts the 2020 NEC; the CID Commission periodically updates individual code chapters, so confirm the current edition with the applicable authority). Per NMSA 1978 § 60-13-44(E), these state codes "constitute a minimum requirement" binding every political subdivision in New Mexico — no city or county may adopt anything less stringent, though a jurisdiction may adopt stricter local amendments. Enforcement authority runs through whichever entity is the project's Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ, defined at NMAC 14.5.1.7.B): under NMSA 1978 § 60-13-41(D)-(F), a municipality or county that employs its own full-time certified building official may self-administer permitting, plan review, and inspection locally (Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Las Cruces, Rio Rancho, Farmington, and Roswell all operate this way); jurisdictions without a certified building official default to direct enforcement by a CID field office (e.g., Hobbs, Alamogordo). Some jurisdictions run a hybrid — locally certified for some trades while CID directly enforces others (Roswell's electrical permitting, for example, reverted to direct CID administration as of January 1, 2026). Always confirm with the specific jurisdiction whether it or the state CID is the acting AHJ for a given trade before submitting plans.
- 2021 International Building Code (IBC) — adopted by City of Clovis Department of Building Safety
- 2021 International Residential Code (IRC) — adopted by City of Clovis Department of Building Safety
- 2021 International Fire Code (IFC) — referenced as part of the 2021 International Codes adoption
- 2021 International Mechanical Code (IMC) — adopted by City of Clovis Department of Building Safety
- 2021 International Fuel Gas Code (IFGC) — referenced as part of the 2021 International Codes adoption
- 2021 International Plumbing Code (IPC) — adopted by City of Clovis Department of Building Safety
- 2021 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) — adopted as part of the 2021 International Codes
- 2020 National Electrical Code (NEC) — adopted by City of Clovis Department of Building Safety
- Note: the Plumbing Declaration form in use references the 2009 International Fuel Gas Code for gas-piping pressure-test certification language; the city's current adopted-code statement (Building Safety Department page) specifies the 2021 International Codes generally — the 2009 IFGC reference on the declaration form itself was not reconciled further and is reported here as found.
Permit types & fees
Residential Building Permit (New Construction)
Required for new single-family residential construction in the City of Clovis, its extraterritorial jurisdiction, the City of Portales ETJ, and Texico. Issued and reviewed by the City of Clovis Department of Building Safety against the adopted 2021 International Codes. May be applied for online, or the completed application and drawings may be emailed to the Building Safety Department.
Residential Addition / Remodel Permit
Required for additions, remodels, and structural alterations to existing single-family residences in Clovis. Reviewed against the adopted 2021 International Codes. Uses the same Type I/Type II valuation-based fee calculation as new residential construction.
Roof Permit
Required for residential and commercial re-roofing or roof repair in Clovis. Commercial and rental-property roofing must be performed by a licensed contractor; owners may not roof a commercial or rental property themselves.
Residential Electrical Permit
Required for electrical installation, alteration, or repair work in Clovis. Governed by the adopted 2020 National Electrical Code. Unlike building permits, electrical permits may ONLY be obtained by a licensed contractor — homeowners may not self-permit electrical work.
Residential Plumbing Permit
Required for plumbing installation, alteration, or repair work in Clovis, including gas-piping systems. Plumbing permits may ONLY be obtained by a licensed contractor. A separate Declaration form certifying compliance with the adopted fuel gas code and documenting the required pressure test must be filed for gas-piping work.
Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Permit
The City of Clovis has no dedicated solar/photovoltaic permit application or fee schedule -- confirmed directly against the Building Permits, Permitting & Inspections, and Permit Fees Calculation pages, which cover Residential Building, Addition/Remodel, Roof, Electrical, Plumbing, and Mechanical permit types but no solar-specific one. A rooftop or ground-mount solar PV installation in Clovis would be processed across two of the City's existing permit types: a Residential Building Permit for the racking/structural mounting (which a homeowner-occupant may pull themselves, using the Type I/Type II valuation-based fee table) and a Residential Electrical Permit for the grid interconnection, governed by the 2020 NEC, which -- unlike the building permit -- may ONLY be obtained by a licensed contractor holding both a New Mexico Contractor's License and a City of Clovis Business License.
Residential Mechanical / HVAC Permit
Required for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning installation, alteration, or repair work in Clovis. Mechanical permits may ONLY be obtained by a licensed contractor.
Electric Vehicle (EV) Charger / EVSE Permit
The City of Clovis has no dedicated EV charger/EVSE permit application or fee schedule -- confirmed directly against the Building Permits, Permitting & Inspections, and Permit Fees Calculation pages, which cover Residential Building, Addition/Remodel, Roof, Electrical, Plumbing, and Mechanical permits but contain no EV/EVSE-specific line, mirroring the same gap already documented for the solar-pv-permit entry in this file. An EVSE circuit installation is billed under the City's standard Residential Electrical Permit (Type I, valuation-based), governed by the adopted 2020 National Electrical Code.
Sign Permit
Required for erecting a new sign or refacing an existing sign within the City of Clovis. Issued by the City of Clovis Department of Building Safety using the Application for Sign Permit. Billed on the Type II (homeowner permits, sign permits, or commercial construction) valuation-based fee schedule -- the same schedule used for homeowner-pulled building permits and commercial construction.
Fire Sprinkler / Fire Alarm Permit
Required for installation of automatic fire sprinkler systems and fire alarm systems within the City of Clovis, administered by the City of Clovis Fire Marshal's Office (a separate office from the Department of Building Safety) under the adopted 2021 International Fire Code (IFC). The Fire Marshal's Office performs plan review and testing for both sprinkler and alarm systems and conducts construction final inspections. No dedicated online application, standalone fee schedule, or published review-timeline commitment for these systems was found on the City's site -- confirmed directly on 2026-07-22.
Change of Occupancy / Certificate of Occupancy
The City of Clovis has no standalone change-of-use, change-of-occupancy, or certificate-of-occupancy application or fee -- confirmed directly against the Building Safety, Building Permits, and Permitting & Inspections pages and the Commercial New and Commercial Addition/Remodel Building Permit applications on 2026-07-22, none of which contain a dedicated occupancy-change form or line item. The City's own Building Safety page states building permits are required to 'construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move, demolish or change the occupancy of any commercial or residential building or structure,' so a change of occupancy or use is processed as a standard Commercial (or Residential) Addition/Remodel Building Permit rather than a separate product.
Commercial Building Permit
Required to construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move, demolish, or change the occupancy of any commercial building or structure in the City of Clovis, its 5-mile extraterritorial jurisdiction, the 3-mile Portales ETJ, and Texico. Issued directly by the City of Clovis Department of Building Safety — a self-administered Local Enforcement Agency, NOT the New Mexico Construction Industries Division (CID) — and reviewed against the adopted 2021 International Codes and 2020 NEC. New commercial construction uses the Application for New Commercial Building Permit; remodels, additions, and tenant improvements to existing commercial space use the Application for Addition/Remodel Commercial Building Permit. Both are billed on the Type II valuation-based fee schedule, which the City's fee document expressly applies to commercial construction.
New residential construction activity
New privately-owned residential construction onlyHousing units authorized by building permits for new privately-owned residential construction — this is not total permit volume (no commercial permits or remodels).
- Latest month (2026-05)
- 8units
4 buildings · $1.8M valuation
- Trailing 12 months
- 71units
12 of 12 months reported · #10 in New Mexico coverage by units
- Year to date (2026 YTD through 2026-05)
- 39units
23 buildings · $9.5M valuation
5 month(s) reported to Census
- Full year 2025
- 62units
42 buildings · $17.4M valuation
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey (BPS), 2026-05 vintage. Census survey data — separate from the permit-requirements verification above. All New Mexico building activity
Tips & gotchas
- The City of Clovis Department of Building Safety is a self-administered Local Enforcement Agency — it issues permits, reviews plans, and inspects directly; it is not administered by the New Mexico Construction Industries Division (CID).
- Building Safety jurisdiction covers the City of Clovis, a 5-mile extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ), a 3-mile ETJ around the City of Portales, and the Village of Texico.
- The city has adopted the 2021 International Codes and the 2020 National Electrical Code.
- Residential building permits may be pulled by an owner-occupant homeowner OR a licensed contractor — but electrical, plumbing, and mechanical permits may ONLY be pulled by a licensed contractor holding both a New Mexico Contractor's License and a City of Clovis Business License.
- Commercial construction permits must be taken out by a contractor holding both a New Mexico State License and a City of Clovis Business License.
- Permit fees for building-related permits are calculated from project valuation using two tables: Type I (licensed-contractor-pulled) and Type II (homeowner-pulled, sign permits, or commercial construction) — see the Permit Fees Calculation PDF for the full valuation brackets.
- Cosmetic alterations (paint, trim, flooring, tile) do not require a permit.
- Work begun before a permit is issued is subject to a doubled fee.
- The permit card must be posted and visible on site at all times during construction; the City of Clovis does not enforce private covenants.
- Apply for permits online via the Tyler EnerGov Self Service portal, or email the completed application and drawings to buildingsafety@cityofclovis.org.
- Inspections require 24-hour advance notice and are scheduled through the Building Safety Department Administration at 575-769-7829.
- No dedicated solar (photovoltaic), accessory dwelling unit (ADU), or water-heater-specific permit application, fee schedule, or requirements page was found published by the City of Clovis after exhausting the chase order; these permit types are omitted from this record rather than guessed. Such work would fall under the general Residential Building/Electrical/Plumbing/Mechanical permit categories above.