Commercial Building Permit in Unincorporated Doña Ana County, New Mexico

Unincorporated Doña Ana County requires a commercial building permit for: A building permit is required for all construction within the county as specified in the latest adopted Building Code (2021 IBC family per the county's Building Codes page) — DAC Code § 350-210A, as amended 11-12-2024 by Ord. No. 354-2024; All building permit applications are reviewed by the Building Services Division for compliance with the adopted Building Code, the Unified Development Code (Chapter 350), an approved site plan, delinquent taxes, and all other applicable state and local laws; the permit may be refused until compliance with all county codes and ordinances — § 350-210A; A detailed site plan is required for all uses and buildings, and detailed site plans for commercial, industrial and multifamily uses must be prepared by a professional engineer, architect, or surveyor licensed in the State of New Mexico — DAC Code § 350-208A (Ord. No. 317-2020); The detailed site plan must show location/legal description, all existing and proposed uses and structures, lot coverage/impervious area data, utility easements, ingress/egress, parking and loading areas (with space counts, accessible spaces, bicycle parking), adjacent thoroughfares, setbacks, signs, exterior lighting (in lumens), and watercourses — § 350-208B; Site plan approval by the Zoning Administrator remains valid until the use commences, but not more than one year, after which a new application and site plan are required — § 350-208D; Land use applications expire and become null and void if the applicant takes no action within 180 days after written notification of inaction from the Zoning Administrator; applications may not be submitted while the property has zoning, code, or building permit violations — § 350-214 (Ord. No. 354-2024); 25% of the assessed permit fee is due at application submittal (non-refundable) for permits requiring construction drawing/site plan review; the remaining 75% is collected prior to permit issuance — Building Permit Fee Schedule, Plan Review Fees; Electrical, plumbing, and mechanical permits are separate permits pulled after the building permit is issued, by New Mexico-licensed tradesmen; the county's electrical fee form has a distinct commercial column (see this file's electrical-permit entry); Fire-code construction permits (sprinkler/alarm systems, required for most commercial occupancies) are a separate permit track through the county's own Fire Prevention Division — see this file's fire-sprinkler-alarm-permit entry; No building or structure may be occupied until the Building Official issues a Certificate of Occupancy — adopted 2021 IBC § 111, unamended locally (see this file's certificate-of-occupancy-permit entry). If your project isn't listed, confirm with Doña Ana County Community Development Department — Building Services Division at (575) 647-7350; Fax (575) 525-6131; TDD (575) 525-5951 before starting work.

Fees follow the Building Permit Fee Schedule's valuation-based 'Other Construction' table: $45 at the bottom of the scale, $290 + $8.00/additional $1,000 from $25,001–$50,000, $490 + $6.00/additional $1,000 from $50,001–$100,000, and $790 + $5.00 per additional $1,000 above $100,000 of construction value. 25% is due at application (non-refundable) and the remaining 75% before issuance. There is no commercial square-footage rate — that flat $0.20/sq ft applies only to single-family dwellings and duplexes.

Unincorporated Doña Ana County does not publish a plan-review timeline for this permit. Contact Doña Ana County Community Development Department — Building Services Division at (575) 647-7350; Fax (575) 525-6131; TDD (575) 525-5951 for current turnaround.

You'll need: Building Permit Application; Detailed Site Plan (prepared by NM-licensed PE, architect, or surveyor); Construction Drawings. Depending on your project, Unincorporated Doña Ana County may also ask for: Grading & Drainage Design / On-Lot Ponding Documentation; Elevation Certificate (floodplain properties). See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

Unincorporated Doña Ana County requires 3 inspection(s) for a commercial building permit, in order: Trade Rough-In Inspections (electrical, plumbing, mechanical), Trade Final Inspections, Building Final Inspection / Certificate of Occupancy. Schedule each through Doña Ana County Community Development Department — Building Services Division ((575) 647-7350; Fax (575) 525-6131; TDD (575) 525-5951).

Apply through Doña Ana County Community Development Department — Building Services Division at 845 N. Motel Blvd., Room 150, Las Cruces, NM 88007. Phone: (575) 647-7350; Fax (575) 525-6131; TDD (575) 525-5951, email: buildingservices@donaana.gov. Office hours: County administrative offices open at 8:00 AM (confirmed via the county's own delayed-opening notice stating a 2-hour delay resumes 'normal operations' at 10 a.m., i.e. normal opening is 8:00 AM); the Building Services Division's own site does not publish a distinct closing time or Building-Services-specific hours separate from general county office hours, and no further closing-time citation could be independently confirmed after checking the department's own pages, the county homepage, and the general department directory.. Official information: https://www.donaana.gov/departments/community_services/building_services/permit_requirements.php.

Doña Ana County itself. The county self-administers building, electrical, plumbing, and mechanical permitting through its Community Development Department — Building Services Division (headed by a County Certified Building Official), and the division's own page states it handles permits and inspections for both commercial and residential construction. It is not routed through a New Mexico Construction Industries Division field office. The Santa Teresa industrial parks and Port-of-Entry corridor are unincorporated county land, so they permit through the county, not Sunland Park or any city.

No. Doña Ana County publishes no tenant-improvement application, fee, or process distinct from the general building permit — TI work is permitted and fee-assessed as ordinary construction under the 'Other Construction' valuation scale, and a change of occupancy classification additionally requires a Certificate of Occupancy under adopted 2021 IBC § 111.