Commercial Building Permit in Lovington, New Mexico

Lovington requires a commercial building permit for: Submit a completed, legible, signed and dated Planning and Zoning Application, marking the applicable commercial construction type (the form's Type(s) checklist includes 'Building Residential/Commercial'); Provide proof of ownership or interest in the property — a deed with legal description or property lease; an Affidavit by Property Owner(s) if the applicant is not the owner; Submit site plans showing property lines, building dimensions (including height), lot area, lot dimensions, easements, building setbacks, road access points, and location of utilities; Submit a Property Address for the Lea County Enhanced 9-1-1 System and a Floodplain Determination Letter, in that order, before the City will sign the State CID permit cover sheet; Submit a complete State building permit (CID) application cover sheet for City Planner and Floodplain Manager signatures — obtained before submitting to CID; the project must pass the City's preliminary inspection first; Plans reviewed against the 2021 New Mexico Commercial Building Code (NMAC 14.7.2, adopting the 2021 IBC as amended) and the other CID-administered statewide codes (2020 NM Electrical/NEC, 2021 NM Plumbing and Mechanical Code); CID's commercial plan-review fee is broken into four discipline-specific 5% assessments of the building permit fee — general construction, accessibility, electrical, and mechanical/plumbing — rather than a single flat plan-review line (NMAC 14.5.5.11(E)); Commercial construction is also subject to City of Lovington Municipal Code Chapter 15.10 (Fire Code, 2021 IFC, Ord. 608, 2024); a City Fire Department special permit and fee separately apply if the project includes an automatic fire sprinkler system, chemical fire-extinguishing system, or fire alarm system (see Lovington's Fire Sprinkler & Fire Alarm System Permit listing for that fee schedule); Submit an Access permit from NM DOT if the site is on a State-owned highway or road; Call 811 before digging; Pay the City Permit Fee (amount determined by City staff at time of application; not a published fixed schedule); Final inspection required after construction to confirm work meets all City requirements. If your project isn't listed, confirm with City of Lovington Planning and Zoning Department at (575) 396-9301 (Planning & Zoning Coordinator Crystal R. Ball, CFM, CZO); (575) 396-2884 (City Hall main line) before starting work.

The City's own Building Permit Application checklist leaves the City Permit Fee blank for staff to fill in at application. The State CID permit fee is $3.00 per $1,000 of valuation up to $15,000, plus $1.00 per $1,000 over that, plus a commercial plan-review assessment split across four disciplines (general construction, accessibility, electrical, mechanical/plumbing) at 5% each of the building permit fee (20% total) — N.M. Admin. Code 14.5.5.11. A separate $25.00 City Fire Code permit fee, plus special-permit fees for sprinkler/alarm/chemical-extinguishing systems, applies if the project falls under Municipal Code Chapter 15.10.

Lovington does not publish a plan-review timeline for this permit. Contact City of Lovington Planning and Zoning Department at (575) 396-9301 (Planning & Zoning Coordinator Crystal R. Ball, CFM, CZO); (575) 396-2884 (City Hall main line) for current turnaround.

You'll need: Planning and Zoning Application; City Building Permit Application (checklist); State Building Permit (CID) Application. Depending on your project, Lovington may also ask for: Affidavit by Property Owner(s). See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

Lovington requires 2 inspection(s) for a commercial building permit, in order: Preliminary Inspection (City), Final Inspection (City). Schedule each through City of Lovington Planning and Zoning Department ((575) 396-9301 (Planning & Zoning Coordinator Crystal R. Ball, CFM, CZO); (575) 396-2884 (City Hall main line)).

Apply through City of Lovington Planning and Zoning Department at 214 S. Love Street, Lovington, NM 88260 (address on the Planning & Zoning Coordinator's own permit-checklist forms and P&Z Application cover sheet; the City's own Departments webpage separately lists the same office at 201 S Main Street, Lovington, NM 88260 — both addresses are published on official city.lovington.org pages as of 2026-07-18, discrepancy not resolved by any further published source). Phone: (575) 396-9301 (Planning & Zoning Coordinator Crystal R. Ball, CFM, CZO); (575) 396-2884 (City Hall main line), email: cball@lovington.org. Office hours: Monday-Thursday 7:30 AM - 5:00 PM, Friday 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM (noon), walk-in basis. Official information: https://www.lovington.org/departments/planning-and-zoning/.

The 2021 New Mexico Commercial Building Code (NMAC 14.7.2), which adopts the 2021 International Building Code as amended and took effect 7/14/2023. It is administered by the New Mexico Construction Industries Division (CID), not a City building department — Lovington has not established its own certified Building Inspection Department.

No. The City uses the same Building Permit Application checklist and Planning and Zoning Application for commercial and residential construction — the Type(s) checklist on the Planning and Zoning Application includes 'Building Residential/Commercial' as a single line item. The actual construction permit is a New Mexico Construction Industries Division (CID) permit either way, issued under the 2021 New Mexico Commercial Building Code for commercial work.