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City of Aztec Land Use Permit in Aztec, New Mexico

A City of Aztec-issued Planning Permit required in parallel with the San Juan County-issued Building Permit for new dwellings and commercial development within city limits. It governs allowable land use, setbacks, lot coverage, and site-plan compliance under the City's own Municipal Code (Chapters 9, 18, and 26), and is administered entirely by the City's Community Development Department — genuinely distinct from the County-administered structural Building Permit. COMMERCIAL PATHWAY (researched 2026-08-01): this Land Use Permit's $100 new-commercial fee tier is the City of Aztec's ENTIRE own contribution to commercial construction permitting — the City has no commercial building-permit process of its own. The actual Commercial Building Permit is obtained from the San Juan County Building Department (under the interlocal agreement covering Aztec), which publishes a dedicated 'Commercial Building Permit Application' paper form and a 'New Commercial' construction-permit checklist, applies its published commercial design criteria (ground snow load Pg 30 psf per ASCE 7-16; wind Vult 105/115/120/120 mph for Category I/II/III/IV buildings; frost depth 30 inches; seismic per ASCE 7-16), and charges its valuation-based fees (Building Permit Fee = valuation × 0.005; Building Plan Review Fee = valuation × 0.0012 for architect/engineer-sealed projects). This is also NOT a state-CID-administered area: New Mexico's Construction Industries Division issues building permits directly only where no local building department operates, whereas San Juan County runs a full-service local building department (plan review, permit issuance, and inspections) whose published scope expressly covers the City of Aztec, the City of Bloomfield, and the Town of Kirtland — CID's role within Aztec is adopting and amending the statewide construction codes, not issuing the permits.

Verified 2026-07-18 · Source

When you need this permit

  • Required for construction, alteration, moving, or demolition of buildings, including expansions, garages, carports, or other add-ons, within Aztec city limits
  • Not required for repairs to a building's exterior (including re-roofing) or interior remodeling that doesn't otherwise trigger a building permit, per the City's Development Handbook
  • All applications require a site plan
  • The Building Department requires a copy of the City's Land Use/Planning Permit to be submitted with the County building-permit application, to coordinate review order
  • For COMMERCIAL projects: obtain this City Land Use Permit first, then apply for the Commercial Building Permit at the San Juan County Building Department (209 S. Oliver Dr., Aztec) using the County's dedicated 'Commercial Building Permit Application' form — the County's published 'New Commercial' checklist calls for, at minimum, dimensioned site plan with all utilities, structural plans (footing/foundation/slab/imposed loads/load-bearing walls and floors/metal-building manufacturer plans), architectural plan with code study and accessibility/energy details, electrical plan (riser diagram, load calcs, panel schedules), plumbing plan (gas/water piping, building drain, grease traps), and mechanical plan (HVAC duct sizing, dampers, kitchen hoods, equipment schedule)
  • All commercial projects require a licensed contractor performing the work per NMAC 14.6.6 — New Mexico's homeowner permit exemption applies only to residential work on the owner's own principal residence, never to commercial construction (San Juan County Building Department, Commercial Construction section) Contractor

Required documents

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Fee schedule

Administrative Fee (per application)Aztec City Code Chapter 16, Sec. 16-292, Chapter 16 Fee Schedule PDF dated 2026 June 10.
$10.00
New Single Family Residential Dwelling (incl. accessory dwelling unit)Aztec City Code Chapter 16, Sec. 16-293 (Ord. 2018-481, eff. 2018-Sept-12); Chapter 16 Fee Schedule PDF dated 2026 June 10.
$25.00
New Multiple Family DwellingAztec City Code Chapter 16, Sec. 16-293, Chapter 16 Fee Schedule PDF dated 2026 June 10.
$50.00
New Commercial DevelopmentAztec City Code Chapter 16, Sec. 16-293, Chapter 16 Fee Schedule PDF dated 2026 June 10.
$100.00
Parks/Open Space & Trails Impact Fee (new residential unit, charged separately at Land Use Permit issuance)Aztec City Code Chapter 16, Sec. 16-71 (Ord. 2008-362, eff. 2009-Jan-01); the City's Development Handbook confirms impact fees 'are payable at the time a Planning Permit is issued.' Chapter 16 Fee Schedule PDF dated 2026 June 10.
$500.00 per single-family or multi-family dwelling unit

Review timeline

Plan review
Not published — contact the department

How long did your City of Aztec Land Use Permit permit actually take in Aztec?

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Inspection process

    See the full Aztec inspection guide — scheduling & re-inspection fees →

    Tips

    • Impact fees ($500 per new residential unit) are collected by the City at Land Use Permit issuance — a separate line item from both the $25/$50/$100 Land Use Permit fee itself and the County's Building Permit Fee.
    • The City's Land Use Permit and the County's Building Permit are reviewed by two separate offices — the County Building Department requires a copy of the City's Land Use Permit to be submitted with the building-permit application to keep the two processes coordinated.
    • Commercial budgeting note: the City's park impact fee ($500/unit) applies only to new RESIDENTIAL units — nonresidential construction is exempt, so a commercial project's City-side cost is normally just the $100 Land Use Permit fee plus the $10 administrative fee (plus a $75 Encroachment Permit if working in the right-of-way, and separate Sign Permit fees for signage).
    • The County's published inspection sequence adds a Fire Department inspection labeled 'Applicable to Commercial Construction Only' on top of the standard footing-through-final sequence — commercial projects in Aztec should budget for it before the Building Final.
    • Do not apply to a New Mexico CID state office for an Aztec commercial building permit — CID's own Building Permit Guide for Commercial Construction describes the state-issued 'APPLICATION for STATE BUILDING PERMIT' process, which applies only where CID is the permitting authority; within Aztec the permitting authority is the San Juan County Building Department, and the analogous pre-permit zoning sign-off is this City Land Use Permit.

    Frequently asked questions

    Aztec requires a city of aztec land use permit for: Required for construction, alteration, moving, or demolition of buildings, including expansions, garages, carports, or other add-ons, within Aztec city limits; Not required for repairs to a building's exterior (including re-roofing) or interior remodeling that doesn't otherwise trigger a building permit, per the City's Development Handbook; All applications require a site plan; The Building Department requires a copy of the City's Land Use/Planning Permit to be submitted with the County building-permit application, to coordinate review order; For COMMERCIAL projects: obtain this City Land Use Permit first, then apply for the Commercial Building Permit at the San Juan County Building Department (209 S. Oliver Dr., Aztec) using the County's dedicated 'Commercial Building Permit Application' form — the County's published 'New Commercial' checklist calls for, at minimum, dimensioned site plan with all utilities, structural plans (footing/foundation/slab/imposed loads/load-bearing walls and floors/metal-building manufacturer plans), architectural plan with code study and accessibility/energy details, electrical plan (riser diagram, load calcs, panel schedules), plumbing plan (gas/water piping, building drain, grease traps), and mechanical plan (HVAC duct sizing, dampers, kitchen hoods, equipment schedule); All commercial projects require a licensed contractor performing the work per NMAC 14.6.6 — New Mexico's homeowner permit exemption applies only to residential work on the owner's own principal residence, never to commercial construction (San Juan County Building Department, Commercial Construction section). If your project isn't listed, confirm with San Juan County Building Department (administers building permits, plan review, and inspections for the City of Aztec under an interlocal service agreement; the City of Aztec Community Development Department separately issues its own required Land Use Permit) at (505) 334-4313 (Building Division, permit/inspection scheduling); (505) 334-4550 (San Juan County Community Development main line); (505) 334-7605 (City of Aztec Community Development / Planning & Zoning, for the City's own Land Use Permit) before starting work.

    In Aztec, the published Administrative Fee (per application) is: $10.00. Additional published fees: New Single Family Residential Dwelling (incl. accessory dwelling unit) — $25.00; New Multiple Family Dwelling — $50.00; New Commercial Development — $100.00; Parks/Open Space & Trails Impact Fee (new residential unit, charged separately at Land Use Permit issuance) — $500.00 per single-family or multi-family dwelling unit. These are the jurisdiction's own published figures — see the fee schedule table and source citations on this page.

    Aztec does not publish a plan-review timeline for this permit. Contact San Juan County Building Department (administers building permits, plan review, and inspections for the City of Aztec under an interlocal service agreement; the City of Aztec Community Development Department separately issues its own required Land Use Permit) at (505) 334-4313 (Building Division, permit/inspection scheduling); (505) 334-4550 (San Juan County Community Development main line); (505) 334-7605 (City of Aztec Community Development / Planning & Zoning, for the City's own Land Use Permit) for current turnaround.

    You'll need: Land Use Permit Application. See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

    Apply through San Juan County Building Department (administers building permits, plan review, and inspections for the City of Aztec under an interlocal service agreement; the City of Aztec Community Development Department separately issues its own required Land Use Permit) at 209 South Oliver Drive, Aztec, NM 87410. Phone: (505) 334-4313 (Building Division, permit/inspection scheduling); (505) 334-4550 (San Juan County Community Development main line); (505) 334-7605 (City of Aztec Community Development / Planning & Zoning, for the City's own Land Use Permit). Office hours: San Juan County Community Development: Monday-Thursday, 7:00 AM to 5:30 PM, closed Friday. City of Aztec Community Development: Monday-Thursday, 7:00 AM to 5:30 PM. Some permit types are available online via the County's SmartGov Community portal at https://permitting.sjcounty.net/ (redirects to co-sanjuan-nm.smartgovcommunity.com); others remain paper applications submitted to the Building Division at 209 South Oliver Drive.. Official information: https://www.sjcounty.net/government/community-development/building-department.

    Aztec, New Mexico has adopted: 2021 New Mexico Commercial & Residential Building Code; 2021 International Residential Code (IRC) — 14.7.3 NMAC; 2021 International Building Code (IBC) — 14.7.2 NMAC; 2021 International Existing Building Code (IEBC) — 14.7.7 NMAC; 2021 New Mexico Energy Conservation Code — 14.7.6 NMAC (residential) / 14.7.9 NMAC (commercial); ICC/ANSI A117.1-2017 Accessible and Usable Buildings and Facilities; 2021 New Mexico Plumbing and Mechanical Code — 14.8.2 NMAC (plumbing) / 14.9.2 NMAC (mechanical); 2021 Uniform Mechanical Code (UMC); 2021 Uniform Plumbing Code (UPC); 2021 International Fire Code (IFC); 2020 National Electrical Code (NEC); 2020 New Mexico Electrical Code — 14.10.4 NMAC; 2012 Uniform Solar Energy Code — 14.9.6 NMAC; 2012 Uniform Swimming Pool, Spa and Hot Tub Code — 14.8.3 NMAC; 2017 NFPA 58 (LP-Gas Code); 2018 NFPA 54 (National Fuel Gas Code); All codes are adopted and amended by the New Mexico Construction Industries Division (CID) and apply statewide, per the San Juan County Building Department's own published Construction Codes list, which explicitly states its scope covers the City of Aztec.. Local amendments apply — see the Aztec overview page for the full list.

    The Land Use (Planning) Permit, issued by the City of Aztec's Community Development Department, governs allowable use, setbacks, and site-plan compliance under the City's Municipal Code. The Building Permit, issued by the San Juan County Building Department under an interlocal agreement, governs structural/life-safety compliance under the State-adopted construction codes. Most new construction in Aztec needs both.

    San Juan County. New Mexico's CID issues building permits directly only in areas with no local building department, and Aztec is not such an area: the San Juan County Building Department operates a full-service local building program (plan review, permit issuance, and inspections) whose published scope expressly covers the City of Aztec, using the CID-adopted statewide codes. Commercial applicants use the County's dedicated Commercial Building Permit Application and 'New Commercial' checklist, pay the County's valuation-based fees (0.5% of valuation, plus 0.12% plan review for sealed projects), and must use a licensed contractor per NMAC 14.6.6. The City of Aztec's own role in commercial construction is limited to this Land Use Permit ($100 new-commercial tier plus $10 administrative fee) and its separate Sign and Encroachment permits.

    Sources & verification

    Verified against official sources. Last reviewed 2026-07-18.

    Fee schedules

    Checklists & handouts

    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 Aztec building department before you submit. PermitBase is an independent reference and is not affiliated with any government agency.

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