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Change of Use / Certificate of Occupancy Permit in Bloomfield, New Mexico

Required whenever an existing building's occupancy classification or use changes within Bloomfield. San Juan County's Building Division (the same office that issues and inspects building permits for structures within Bloomfield city limits) administers the construction-code side of this under Chapter 10 (Change of Occupancy) of the 2021 New Mexico Existing Building Code (2021 IEBC as amended, already listed in this jurisdiction's codesAdopted) and NMAC 14.5.3.13's statewide Certificate of Occupancy requirements, while the City of Bloomfield's own codified Zoning Ordinance (Code of Ordinances, Appendix C Zoning, Section 7) independently requires a City-issued 'Certificate of Zoning Compliance' before any building or premises may be used or occupied after being 'changed, converted, or wholly or partly altered or enlarged in its use.' Neither San Juan County nor the City of Bloomfield publishes a standalone 'Change of Use' or 'Certificate of Occupancy' application form distinct from the standard Commercial Buildings Permit Application (County) and Application for Building and Zoning Compliance (City) — re-confirmed live 2026-07-23 against the City's current codified ordinance (Supplement 22, online content updated June 4, 2026) and the current San Juan County Building Department page, both of which describe the process as running through those existing forms rather than a dedicated change-of-use form. The fee-side gap is now closed: Appendix C Zoning, Section 9 (the City Council's own exhaustive 'Schedule of fees, charges, and expenses' for 'building permits, certificates of zoning compliance, and other matters pertaining to this ordinance,' Ord. No. 513, 9-13-21, current as of Supplement 22) lists no fee line item beyond the $25.00 Building and Zoning Compliance Application — confirming that fee applies to the City's Certificate of Zoning Compliance step whether or not physical construction accompanies the change of use, and that no additional City-side fee exists for a compliance-only change of use.

Verified 2026-07-23 · Source

When you need this permit

  • A change of occupancy classification, or a change of occupancy involving a different fire-protection-system threshold under IBC Chapter 9, requires Code Building Official approval before it may be made, per Chapter 10 (Change of Occupancy), 2021 International Existing Building Code as adopted by New Mexico
  • A new certificate of occupancy must be issued once the Code Building Official determines the change-of-occupancy requirements have been met (2021 IEBC Section 1001.2)
  • No building, or portion of a building, may be occupied until the appropriate inspector has issued a certificate of occupancy or an approved final inspection, per NMAC 14.5.3.13
  • A certificate of occupancy does not constitute approval of code violations undiscovered at issuance, nor approval under other regulatory agencies' requirements (e.g., fire marshal, environmental, health department), per NMAC 14.5.3.13
  • Where physical alteration work accompanies the change of use, it is processed through San Juan County Building Division's standard Commercial Buildings Permit Application (checked as 'Alteration to Commercial' or 'Other'), billed under the County's standard valuation-based Building Permit Fee — see this file's commercial-building-permit entry
  • City of Bloomfield Planning and Zoning review (via the Application for Building and Zoning Compliance, $25.00) is required alongside the County process for any change of use within city limits, consistent with the City's zoning-review role documented elsewhere in this file
  • Under the City's own codified Zoning Ordinance (Code of Ordinances, Appendix C Zoning, Section 7.4), it is independently unlawful to use or occupy any building or premises 'changed, converted, or wholly or partly altered or enlarged in its use' until the City's administrative official has issued a Certificate of Zoning Compliance; a Temporary Certificate of Zoning Compliance (valid up to 6 months) may be issued during alterations or partial occupancy pending completion — re-confirmed live 2026-07-23 against the current codified ordinance (Supplement 22, June 4, 2026)

Required documents

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Fee schedule

Building Permit Fee (if physical alteration accompanies the change of use)San Juan County Building Department's standard Building Permit Fee formula (Plan Review section) — applies when a change of occupancy is processed via the Commercial Buildings Permit Application's 'Alteration to Commercial' checkbox. Re-checked live 2026-07-23: the County's Building Department page states project costs for 'alterations and repairs to existing buildings not requiring a change of occupancy classification are derived from the contract price' — implying alterations that DO involve a change of occupancy classification are instead valued using the ICC Building Valuation Data method (the same method used for new construction), rather than contract price; the County does not publish a separate flat Change-of-Occupancy or Certificate-of-Occupancy fee distinct from this valuation-based Building Permit Fee.
Project valuation × 0.005
Building and Zoning Compliance Application / Certificate of Zoning Compliance (City of Bloomfield)City of Bloomfield Planning & Zoning Fees 2022 schedule, confirmed as still current live 2026-07-23 against the City's own codified Zoning Ordinance (Code of Ordinances, Appendix C Zoning, Section 9, 'Schedule of fees, charges, and expenses,' Ord. No. 513, 9-13-21, Supplement 22 online content updated June 4, 2026): the only listed fee for 'building permits, certificates of zoning compliance, and other matters pertaining to this ordinance' is the $25.00 'Building and zoning compliance application' line item. This closes the prior open question of whether a compliance-only change of use (no construction) carries any City-side fee: it does not carry a fee beyond this same $25.00 Certificate-of-Zoning-Compliance/Building-and-Zoning-Compliance charge, since Section 9's fee table contains no separate or additional line item for that scenario.
$25.00

Review timeline

Plan review
Not published — contact the department

How long did your Change of Use / Certificate of Occupancy Permit permit actually take in Bloomfield?

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

Inspection process

  1. 1

    Change-of-Occupancy Final Inspection

    Code Building Official or designated inspector verifies the space meets 2021 IEBC Chapter 10 requirements for the new occupancy classification before a new certificate of occupancy is issued, per NMAC 14.5.3.13.

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

Tips

  • A change of occupancy that involves no physical construction can still require Code Building Official sign-off and a new certificate of occupancy under 2021 IEBC Chapter 10 — confirm with San Juan County's Building Division at (505) 334-4313 before assuming a tenant or use change is permit-exempt just because no construction is planned.
  • Neither San Juan County nor the City of Bloomfield publishes a distinct 'Change of Use' or 'Certificate of Occupancy' application form separate from the standard Commercial Buildings Permit Application (County) and Application for Building and Zoning Compliance (City) — re-confirmed live 2026-07-23. This is not a fee-free gap: the City's own codified fee schedule (Appendix C Zoning, Section 9) confirms the existing $25.00 Building and Zoning Compliance Application fee is the sole City-side charge, applying to a Certificate of Zoning Compliance for a change of use whether or not construction is involved.
  • A change of occupancy that adds a fire-protection-system threshold (e.g., a use requiring a sprinkler or alarm system that wasn't previously required) will also trigger this file's separate fire-sprinkler-alarm-permit entry.

Frequently asked questions

Yes for the underlying change-of-occupancy approval: San Juan County's Building Division, applying Chapter 10 of the 2021 New Mexico Existing Building Code, must approve the change and issue a new certificate of occupancy per NMAC 14.5.3.13. If physical alteration work accompanies the change, it is processed as an 'Alteration to Commercial' on the standard Commercial Buildings Permit Application. Neither the County nor the City of Bloomfield publishes a separate change-of-use-specific fee or form.

In Bloomfield, the published Building Permit Fee (if physical alteration accompanies the change of use) is: Project valuation × 0.005. Additional published fees: Building and Zoning Compliance Application / Certificate of Zoning Compliance (City of Bloomfield) — $25.00. These are the jurisdiction's own published figures — see the fee schedule table and source citations on this page.

Bloomfield does not publish a plan-review timeline for this permit. Contact City of Bloomfield Planning and Zoning Department (building-permit first point of contact and zoning authority) — actual building, electrical, plumbing, and mechanical permits for structures within Bloomfield city limits are issued and inspected by the San Juan County Building Division, which administers building permitting for the City of Aztec, the City of Bloomfield, and the Town of Kirtland in addition to unincorporated San Juan County. at (505) 632-6304 (Bloomfield Planning & Zoning Director Crystal Martinez); (505) 632-6300 (City of Bloomfield main line); (505) 334-4313 (San Juan County Building Division, for building/electrical/plumbing/mechanical permits and inspections) for current turnaround.

You'll need: Application for Building and Zoning Compliance. Depending on your project, Bloomfield may also ask for: Commercial Buildings Permit Application. See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

Bloomfield requires 1 inspection(s) for a change of use / certificate of occupancy permit, in order: Change-of-Occupancy Final Inspection. Schedule each through City of Bloomfield Planning and Zoning Department (building-permit first point of contact and zoning authority) — actual building, electrical, plumbing, and mechanical permits for structures within Bloomfield city limits are issued and inspected by the San Juan County Building Division, which administers building permitting for the City of Aztec, the City of Bloomfield, and the Town of Kirtland in addition to unincorporated San Juan County. ((505) 632-6304 (Bloomfield Planning & Zoning Director Crystal Martinez); (505) 632-6300 (City of Bloomfield main line); (505) 334-4313 (San Juan County Building Division, for building/electrical/plumbing/mechanical permits and inspections)).

Apply through City of Bloomfield Planning and Zoning Department (building-permit first point of contact and zoning authority) — actual building, electrical, plumbing, and mechanical permits for structures within Bloomfield city limits are issued and inspected by the San Juan County Building Division, which administers building permitting for the City of Aztec, the City of Bloomfield, and the Town of Kirtland in addition to unincorporated San Juan County. at City of Bloomfield Planning and Zoning: 915 N. 1st Street, P.O. Box 1839, Bloomfield, NM 87413. San Juan County Building Division: 100 South Oliver Drive, Aztec, NM 87410.. Phone: (505) 632-6304 (Bloomfield Planning & Zoning Director Crystal Martinez); (505) 632-6300 (City of Bloomfield main line); (505) 334-4313 (San Juan County Building Division, for building/electrical/plumbing/mechanical permits and inspections), email: No department email is published on the City's Planning and Zoning page as of 2026-07-18 (a staff 'Email' contact link is provided but does not resolve to a visible address; phone is the published contact method); communitydevelopment@sjcounty.net (San Juan County Community Development, per the County's online permitting portal). Office hours: City of Bloomfield Planning & Zoning: Monday–Thursday 7:00 am–5:30 pm; Friday closed. San Juan County Building Division: reachable at (505) 334-4313; all inspections must be requested at least 24 hours in advance (commercial and residential building permit applications both state 'a minimum of 24 hours is required for an inspection notification').. Official information: https://www.bloomfieldnm.gov/planning-and-zoning.

Bloomfield, New Mexico has adopted: 2021 New Mexico Commercial Building Code (2021 NM Commercial & Residential Building Code) — per San Juan County Building Division's Design Criteria and Commercial Buildings Permit Application (revised 07/31/2023), which governs construction within the City of Bloomfield under the County's building-permit administration.; 2021 New Mexico Residential Building Code (2021 IRC as amended) — per San Juan County Building Division's New Residential Permit Application Checklist (revised 07/19/2023).; 2021 International Building Code; 2021 New Mexico Existing Building Code (2021 International Existing Building Code as amended); 2021 New Mexico Commercial and Residential Energy Conservation Code (2021 IECC as amended); ICC/ANSI A117.1-2017 Accessible and Usable Buildings and Facilities; 2021 New Mexico Plumbing and Mechanical Code; 2021 Uniform Mechanical Code; 2021 Uniform Plumbing Code; 2021 International Fire Code; 2020 National Electrical Code (NFPA 70) / 2020 New Mexico Electrical Code; 2012 Uniform Solar Energy Code; 2012 Uniform Swimming Pool, Spa and Hot Tub Code; 2017 NFPA 58 (Liquefied Petroleum Gas Code); 2018 NFPA 54 (National Fuel Gas Code). Local amendments apply — see the Bloomfield overview page for the full list.

San Juan County Building Division's Code Building Official or designated inspector, per NMAC 14.5.3.13 — the same office that issues and inspects building permits for structures within Bloomfield city limits.

Sources & verification

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

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

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