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Change of Occupancy / Certificate of Occupancy in Unincorporated San Juan County, New Mexico

San Juan County does not publish a standalone 'Change of Use' or 'Certificate of Occupancy' permit application separate from its regular Building Permit applications — this is a genuine, actively-chased finding, not an omission. A Certificate of Occupancy (C/O) is required before any building or premises is used or occupied, and before occupancy under a different classification than shown on an existing C/O, per the statewide baseline at 14.5.3.13 NMAC (Certificates of Occupancy or Final Inspection) and per the county's own New Residential Permit Application Checklist, which states verbatim that a C/O is required 'before any building/structure is used or occupied, and before any change in occupancy classification' (already documented in this jurisdiction's localAmendments). A true change of occupancy classification without new construction is processed through the same Commercial Buildings Permit Application used for new commercial construction, additions, and alterations — checked as 'Alteration to Commercial' or 'Other' — rather than through any separate 'change of use' product. The Building Division's own Plan Review Requirements language states that contract-price valuation applies only to alterations/repairs 'not requiring a change of occupancy classification,' implying (though not stating outright) that ICC Building Valuation Data (BVD) — the same method used for new construction — governs valuation when a change of occupancy classification IS involved; this is flagged as an inference from the county's own published language rather than an explicit standalone statement, and is disclosed here as such rather than presented as certain.

Verified 2026-07-22 · Source

When you need this permit

  • No standalone Change-of-Use or standalone Certificate of Occupancy application exists in this jurisdiction; use the Commercial Buildings Permit Application (checking 'Alteration to Commercial' or 'Other') for any project changing a building's occupancy classification
  • A Certificate of Occupancy (or an approved Final Inspection) is required before any building/structure is used or occupied, and before occupancy under a different classification than shown on the existing C/O, per 14.5.3.13 NMAC and the county's own New Residential Permit Application Checklist
  • All required trade inspections (building, electrical, plumbing, mechanical, and the Fire Department inspection for commercial projects) must be approved before the Building Final inspection and C/O can be issued
  • Planning/Zoning approval is required only if the property is within the City of Aztec, City of Bloomfield, or Town of Kirtland — rural unincorporated county has no zoning requirement, though the Building Division's own C/O/inspection requirement still applies regardless of zoning status
  • Where a change of occupancy classification is involved (rather than a simple alteration/repair not changing occupancy classification), project valuation is calculated using ICC Building Valuation Data (BVD) rather than the contract-price method used for non-classification-changing alterations, per the county's own Plan Review Requirements language

Required documents

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Fee schedule

Building Permit Fee (valuation-based; ICC Building Valuation Data used when a change of occupancy classification is involved)San Juan County Building Department 'Plan Review Requirements' language: project valuations for new buildings/additions use ICC Building Valuation Data (BVD); 'Project costs for alterations and repairs to existing buildings not requiring a change of occupancy classification are derived from the contract price' — implying BVD applies instead when a change of occupancy classification IS involved, since that exclusion is explicitly scoped to non-classification-changing work
Per the county's general Building Permit Fee Schedule (e.g. $45 for $1.00-$500 valuation, scaling up with per-$100/$1,000 increments) — same tiered schedule documented in this jurisdiction's Residential Building Permit entry
Building Plan Review FeeSan Juan County Building Department page — charged in addition to the Building Permit Fee for projects requiring an Architect/Engineer seal under NMAC 14.5.2.9/14.5.2.10, same fee documented in this jurisdiction's Residential Building Permit entry
Project valuation × .0012

Review timeline

Plan reviewUnincorporated San Juan County’s published plan-review target
15–20 business days

How long did your Change of Occupancy / Certificate of Occupancy permit actually take in Unincorporated San Juan County?

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

Inspection process

  1. 1

    Building Final

    Last inspection prior to occupancy approval; a Certificate of Occupancy is not issued until all required trade inspections — and the Fire Department inspection for commercial projects — are approved, per 14.5.3.13 NMAC and the Building Division's own Required Inspections list

See the full Unincorporated San Juan County inspection guide — scheduling & re-inspection fees →

Tips

  • San Juan County does not publish a separate 'Change of Use' or 'Certificate of Occupancy' application — use the Commercial Buildings Permit Application and check 'Alteration to Commercial' or 'Other,' describing the occupancy change in that field.
  • If your project is a simple alteration/repair that does NOT change the building's occupancy classification, the county calculates your project valuation from the contract price; if it DOES involve a change of occupancy classification, the county's own Plan Review Requirements language implies ICC Building Valuation Data (BVD) governs instead — the same method used for new construction.
  • A change of occupancy still requires the same Fire Department inspection and full Building Final inspection sign-off as new commercial construction before a Certificate of Occupancy is issued.
  • All fees are non-refundable and a minimum of 24 hours' notice is required for any inspection, per the Building Department's standard policies documented elsewhere in this jurisdiction's permit entries.

Frequently asked questions

Unincorporated San Juan County requires a change of occupancy / certificate of occupancy permit for: No standalone Change-of-Use or standalone Certificate of Occupancy application exists in this jurisdiction; use the Commercial Buildings Permit Application (checking 'Alteration to Commercial' or 'Other') for any project changing a building's occupancy classification; A Certificate of Occupancy (or an approved Final Inspection) is required before any building/structure is used or occupied, and before occupancy under a different classification than shown on the existing C/O, per 14.5.3.13 NMAC and the county's own New Residential Permit Application Checklist; All required trade inspections (building, electrical, plumbing, mechanical, and the Fire Department inspection for commercial projects) must be approved before the Building Final inspection and C/O can be issued; Planning/Zoning approval is required only if the property is within the City of Aztec, City of Bloomfield, or Town of Kirtland — rural unincorporated county has no zoning requirement, though the Building Division's own C/O/inspection requirement still applies regardless of zoning status; Where a change of occupancy classification is involved (rather than a simple alteration/repair not changing occupancy classification), project valuation is calculated using ICC Building Valuation Data (BVD) rather than the contract-price method used for non-classification-changing alterations, per the county's own Plan Review Requirements language. If your project isn't listed, confirm with San Juan County Community Development Department — Building Division at (505) 334-4313 (Building Division); (505) 334-4550 (Community Development main line, fax (505) 334-3755) before starting work.

In Unincorporated San Juan County, the published Building Permit Fee (valuation-based; ICC Building Valuation Data used when a change of occupancy classification is involved) is: Per the county's general Building Permit Fee Schedule (e.g. $45 for $1.00-$500 valuation, scaling up with per-$100/$1,000 increments) — same tiered schedule documented in this jurisdiction's Residential Building Permit entry. Additional published fees: Building Plan Review Fee — Project valuation × .0012. These are the jurisdiction's own published figures — see the fee schedule table and source citations on this page.

Unincorporated San Juan County's published plan-review target for a change of occupancy / certificate of occupancy permit is 15–20 business days.

You'll need: Commercial Buildings Permit Application (rev. 07/31/2023); Code Study. See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

Unincorporated San Juan County requires 1 inspection(s) for a change of occupancy / certificate of occupancy permit, in order: Building Final. Schedule each through San Juan County Community Development Department — Building Division ((505) 334-4313 (Building Division); (505) 334-4550 (Community Development main line, fax (505) 334-3755)).

Apply through San Juan County Community Development Department — Building Division at 209 S. Oliver Dr., Aztec, NM 87410. Phone: (505) 334-4313 (Building Division); (505) 334-4550 (Community Development main line, fax (505) 334-3755), email: Not published on the county's Building Department or Community Development pages as of this verification — contact by phone at (505) 334-4313 (Building Division inspections/permit questions) or (505) 334-4550 (Community Development front desk). Office hours: Monday–Thursday 7:00 AM – 5:30 PM; closed Friday (per the Community Development Department contact block, which the Building Division falls under; a four-day/10-hour county work week). As of July 2026, the County's online SmartGov permitting portal (co-sanjuan-nm.smartgovcommunity.com/Public/Home) is live for application submittal, inspection results, and code enforcement lookups; homeowner permits must still be applied for in person per the portal's own notice.. Official information: https://www.sjcounty.net/government/community-development/building-department.

No. The county does not publish a standalone form for either. A change of occupancy classification is processed through the same Commercial Buildings Permit Application used for new commercial construction and alterations (check 'Alteration to Commercial' or 'Other'), and a Certificate of Occupancy is issued only after all required inspections — including the Fire Department inspection for commercial projects — are approved, per 14.5.3.13 NMAC.

The county's own Plan Review Requirements state that contract-price valuation applies only to alterations/repairs 'not requiring a change of occupancy classification' — implying that projects which DO involve a change of occupancy classification are valued using ICC Building Valuation Data (BVD), the same method used for new construction and additions. The county has not published this as an explicit standalone statement, so it is documented here as an inference from its own language.

Sources & verification

Verified against official sources. Last reviewed 2026-07-22.

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 Unincorporated San Juan County building department before you submit. PermitBase is an independent reference and is not affiliated with any government agency.

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