Town of Taos building permits
VerifiedDepartment contacts, adopted codes, permit types, fees, and gotchas for Town of Taos, New Mexico.
Last verified 2026-07-05 · Source · Embed this page’s badge · Version history
Building department
- Address
- 400 Camino de la Placita, Taos, NM 87571
- Phone
- 575-751-2016
- planning@taosnm.gov
- Office hours
- Monday, Wednesday, Thursday: walk-ins welcome (appointments prioritized); Tuesday, Friday: by appointment only; no same-day appointments (per Town of Taos Planning Division office-hours notice, effective June 9, 2025)
- Website
- Official site
Inspection guide
See how inspections work in Town of Taos — sequence, scheduling & re-inspection fees.
Codes adopted
New Mexico sets construction codes statewide by rule, not through home-rule discretion. Under the Construction Industries Licensing Act (NMSA 1978 §§ 60-13-1 et seq.), the state's Construction Industries Commission and Division (CID, within the Regulation & Licensing Department) adopt the technical construction codes codified at New Mexico Administrative Code (NMAC) Title 14 — including the state's own Building, Residential, Existing Building, Mechanical, Fuel Gas, Plumbing, Solar Energy, and Swimming Pool codes, and the National Electrical Code (14.10.4 NMAC currently adopts the 2020 NEC; the CID Commission periodically updates individual code chapters, so confirm the current edition with the applicable authority). Per NMSA 1978 § 60-13-44(E), these state codes "constitute a minimum requirement" binding every political subdivision in New Mexico — no city or county may adopt anything less stringent, though a jurisdiction may adopt stricter local amendments. Enforcement authority runs through whichever entity is the project's Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ, defined at NMAC 14.5.1.7.B): under NMSA 1978 § 60-13-41(D)-(F), a municipality or county that employs its own full-time certified building official may self-administer permitting, plan review, and inspection locally (Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Las Cruces, Rio Rancho, Farmington, and Roswell all operate this way); jurisdictions without a certified building official default to direct enforcement by a CID field office (e.g., Hobbs, Alamogordo). Some jurisdictions run a hybrid — locally certified for some trades while CID directly enforces others (Roswell's electrical permitting, for example, reverted to direct CID administration as of January 1, 2026). Always confirm with the specific jurisdiction whether it or the state CID is the acting AHJ for a given trade before submitting plans.
- New Mexico is a statewide-minimum-code state under the Construction Industries Licensing Act (NMSA 1978 §§ 60-13-44(E), 60-13-41(D)-(F)): a municipality with its own certified building official may become its own code-enforcement authority (self-administering) rather than routing permits through a state Construction Industries Division (CID) field office. The Town of Taos IS self-administering for Building: Town of Taos Code of Ordinances § 15.04.010 states 'The town shall have the exclusive power to issue and enforce building and construction permits within the town and over an area extending three (3) miles from the exterior boundaries of the town,' subject to exceptions for construction exempted by the Construction Industries Licensing Act.
- New Mexico Uniform Building Code (the state-adopted minimum code, as amended from time to time by the NM Construction Industries Commission/Division) — enforced locally by the Town's own code administrator per § 15.04.010; per § 16.12.070.2(C)/§ 16.12.070.3(G), the Town's code administrator reviews submitted plans and specifications 'for compliance with all applicable fire and construction codes and for engineering design, within fifteen (15) business days of submittal of a complete application' for single-family dwellings, and the same review (timeline not separately stated) applies to commercial/industrial/large-scale-residential uses
- Electrical and Mechanical (including Plumbing, which is combined with Mechanical under New Mexico's CID structure): the Town does NOT self-administer these trades. Town of Taos Code of Ordinances § 16.12.070.2(D) (single-family dwellings) and § 16.12.070.3(H) (commercial/industrial/large-scale-residential) both state: 'The applicant shall obtain all required state permits for mechanical and electrical services' — i.e., Electrical, Plumbing, and Mechanical/HVAC permits are CID-administered (state Construction Industries Division), not Town-administered, regardless of project type
- 2021 New Mexico Commercial & Residential Building Code (2021 IBC/IRC basis), 2021 New Mexico Plumbing and Mechanical Code, 2020 New Mexico Electrical Code (2020 NEC, 14.10.4 NMAC) and other current NM Administrative Code Title 14 construction chapters, as adopted/amended by the state Construction Industries Commission/Division — these are the codes CID applies when it reviews and permits Electrical/Plumbing/Mechanical work in Taos, and are also the minimum standard the Town's own code administrator enforces for Building
- Town of Taos Code of Ordinances, Title 15 (Buildings and Construction), Chapter 15.04 (Building Code) — establishes the Town's self-administration authority (§ 15.04.010) and the High Performance Building Program (§ 15.04.040 et seq., HERS-rating and LEED requirements phased in 2009-2012 and beyond for larger residential/commercial projects)
- Town of Taos Code of Ordinances, Title 16 (Land Use Development), Chapter 16.12.070 (Building Permits, Certificates of Occupancy and Use) — governs submittal requirements, the 15-business-day Building plan-review timeline for dwellings, the state-permit requirement for mechanical/electrical, and the Construction Mitigation Checklist (§ 16.12.070.6, mandatory before any building permit is issued)
Permit types & fees
Residential Building Permit (Zoning Review Application)
The Town of Taos calls its building-permit process a 'Zoning Review Application (for Building Permit).' The Town's own Planning, Community and Economic Development Department self-administers Building review and issuance (per Town of Taos Code of Ordinances § 15.04.010), separate from the state Construction Industries Division. Required for new single-family dwellings, additions, alterations, and retaining walls within Town limits (and within 3 miles of Town limits, absent a county ordinance covering that area).
Residential/Commercial Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Permit
Required for installation of a rooftop or ground-mounted solar photovoltaic system within the Town of Taos. Following the same trade split documented for this file's Residential Building Permit entry, a solar PV installation splits across two authorities: the racking/mounting structural scope is self-administered by the Town (Zoning Review Application for Building Permit, $250.00 residential fee, per Town of Taos Code of Ordinances § 15.04.010), while the electrical interconnection scope is NOT covered by the Town's permit and instead requires a separate state Construction Industries Division (CID) Electrical Permit, per Town of Taos Code of Ordinances §§ 16.12.070.2(D) and 16.12.070.3(H). No Town of Taos-specific solar application, checklist, or fee line distinct from these two general mechanisms was found published as of 2026-07-20.
Electric Vehicle (EV) Charger / Charging Station Permit
The Town of Taos does not publish a distinct EV charger/EVSE permit application, checklist, or fee line. Following the same trade split documented for this file's Residential Building Permit and Solar PV Permit entries, installation of a Level 2 (or greater) EV charging station is electrical work, which the Town does NOT self-administer — it is routed to the separate state Construction Industries Division (CID) Electrical Permit, per Town of Taos Code of Ordinances §§ 16.12.070.2(D) and 16.12.070.3(H). No Town of Taos-specific EV charger application or fee distinct from this general state electrical permitting mechanism was found published as of 2026-07-20.
Sign Permit
Required prior to the erection, alteration, or relocation of any sign within the Town of Taos, per Town of Taos Code of Ordinances § 16.20.010.5.3 (the 'Sign Ordinance'). The Town's Planning, Community and Economic Development Department self-administers sign permitting directly (the code administrator or designee has regulatory oversight of permitting and inspection of all signs), the same self-administration pattern documented for this file's Residential Building Permit entry. Covers wall-mounted, cutout letter, hanging, projecting, freestanding, A-frame, and multi-tenant center signs, plus temporary signage.
Fire Sprinkler System Permit (Plan Review)
Following the same trade-split framework documented throughout this file, fire sprinkler plan review and permitting in the Town of Taos is genuinely distinct from the Electrical/Plumbing/Mechanical trades: rather than being routed to the state Construction Industries Division (CID) like those trades (per §§ 16.12.070.2(D)/16.12.070.3(H)), fire sprinkler plan review is self-administered directly by the Town of Taos Fire Department's own fire marshal, using the Department's 'Fire Inspection Request Application' (case prefix 'FI20__-__'). The Town does not publish a separate, standalone 'Fire Sprinkler Permit' application distinct from this general Fire Inspection Request form — Residential Fire Sprinkler Plans, Commercial Fire Sprinkler Plans, and Commercial Fire Sprinkler Modification Plans are each individual checkbox line items with their own fees within that one form. Installation must comply with the 2015 International Fire Code (IFC), adopted by reference with local amendments at Town of Taos Code of Ordinances § 8.12.010, including IFC § 903 (Automatic Sprinkler Systems).
Fire Alarm System Permit (Plan Review)
Following the same self-administered Fire Marshal framework documented in this file's Fire Sprinkler System Permit entry, fire alarm system plan review in the Town of Taos is a separate checkbox line item ('Commercial Fire Alarm System Plans') within the Town of Taos Fire Department's 'Fire Inspection Request Application' — organized distinctly from Fire Sprinkler Plans on the same form, with its own device-count-based fee. This is DIFFERENT from the Town's separate 'Alarm User Permit' under Town of Taos Code of Ordinances Chapter 8.04 (Burglar and Fire Alarm Systems), which governs monitoring/false-alarm liability for systems connected to the Town's central alarm-response panel, not the physical installation's code-compliance review.
Certificate of Occupancy (Change of Occupancy/Use)
The Town of Taos's own term for both an initial-occupancy and a change-of-use/change-of-occupancy product is 'Certificate of Occupancy,' governed by Town of Taos Code of Ordinances § 16.12.070.4. It is unlawful to occupy any building, part of a building, addition, or altered/repaired structure until the Town has issued a certificate of occupancy specifying the permitted type of occupancy, and a NEW application is required 'when a change in the occupancy or use of property is desired' — not just for brand-new construction. The application is filed with the code administrator (Planning, Community and Economic Development Department) and requires final sign-off from BOTH the fire department and the building inspector before issuance. The Town does not publish a standalone downloadable 'Certificate of Occupancy Application' form distinct from its other application packets, and its own Fee Schedule (Appendix A) does not list a separate Planning-Department CO application fee apart from the underlying Zoning Review/Building Permit fee documented in this file's Residential Building Permit entry — the only CO-specific published fee found is the Fire Department's own 'Business or Building CO Inspection' fee, which scales by facility type and square footage.
Tips & gotchas
- The Town of Taos self-administers Building permitting (its own code administrator, its own 15-business-day plan-review SLA, its own 'Zoning Review Application for Building Permit' and BP-prefixed permit numbers) — it does NOT route Building through the state Construction Industries Division. This makes Taos one of the New Mexico municipalities on the self-administered side of the state's dual-track model (NMSA 1978 §§ 60-13-44(E), 60-13-41(D)-(F)).
- Electrical, Plumbing, and Mechanical/HVAC are the OPPOSITE: Town of Taos Code of Ordinances §§ 16.12.070.2(D) and 16.12.070.3(H) both require 'the applicant shall obtain all required state permits for mechanical and electrical services' — meaning those three trades are routed to the state Construction Industries Division (CID), not the Town, for both single-family and commercial/large-scale-residential projects. This split-by-trade governance model is real and confirmed directly from the Town's own codified ordinance text, not assumed from a generic New Mexico default.
- A homeowner-builder permit explicitly excludes electrical and plumbing ('a separate application is required for these trades') and prohibits self-performed mechanical/HVAC work altogether — per the acknowledgment page of the State of New Mexico Homeowner Building Permit Application that the Town requires alongside its own Zoning Review Application.
- No building permit will be issued without an approved Construction Mitigation Checklist (Town of Taos Code of Ordinances § 16.12.070.6) — a genuine gating document covering parking, fencing, dumpsters, traffic control, and restricted construction-activity hours (residential: 8am-5pm Mon-Sat; commercial: 7am-6pm Mon-Sat, or 8am-5pm in residential zones).
- The Town of Taos High Performance Building Program (§ 15.04.040.1) phases in mandatory HERS energy ratings (currently 70 or better as of Phase IV, 2012-onward, for residential of ANY size) and LEED 'certified' ratings for larger commercial projects, as a condition of BOTH the building permit and the certificate of occupancy — this is a genuinely unusual and stringent local requirement not found in most other New Mexico jurisdictions in this corpus.
- A Site Threshold Assessment (STH) is required of all developing/redeveloping properties accessing a Town road EXCEPT single-family residential applications — don't assume single-family projects are exempt from every review; they are only exempt from this specific one.
- The department name on current documents (2023-2025) is 'Planning, Community and Economic Development Department,' though an older 'Building Safety Division' letterhead/name appears on some pre-2023 Town documents still linked from the Town's own website — both refer to the same office at 400 Camino de la Placita.