Fire Sprinkler System Permit (Plan Review) in Town of Taos, New Mexico

Town of Taos requires a fire sprinkler system permit (plan review) for: Fire Inspection Request Application (Town of Taos Fire Department) with the applicable 'Plan Review Fees' checkbox selected: Residential Fire Sprinkler Plans, Commercial Fire Sprinkler Plans, or Commercial Fire Sprinkler Modification Plans; A set of plans must be submitted for plan review — required submittal per the application's own checklist ('Set of Plans for Plan Review (Only for items listed under Plan Review Fees)'); For Commercial Fire Sprinkler Plans, the total number of sprinkler devices must be listed on the application (governs the per-device fee component); Installation must comply with the 2015 International Fire Code as adopted and locally modified by Town of Taos Code of Ordinances § 8.12.010, including IFC § 903 Automatic Sprinkler Systems (the Town's only local modification to § 903 narrows an exception for telecommunications-equipment spaces, per Ordinance 15-01); For commercial, industrial, or large-scale-residential projects, all plans (including fire sprinkler plans submitted as part of that project) must be stamped by a licensed engineer and/or architect per Town of Taos Code of Ordinances § 16.12.070.3(E); A contractor performing the physical installation must separately hold a current New Mexico Construction Industries Division (CID) license for the applicable fire-suppression trade, a statewide licensing requirement distinct from this Town-administered plan-review/permit process; Failure to secure a required fire-code permit is a citable offense under the Town's fire code citation program, carrying a $250.00 citation fee per violation, in addition to any permit fee — Town of Taos Code of Ordinances § 8.12.020. If your project isn't listed, confirm with Town of Taos Planning, Community and Economic Development Department (handles zoning review for building permits; the former standalone 'Building Safety Division' name appears on some older documents but current applications and the department's own letterhead identify it as the Planning, Community and Economic Development Department) at 575-751-2016 before starting work.

$50.00 flat for residential fire sprinkler plans; $50.00 plus $1.00 per device over 50 for commercial fire sprinkler plans; $50.00 flat for commercial fire sprinkler modification plans. Source: Town of Taos Fire Inspection Request Application, updated 02/22/2017.

Town of Taos does not publish a plan-review timeline for this permit. Contact Town of Taos Planning, Community and Economic Development Department (handles zoning review for building permits; the former standalone 'Building Safety Division' name appears on some older documents but current applications and the department's own letterhead identify it as the Planning, Community and Economic Development Department) at 575-751-2016 for current turnaround.

You'll need: Fire Inspection Request Application — Fire Sprinkler Plans; Set of Fire Sprinkler Plans. Depending on your project, Town of Taos may also ask for: Sprinkler Device Count. See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

Town of Taos requires 2 inspection(s) for a fire sprinkler system permit (plan review), in order: Fire Marshal Plan Review, Sprinkler System Inspection. Schedule each through Town of Taos Planning, Community and Economic Development Department (handles zoning review for building permits; the former standalone 'Building Safety Division' name appears on some older documents but current applications and the department's own letterhead identify it as the Planning, Community and Economic Development Department) (575-751-2016).

Apply through Town of Taos Planning, Community and Economic Development Department (handles zoning review for building permits; the former standalone 'Building Safety Division' name appears on some older documents but current applications and the department's own letterhead identify it as the Planning, Community and Economic Development Department) at 400 Camino de la Placita, Taos, NM 87571. Phone: 575-751-2016, email: 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). Official information: https://www.taosnm.gov/203/Planning-Community-Economic-Development.

Town of Taos, New Mexico has adopted: 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). Local amendments apply — see the Town of Taos overview page for the full list.

The Town of Taos Fire Department's own fire marshal reviews fire sprinkler plans directly, using the Department's Fire Inspection Request Application — this is self-administered by the Town, not routed to the state Construction Industries Division, unlike Electrical, Plumbing, and Mechanical/HVAC work in Taos. The contractor performing the installation must still separately hold a current NM CID license for the fire-suppression trade.