Residential Building Permit (Zoning Review Application) in Town of Taos, New Mexico

Town of Taos requires a residential building permit (zoning review application) for: Zoning Review Application (for Building Permit) completed with original homeowner or contractor signatures; Owner's Affidavit completed only when an applicant has an agent; Completed Construction Mitigation Checklist per Town of Taos Code of Ordinances § 16.12.070.6 — no building permit shall be issued without it; Completed E-911 Addressing Application; Completed Floodplain Determination Form; Legal description of property and a copy of the most recent registered warranty deed, or a Notice of Valuation obtained from the Taos County Assessor's Office; Vicinity map and 1 complete set of plans (site plan/survey plat, foundation plan, floor plan, framing plan, roof plan, elevations, cross-section details) meeting the requirements of Town of Taos Code of Ordinances Chapter 15.04 (Building Code) and Title 16 (Land Use Development Code); Septic Tank and Well Permit (State of NM Environment Department + State Engineer's Office) OR an approved Town of Taos Water/Sewer Hookup Application, required before the Zoning Review for Building Permit is issued; For new construction requiring a State of New Mexico Homeowner Building Permit Application (single-residential, homeowner self-performing without a contractor) or a State of New Mexico Multi-Purpose Building Application (commercial/multi-family, 2+ dwellings) — these are STATE forms required alongside the Town's own Zoning Review Application; Drainage Plan prepared and sealed by a Registered Licensed NM Engineer required for any construction within 150 feet of the centerline of an established arroyo; Electrical and plumbing work is NOT covered by this Town Zoning Review/Building Permit — separate state Construction Industries Division (CID) permits are required for those trades, obtained by the applicant directly from CID, per Town of Taos Code of Ordinances §§ 16.12.070.2(D) and 16.12.070.3(H); Mechanical/HVAC work is likewise routed to the state CID and, per the State Homeowner Building Permit Application's acknowledgment page, may NOT be self-performed under a homeowner's permit at all — it must be subcontracted to a licensed contractor who pulls a separate CID permit. 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.

The Residential Zoning Review Fee is $250.00 per dwelling (attached or semi-attached units, up to 5 dwellings). Commercial or multi-family projects of 6 or more dwellings pay $500.00. Commercial/multi-residential projects (2+ dwellings) also pay a Fire Marshal plan review fee of $0.035 per square foot. Source: Town of Taos Zoning Review Application Packet, updated 3/25/2025.

Up to 15 business days from submittal of a complete application, per Town of Taos Code of Ordinances § 16.12.070.2(C): the code administrator must review plans for code and engineering-design compliance within that window, and the permit is issued promptly once the application is found complete and proper.

You'll need: Zoning Review Application (for Building Permit); Construction Mitigation Checklist; Site Plan and Survey Plat; E-911 Addressing Application; Floodplain Determination Form; Warranty Deed or Notice of Valuation. Depending on your project, Town of Taos may also ask for: State of New Mexico Homeowner Building Permit Application Packet; State of New Mexico Multi-Purpose Building Application. See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

Town of Taos requires 5 inspection(s) for a residential building permit (zoning review application), in order: Foundation, Concrete Slab / Under-Floor, Frame, Weather-Resistive Barrier, Final. 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 issues its own Building permit ('Zoning Review Application for Building Permit') directly through its Planning, Community and Economic Development Department — it does not route Building through the state Construction Industries Division (CID), per Town of Taos Code of Ordinances § 15.04.010. However, Electrical, Plumbing, and Mechanical/HVAC permits ARE routed to the state CID, per §§ 16.12.070.2(D) and 16.12.070.3(H) — you will need separate state permits for those trades regardless of whether your building permit is a Town Licensed-Contractor or Homeowner-Builder permit.