Sign Permit in Town of Taos, New Mexico

Town of Taos requires a sign permit for: A sign permit must be obtained prior to erection, alteration, or relocation of any permanent or temporary sign — Town of Taos Code of Ordinances § 16.20.010.5.3; Application must be made on the sworn Sign Permit Application form supplied by the code administrator, including a description or sketch (minimum scale 1" = 20') of the proposed site showing position on the lot/building relative to adjacent lots, structures, and public rights-of-way, plus a sketch, digital rendering, or digital photo of the proposed sign showing dimensions, materials, and method of attachment — § 16.20.010.5.4; Photographs of the surrounding area from each elevation of the building or structure, per the Sign Permit Application Packet's submittal checklist; A narrative explaining how the proposed sign will not create a danger to public health, safety or welfare, nor cause extraordinary expense, nor create a nuisance — Sign Permit Application Packet submittal checklist; Must adhere to the standards in Town of Taos Code of Ordinances Chapter 16.20.010.5 (Sign Regulations) and Chapter 15.28 (Outdoor Lighting); An applicant may be permitted no more than three (3) permanent signs per place of business, and no more than four (4) temporary sign permits per year with a mandatory thirty (30) calendar day lapse between temporary permits; temporary signs are valid for a maximum of sixty (60) consecutive days — § 16.20.010.5.10.A; Sign height may not exceed twenty feet (20'); total permanent sign area per place of business may not exceed sixty (60) square feet; total temporary sign area may not exceed twenty-four (24) square feet (and does not count toward the permanent maximum); the combined total of all permanent and temporary signage may not exceed eighty-four (84) square feet — § 16.20.010.5.9; No single freestanding sign may exceed forty (40) square feet; wall-mounted signs are limited to 10% of the building facade to which affixed (minimum 12 square feet where the facade area does not permit a larger sign) — § 16.20.010.5.9; Multi-tenant centers must submit a master sign program to the code administrator prior to issuance of any sign permit for the overall premises — § 16.20.010.5.11.A; No sign may be constructed of or incorporate reflective material or internal illumination constituting a visual hazard to drivers, nor be painted with fluorescent colors — § 16.20.010.5.9.B. 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.

Permanent signs: $2.00 per square foot of total sign area or $47.00, whichever is greater (nonrefundable). Temporary signs: a flat $24.00 (nonrefundable). Source: Town of Taos Code of Ordinances § 16.20.010.5.5 and Appendix A Fee Schedule § A.70.010.

Up to 10 business days from the filing of a complete application, per Town of Taos Code of Ordinances § 16.20.010.5.6.A — the code administrator must either issue the permit or an explanatory denial within that window.

You'll need: Sign Permit Application; Site Sketch or Description; Sign Sketch, Digital Rendering, or Photo; Photographs of Surrounding Area; Narrative Statement. See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

Town of Taos requires 1 inspection(s) for a sign permit, in order: Compliance 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.