Residential/Commercial Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Permit in Town of Taos, New Mexico

Town of Taos requires a residential/commercial solar photovoltaic (pv) permit for: Zoning Review Application (for Building Permit) required for the racking/mounting structural scope, using the same $250.00 (residential, up to 5 dwellings) or $500.00 (commercial/6+ dwellings) fee documented in the Residential Building Permit entry; Electrical interconnection is NOT covered by the Town's Zoning Review/Building Permit — a separate State of New Mexico Construction Industries Division (CID) Electrical Permit is required, per Town of Taos Code of Ordinances §§ 16.12.070.2(D) and 16.12.070.3(H), the same trade split documented for all other electrical work in this record; Construction Mitigation Checklist required per Town of Taos Code of Ordinances § 16.12.070.6 before any building permit (including one covering solar racking) may be issued; A homeowner self-performing the racking/mounting work under the State of New Mexico Homeowner Building Permit Application may not self-perform the electrical interconnection — 'a separate application is required for these trades,' per the same exclusion documented in the Residential Building Permit entry; If the parcel is within 150 feet of the centerline of an established arroyo, a Drainage Plan sealed by a Registered Licensed NM Engineer is required for ground-mounted array foundations; New Mexico's Construction Industries Division publishes solar-specific plan-review guidance (e.g., a Solar Array Plan Review document) for the state-administered electrical/interconnection permitting track; read that document directly for its fee figures, which are not reproduced here. 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.

In Town of Taos, the published Residential Zoning Review Fee (racking/mounting structural scope) is: $250.00 per residential dwelling (attached or semi-attached units, up to 5 dwellings). Additional published fees: Commercial and Multi-Family Dwelling (6+ dwellings) Zoning Review Fee — $500.00; State CID Electrical Permit Fee (interconnection scope) — residential, by service/panel amperage — 100 amp service or less: $25.00; over 100 amp through 200 amp: $40.00; over 200 amp through 320 amp: $55.00; over 320 amp through 400 amp: $125.00; over 400 amp: $200.00; plus a plan review fee of $40.00/hour or fraction thereof where plan review is required. These are the jurisdiction's own published figures — see the fee schedule table and source citations on this page.

Town of Taos's published plan-review target for a residential/commercial solar photovoltaic (pv) permit is 0–15 business days.

You'll need: Zoning Review Application (for Building Permit) — Solar scope; State of New Mexico CID Electrical Permit Application; Construction Mitigation Checklist. See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

Town of Taos requires 3 inspection(s) for a residential/commercial solar photovoltaic (pv) permit, in order: Foundation/Racking (ground-mount only), State Electrical Inspection (interconnection), Town Final 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.

Both, split by trade the same way as any other construction project in Taos: the Town's Planning, Community and Economic Development Department issues its own Zoning Review Application for Building Permit ($250 residential fee) covering the racking/mounting structural scope, while the electrical interconnection scope is routed to the State of New Mexico Construction Industries Division, per Town of Taos Code of Ordinances §§ 16.12.070.2(D) and 16.12.070.3(H).