Residential Building Permits/Inspections

The Building Safety division of the Planning Department handles most of the building permit process. Outlined below are the steps necessary for the construction of a residential home within Albuquerque.

• Residential Building Permit Application Backsheet [PDF, 44k]
• Plan Review Comments

Procedures for building a single-family dwelling:

• The permit process begins with submission of two sets of plans, specifications and computations to the City
• The permits specialist places information sheet on the plans
• The address verification specialist establishes the legal address
• The cashier collects plan check fees, flood plain ordinance fees
• The document locator distributes plans to:
• Zoning Review: approves or rejects plans for compliance with Zoning Code and Zoning Auxiliary Ordinances, establishes park dedication fee
• International Building Code Review: approves or rejects plans for compliance with building code: plumbing, mechanical, electrical, and Energy Conservation Code
• Hydrology: determines if building is in a flood plain—if so, flood proofing is required
• The document locator phones the designer to notify that City Plan Check Process has been completed
• The designer reviews plans for comments by three (3) step technical plan reviewers, corrects the plans and presents the plans to each city agency for approval sign-off
• The document locator verifies and coordinates with the designer that all approvals are secured
• The designer notifies the contractor that the plans have been approved and the building permit is ready to be issued
• The contractor comes to Plaza Del Sol Permit Center, located at 600 2nd St. NW, and requests permit issuance from the permit specialist
• The planning assistant completes the building permit form, writes inspection report card, issues one set of plans to contractor, and verifies contractor's state license
• The planning assistant directs the contractor to cashier for collection of building permit fee
• The cashier collects building permit fee (park dedication fee, if applicable), verifies contractor's City Occupation Tax payment and issues building permit
• The contractor begins construction of building and calls for necessary interim inspections during construction progression (foundation, framing, plumbing, mechanical, electrical, insulation, structural, fire protection, etc.)
• The inspectors (building, mechanical, plumbing, electrical) ensure that building is constructed in accordance with approved plans during construction progression
• The contractor requests certificate of occupancy after all green tags have been secured
• The planning assistant coordinates approvals with all City agencies and prepares a certificate of occupancy
• A certificate of occupancy is issued, verifying compliance with City codes and ordinances
• The building tenants take occupancy of the completed building

1. The Plan Review Section of the Building Safety Division is located on the ground floor of the Plaza Del Sol building at 600 Second Street NW. The office is open during regular business hours Monday through Friday. For more information, contact the Building Safety division at 505-924-3962