City of Albuquerque Achieves Significant Improvements in Permitting

The City of Albuquerque has dramatically improved its permitting process, reducing wait times and eliminating backlogs that once slowed down construction projects across the city.

Average residential plan review times have been cut from 112 days in 2023 to just 15 days today, while commercial reviews dropped from 121 days to 37 days. In FY23, there were approximately 800 plan reviews in the queue waiting more than 30 days for first review. Today, that backlog has been reduced to zero.

Construction inspections are also much faster:

• Building permits – 98% completed within one business day
• Plumbing and mechanical permits – 98% completed within one business day
• Electrical permits – as of July 2025, restored to 98% completed within one business day

Business licensing and registration timelines have also improved. Registrations that once took 2–3 weeks to review and process are now completed in a fraction of the time, while licenses can now be issued in just two days.

“The Planning Department has been hard at work modernizing their system and streamlining their processes,” said Mayor Tim Keller. “Third-Party Plan Review and the new Express Permitting System are just two ways they are innovating to expedite the permitting process.”

New Improvements Launching October 1

Building on these successes, the Planning Department is rolling out two additional initiatives starting October 1 to further speed up permitting:

• Third-Party Plan Review – Construction plans reviewed by approved third-party agencies will now be accepted by the City, eliminating the need for direct building code review.
• Express Permitting System with same day issuance– Beginning with residential reroofing projects, this system will expand in the coming weeks to cover roof-mounted solar installations under 50KW, residential window replacement, minor alterations, and residential water heater replacements.

“Over the past three years we have improved permitting time by over 30% per year, and that is just the beginning,” said Planning Department Director Alan Varela. “Now that we have ABQ-PLAN in place, our permitting team is well on its way to becoming best-in-class nationwide.”

For more information about both new options and how to apply, visit cabq.gov/planning.