City Prepares to Enforce Downtown Vacant Premises Ordinance

On January 6, 2025, the City Council passed O-24-61, the Downtown Vacant Premises Ordinance. The ordinance, which was sponsored by Councilor Joaquin Baca, goes into effect July 1, 2025, and requires property owners to register unused properties located within the Downtown Core, obtain a vacant building maintenance license, and maintain them following City regulations. The purpose is to encourage property owners to make productive use of their properties by activating empty buildings in the Downtown Core to contribute to the economic development of the area, improve the neighborhood for residents and visitors, and eliminate blight.

This ordinance defines the Downtown Core area as 8th Street to the West, Copper Avenue to the North, Gold Avenue to the South, and 1st Street to the East. This includes all properties with a front lot line along Gold Avenue to the North and South.

“For decades we’ve seen many of our historic buildings sit vacant and empty, today we are seeing movement and the beginning of a renaissance downtown,” said City Councilor Joaquín Baca.

"The Vacant Premises Ordinance will help activate the empty buildings downtown and allow new businesses to thrive," said Mayor Tim Keller. "By working together, we can make the most of our downtown core and revitalize the area for residents to live, work, and enjoy."

By June 30th of each year, property owners in the Downtown Core must register their properties with the City’s Code Enforcement Division if they were vacant for at least nine months during the City's fiscal year (July 1-June 30). They must also obtain a vacant building maintenance license and renew it annually if their property remains vacant. To ensure compliance, an annual survey of all buildings and properties within the Downtown Core will be conducted to determine whether they are vacant or occupied.

The initial survey was completed on May 15, 2025, and found 20 properties unoccupied of the 137 surveyed. If a property owner plans to vacate their premises, they must register and obtain a vacant building maintenance license at least 15 days before vacating.

To comply with the requirements, property owners must disclose all measures to be taken to ensure that the vacant premises will be kept weather-tight and secure from trespassers, safe for entry by police officers and firefighters in times of emergency, free from nuisance, and in good order.

The Albuquerque/Bernalillo County Comprehensive Plan characterizes a Downtown Core as having the highest level of intensity for land use. Albuquerque’s Downtown Core has a vacancy rate of approximately 12.8% for retail properties, 23% for office space, and over 30% of the land is simply being used for surface parking. This means that over half of the Downtown Core is not achieving its potential.

Code Enforcement began notifying all property owners in the Downtown Core of the upcoming changes on May 1, 2025, and will be actively implementing the Ordinance.