City Speeds Up Permitting and Inspections

The City has launched a Construction Permit & Inspection Dashboard to publicly track major improvements to its permitting process, including eliminating backlogs that once slowed down construction and completing nearly all construction inspections within one business day.

The new dashboard provides average construction permit issuance and inspection times, giving applicants more predictability when planning projects while holding the City accountable for maintaining faster service. The dashboard’s data is tracked daily and updated weekly on the City’s website and on digital displays throughout the Plaza Del Sol building.

“We kept hearing permits were taking too long, so we did something about it,” said Mayor Tim Keller. “Our Planning Department dug in and slashed the time it takes to start a construction project. That’s what regulatory justice means: cutting red tape, reducing wait times and making it easier for people to get things done.”  

Average residential permit issuance times have fallen from 112 days in 2023 to just 12 days today, while commercial permit issuance times have dropped from 121 days to 18. In 2023, approximately 800 plan reviews were in the queue waiting more than 30 days for first review. That backlog has been reduced to zero.

Construction inspections are also much faster:

• Building inspections – 98% completed within one business day.
• Plumbing and mechanical inspections – 100% completed within one business day.
• Electrical inspections – 99% completed within one business day.

“We’ve spent the right amount of time carefully improving our systems and processes to make sure this massive upgrade works for the long run,” said Planning Department Director Alan Varela. “We did it by switching to a new software platform, ABQ-PLAN; creating an Express Permitting System for certain types of construction; and through a lot of dedicated work by our Plan Review staff.”

The improvements are part of the City’s broader push for regulatory justice: cutting unnecessary red tape and reducing the time, cost and frustration City processes can impose on residents and small businesses.  Faster, more predictable permitting makes it easier to get a home improvement project started, open or expand a business, and move construction projects forward.

The work also puts Mayor Keller’s third-term Abundance Agenda into practice by reducing friction, expanding opportunity and making City government more helpful in everyday life.

To access the new Permit Timeline Dashboard, visit cabq.gov/planning/building-safety-division.