Albuquerque Building Department | Permits, Inspections & Contact

The City of Albuquerque Building Safety Division issues building and trade permits and conducts inspections for work inside Albuquerque city limits. Albuquerque is in Bernalillo County, but a property inside the incorporated city normally follows the City of Albuquerque permit path rather than the county’s unincorporated-area process.

Albuquerque building permits and ABQ-PLAN

Albuquerque requires permits for applicable new construction, additions, remodeling, demolition, re-roofing, solar, walls over six feet, and electrical, plumbing, and mechanical work. The city’s ABQ-PLAN portal lets homeowners and licensed contractors submit applications, upload plans, respond to comments, pay fees, and track permit status. Commercial projects may also need zoning, hydrology, transportation, fire, or site-plan approvals before a building permit can be issued.

Use the city’s permit-type and plan-review instructions before submitting. A portal submission is not permission to build: Albuquerque says construction may begin only after the correct permit is issued and required fees are paid.

Inspections, code compliance, and occupancy

Inspections are required at the stages identified for the permit and must be requested after the permit is issued and the work is ready. Building, electrical, plumbing, and mechanical inspection requests can be made through ABQ-PLAN or by contacting Building Safety at (505) 924-3320. The city’s Building Safety FAQ also provides a permit and application search path and explains how to report suspected unpermitted work.

Final inspections and any required fire, zoning, hydrology, or other approvals must be complete before a project is closed. Commercial work requiring a certificate of occupancy should follow the city’s occupancy appointment instructions; a final inspection alone does not automatically authorize occupancy when a certificate is required.

Zoning and plan review requirements

Albuquerque uses its Integrated Development Ordinance and adopted technical codes alongside the New Mexico construction-code framework. Residential and commercial plan review may require a site or plot plan, construction drawings, supporting documents, zoning review, and specialized approvals. The city’s third-party review option covers building-code review only; zoning and other required city approvals still must be completed.

Official contact information

The Building Safety Division lists (505) 924-3320 for building permits, plan review, inspections, and trade permits. The city’s published building-permit materials identify the Building Safety Division at 600 2nd Street NW, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87102. Use ABQ-PLAN for current applications, permit status, document uploads, and inspection workflows.