Clovis building department

The City of Clovis Department of Building Safety handles permits, plan review, and inspections for building, electrical, plumbing, and mechanical work. Its reach goes past the city limits. The department covers Clovis plus a five-mile extraterritorial area, and the City of Portales plus a three-mile extraterritorial area. The city’s Permitting & Inspections page also lists Texico. So a property outside Clovis city limits may still be permitted here. The office is at 1221 Mitchell Street and is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Zoning is a division of the same department.

Adopted codes

Clovis has adopted the 2021 International Codes and the 2020 National Electrical Code.

When a permit is required

A building permit is required to construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move, or demolish a commercial or residential building or structure, or to change its occupancy. That includes accessory buildings, curb cuts, signs, and pools. The Building Official decides on other projects and repairs. Cosmetic work such as paint, trim, flooring, and tile does not need a building permit.

The city posts separate applications for new homes, residential additions and remodels, new commercial buildings, commercial additions and remodels, roofs, fences, carports, demolition, excavation, curb cuts, signs, and moving a structure or mobile home. A fence application needs a highlighted survey showing where the fence will go. The application quotes city code Chapter 15.44: a fence between the street line and the front building line of an interior lot can’t be taller than 24 inches. A woven-wire or similar fence up to 48 inches is allowed there if at least 80% of its surface is open. See also fence permits.

Starting work before you get a permit can double the permit fee. The permit card must stay posted during construction. The city does not enforce private covenants.

Who can pull the permit

Permit	Who may apply
Commercial construction	A contractor holding both a current New Mexico license and a City of Clovis business license
Residential construction	A homeowner who owns and lives in the single-family house, or a contractor with both licenses
Electrical, plumbing, mechanical	Licensed contractors with both licenses only
Roofing on commercial or rental property	A licensed contractor; the owner may not do it

Homeowners can’t pull trade permits, even on their own house. Application forms ask for the city business license number and the state license number of each plumbing, mechanical, and electrical subcontractor.

Fees

Building permit fees are set by project valuation. There are two rate tables. Type I applies to residential permits pulled by a licensed contractor. Type II applies to homeowner permits, sign permits, and commercial construction.

Valuation	Type I	Type II
$2,000 to $25,000	$28 + $5.60 per $1,000	$37 + $9.80 per $1,000
$25,001 to $50,000	$157 + $4.04 per $1,000	$262 + $7.07 per $1,000
$50,001 to $100,000	$258 + $2.80 per $1,000	$444 + $4.90 per $1,000
$100,001 to $500,000	$398 + $2.24 per $1,000	$691 + $3.92 per $1,000
$500,001 to $1,000,000	$1,294 + $1.90 per $1,000	$2,261 + $3.325 per $1,000
Over $1,000,000	$2,244 + $1.46 per $1,000	$3,923 + $2.55 per $1,000

Applying online

Applications go through the city’s Tyler EnerGov self-service portal. You need an account to track applications, invoices, and inspections. The city’s account guide walks through it: register, choose Apply, pick the permit type from the All tab, and submit. Staff contact you if they need more information or payment. You can pay the invoice online or at the Building Safety office. Once payment is received, the city issues the permit. You then use the portal to request and track inspections. The department also asks that complete applications and all drawings be emailed to Building Safety.

Zoning

The Zoning Department works with the Planning and Zoning Commission on rezonings, plats, annexations, variances, and special exceptions. It also publishes the Unified Development Ordinance and a zoning fee schedule. The city posts separate applications for floodplain development, subdivisions, zone changes, and variances or conditional uses. Zoning has its own phone line, (575) 763-9639.