Farmington building department

The City of Farmington Building Inspection Division, part of the Community Development Department, permits and inspects residential and commercial construction inside Farmington city limits. Its staff includes electrical and plumbing/mechanical inspectors. Plans are also routed to Public Works, the Fire Department, and Waste Management for comments. The office is on the second floor of the Annex Building at 805 Municipal Drive, across from City Hall, and is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays. The division covers property inside city limits only. Aztec and Bloomfield are separate cities.

Permits are in person only

Farmington has no online permits and doesn’t take online payments. You apply and pay at the Annex office. The city accepts:

• Check, money order, or cashier’s check
• American Express, Mastercard, or Visa (by phone if needed)

The city does not accept Discover. Every person or company working in the city, subcontractors included, needs a City of Farmington business license.

What needs a permit

The city says every building erected inside city limits must be permitted. It also says buildings can’t sit over utility easements, in rights-of-way, or over the building line. Its permit list is broad. Permits are required for:

• Decks, porch covers, gazebos, carports, and awnings
• All sheds, including storage and work sheds
• Roofs, including overlays and re-roofs
• Siding, soffit and fascia, and prehung door replacement
• Driveways, sidewalks, and concrete flatwork. Driveways may also need a street cut permit.
• Demolishing interior walls, as well as whole buildings
• Solar panels and hardwired low-voltage work
• Fire protection systems
• Above-ground pools 2 feet deep or more
• Retaining walls and sprinkler systems

Work that doesn’t need a permit:

• Cabinets, countertops, carpet, and tile
• Interior and exterior painting
• Minor landscaping

The FAQ adds that you can do maintenance and repairs without a permit if they involve no structural work and don’t build or remove any wall or partition.

Fences and walls

All fence work needs a permit. That includes any wall or fence 18 inches tall or higher and any replacement. A fence over 6 feet needs a scaled engineering drawing, and a retaining wall over 3 feet must be designed by an engineer. Planning and Zoning reviews setbacks, and Water and Wastewater checks for main lines. Planners answer setback questions at (505) 599-1317. See also do I need a permit for a fence.

Homeowner permits

You can pull a homeowner permit only for your primary residence.

Work	Homeowner permit?
Building, including building your own house	Yes
Electrical and plumbing	Yes, after passing a homeowner test
Mechanical	No
Water or sewer yard line	Yes, but work in the street requires a licensed contractor
Lawn irrigation	Yes. A plumbing permit is required.

For a new house, a homeowner submits two full-size sets of plans with a site plan, an energy checklist, and a Manual J calculation. You can check a contractor’s state license through PSI. Additions or alterations to manufactured or mobile homes go to the state Manufactured Housing Division at (505) 476-4770.

Commercial submittals

Submit hard copies of every commercial application and plan set:

• Up to six sets of drawings for new commercial projects
• Up to four sets for tenant improvements

Electrical, mechanical, and plumbing permits can be filed without drawings, but the city may ask for equipment cut sheets. The Fire Marshal’s Office reviews all new non-residential plans and accepts only digital submittals. At the final inspection, a printed set of as-built plans must be on site, and a digital copy must go to the Fire Marshal’s Office. New buildings get a certificate of occupancy, which is handed to the general contractor in the field. Tenant remodels get a final inspection slip instead.

Fees and permit life

Building permit fees are based on valuation. The fee page says they depend on the construction type, square footage, materials, and applicable codes. Electrical, plumbing, and mechanical permits have fixed fees by type of work. The city doesn’t post a fee table and asks you to call an inspector at (505) 599-1304 for a quote.

A permit is valid for two years from issuance. It becomes void if work doesn’t start within 180 days. Renewing an expired permit takes a new permit and new fees, and possibly a plan check fee. Starting work before the permit is issued can bring civil fines.

Inspections

To schedule an inspection, call (505) 599-1304 with your permit (application) number. Requests must be made a day ahead and are usually done the next business day. Every permit gets a final inspection. City electrical inspectors also perform service-connect inspections throughout the Farmington Electric Utility System service area.

Codes and design criteria

Farmington enforces the state codes adopted under Title 14 NMAC, as amended by Chapter 7 of the City Code. These include:

• 2021 NM Commercial Building, Existing Building, Plumbing, Mechanical, and Energy Conservation codes
• 2020 NM Electrical Code
• 2021 International Fire Code

Local design criteria:

• 20 psf minimum roof live load
• 90 mph basic wind speed (3-second gust)
• 24-inch frost depth

Building permit and plan records are kept for 10 years after a permit is issued.