General building work permit checklist — Albuquerque, New Mexico
Assembled from Albuquerque’s own published permit rules. Every line below is quoted from a city document and linked to it. Nothing here is generated, estimated, or inferred from another jurisdiction.
Do you need a permit?
Albuquerque requires a permit for general building work.
Albuquerque waives the building permit for a short list of minor work. A detached single-story accessory building — a garden shed, a playhouse or something similar — qualifies at 120 square feet or less. Fences and freestanding masonry garden walls qualify when they stand six feet or lower above the grade on their lowest side. A retaining wall qualifies when the finished grade differs by 36 inches or less across it, provided nothing loads the ground behind it and it holds back no flammable liquid. Walks, driveways and platforms qualify where they rise 30 inches or less over the grade beside them, sit above no basement or occupied story, and serve no accessible route. Surface and finish work qualifies: paint, wallpaper, tile, floor coverings, cabinetry and countertops. Also outside the requirement are repairs valued under $1,000.00, interior plaster or paneling applied over existing surfaces, exterior re-plastering that needs no new exterior lath, and interior demolition that touches nothing structural. Plumbing, electrical and mechanical permits are still issued separately for exempt items, and every re-roof needs a permit and inspections.
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Sources
- building — permit rules, building — fee schedule ↗verified August 2026
Other permits Albuquerque publishes rules for
Listed because the city publishes a separate rule for each type — not because this project necessarily triggers one. Whether it does depends on your scope of work.
- Deck permit checklist
- Fence permit checklist
- Shed permit checklist
- Water heater permit checklist
- Re-roof permit checklist
- Retaining wall permit checklist
- Electrical work permit checklist
BuildSpec is a reference, not the authority having jurisdiction. Confirm requirements with Albuquerque before you build.