Doña Ana County, NM Building Safety: Building Inspections (2026)

Under County Code Chapter 142, all construction, alteration, and electrical, plumbing, and mechanical work in the unincorporated areas of Doña Ana County must proceed through the Building Services Department's inspection process, following fee rules set out in §§ 179-16 through 179-19. Builders may request a foundation-only or grading-only permit under § 142-4D before the full set of construction documents is finished, but that phased permit is routed to every reviewer, including zoning, drainage, SWPPP, and Fire Code, and will not issue if any of those reviews leaves an outstanding objection.

Once construction begins, inspections happen at intermittent stages: § 179-18B sets a $45-per-hour fee for any partial inspection requested mid-project, and § 179-18A charges the same $45 per hour when an inspection has to be scheduled outside the County's regular working hours. No building may be occupied, and no occupancy classification may change, until the building official signs off with a certificate of occupancy under § 179-18C; skipping that step exposes the permittee to a penalty of three times the original permit fee. Owners who need to occupy a structure before every element is finished can request a temporary certificate of occupancy under § 179-18D, costing 10% of the building permit fee or $100, whichever is larger.

If an inspector finds work incomplete or corrections unmade, § 179-19B assesses a $45 reinspection fee, and the County will not send an inspector back until that fee is paid. Anyone who starts work before pulling a permit faces a § 179-19A investigation fee of $45 per hour (one-hour minimum) plus proof the work was done correctly, and § 179-19C then triples the permit fee itself as a penalty.