Accessory Structures in Santa Fe, NM (2026)
5 verified accessory structures rules for Santa Fe, New Mexico, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
ADU Rules
Santa Fe caps an accessory dwelling unit at 1,500 square feet or the principal home's floor area, whichever is smaller, and allows only one ADU per lot of record under Land Development Code Section 14-6.3(D)(1). Owners can rent out the ADU or the main house as a short-term rental, but never both units at once.
Santa Fe Accessory Dwelling Unit Rules
Some RestrictionsSanta Fe City Code (SFCC 1987) § 14-6.3(D)(1)(c)-(d), (g)
Accessory dwelling units located on residentially zoned property: ... (c)are exempt from the density restrictions set forth in this Chapter 14; provided, however, that only one accessory dwelling unit shall be permitted per legal lot of record and provided further that nothing herein is intended to supersede private covenants or other restrictions;(d)shall not exceed either the gross floor area...
ADU Impact Fees
An accessory dwelling unit in Santa Fe doesn't get charged the single-family-detached impact fee. Subsection 14-8.14(E)(4)(a)(ii) treats an ADU as its own land-use category, and the fee schedule in Subsection 14-8.14(E)(3) sets its combined roads, parks, fire and police impact fee at $2,096 per unit, about half the smallest single-family rate.
Santa Fe Charges ADUs Their Own Impact Fee Rate
Some RestrictionsSanta Fe City Code § 14-8.14(E)(3)-(4)(a)(ii)
(4)The land use director shall determine the fee to be collected as a condition of construction permit approval based on the applicable fee schedule in Subsection 14-8.14(E)(3) above and the provisions of this Subsection 14-8.14(E)(4), or on the basis of an independent fee calculation study pursuant to Subsection 14-8.14(F).(a)The determination of the appropriate land use category shall be base...
ADU Owner Occupancy
An owner-occupant who wants to short-term rent a Santa Fe accessory dwelling unit must live in either the principal home or the ADU while the other one is rented. You cannot rent both units short-term and live elsewhere.
Santa Fe ADU Owner-Occupancy for Short-Term Rentals
Some RestrictionsSFCC 1987 § 14-6.3(D)(1)(g)(i)
may be rented as follows:(i)by the owner-occupant, who may rent either the principal dwelling unit or the accessory dwelling unit as a short-term rental unit but not both, as a short term rental unit pursuant to Section 14-6.2(A)(5) during which time, the owner-occupant shall occupy either the principal dwelling unit or the accessory dwelling unit;
ADU Rental Restrictions
If the property owner does not occupy either unit, Santa Fe's ADU ordinance blocks short-term rentals entirely: the principal dwelling and the accessory dwelling unit can only be rented for stays of 30 days or longer.
Santa Fe ADU Rental Length Restrictions
Some RestrictionsSFCC 1987 § 14-6.3(D)(1)(g)(ii)
(ii)by the property owner , who may rent the principal dwelling unit and/or the accessory dwelling unit for periods of not less than thirty (30) days; or
Shed & Carport Rules
Santa Fe confines a residential utility shed to the rear yard under Land Development Code Section 14-6.3(B)(2)(a)(iv), listing it among the accessory uses permitted alongside private garages and greenhouses in the city's RR, R-1 through R-10, RC, RAC, C-1, C-4 and HZ districts. A shed and every other permitted accessory use must also stay on the same lot as the house it serves.
Santa Fe Utility Shed Rear-Yard Rule
Light RestrictionsSanta Fe City Code (SFCC 1987) § 14-6.3(B)(2)(a)(iv), (b)
(a)The following accessory uses and structures are permitted in the RR, R-1—R-6, R-7, R-7(I), R-8, R-9, RC-5, RC-8, R-10, R-21, R-29, RAC, C-1, C-4 and HZ districts: ... (iv)utility sheds, located within the rear yard only; ... (b)All accessory uses and structures allowed under Subsection 14-6.3(B)(2)(a) shall:(i)not involve the conduct of business on the premises, except home occupations;(ii)b...