Bernalillo County is landlocked with no coastline, but the Rio Grande Bosque is the regulated equivalent. The Bosque Action Plan, Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District jurisdiction, and FEMA floodway rules control any development within the river corridor.
While no coastal zone applies in New Mexico, development near the Rio Grande is regulated through multiple overlapping authorities. The Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District (MRGCD) holds easements along the river levees and controls the irrigation ditch network — any crossing or bank work needs MRGCD approval. FEMA-mapped floodway along the Rio Grande (Zone AE/AO) prohibits any fill or structure that would raise the base flood elevation, enforced via Bernalillo County Ordinance Chapter 30 (Floodplain Management). The Bosque is a cottonwood/willow riparian forest managed under the 1993 Bosque Biological Management Plan; federal Section 404 Clean Water Act permits from the Army Corps of Engineers (Albuquerque District) are required for any fill in wetlands or waters of the U.S. Rio Grande Silvery Minnow (federally endangered) triggers ESA Section 7 consultation. Petroglyph National Monument and Sandia Pueblo boundaries add additional setbacks.
Floodway encroachment: stop-work, removal at owner expense, fines up to $500/day under County Code Chapter 30. Unpermitted wetland fill: Army Corps civil penalty up to $59,973/day plus restoration. MRGCD trespass: misdemeanor, removal of encroachment.
Bernalillo County, NM
Bernalillo County Animal Care Ordinance (Chapter 6, §6-47) — unlawful to allow an animal to persistently or continuously bark, howl, or make noise common to ...
Bernalillo County, NM
Construction noise in unincorporated Bernalillo County is regulated under the county noise ordinance (Chapter 30, Art. IV) and general nuisance provisions. B...
Bernalillo County, NM
Bernalillo County has no leaf blower-specific ban. Gas-powered blowers are widely used in unincorporated areas. General noise and air quality rules apply, wi...
Bernalillo County, NM
Bernalillo County Code Chapter 30, Article IV (Noise) establishes noise regulations for unincorporated areas. State law NMSA §30-20-1 also applies — disturbi...
Bernalillo County, NM
Commercial vehicle parking in unincorporated Bernalillo County regulated by zoning code. Off-street loading/unloading requirements in Section 21 of Appendix ...
Bernalillo County, NM
Bernalillo County Code §30 and Albuquerque §8-5-2-6 define abandoned vehicles as those left on public right-of-way for 72+ hours or inoperable vehicles store...
See how Bernalillo County's coastal development rules stack up against other locations.
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