Bernalillo County, NM Home Business: Customer Traffic Restrictions (2026)
Key Facts
- Zones
- A-1 Rural Ag & R-1 Residential
- Approval needed
- Zoning Administrator conditional-use permit
- Term limit
- Up to three years
- Employee cap
- One non-family employee allowed
Summary
In unincorporated Bernalillo County, a home business that receives clients, customers, or patrons on-site needs Zoning Administrator approval as a conditional use: it is not an automatic right under the zoning ordinance.
Home Occupation where the business includes visits to the site from clients, customers, patients, patrons or similar individuals. Such home occupations may allow for employment of one non-family member and may be approved for a period of time not to exceed three years.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 92).
Full Breakdown
The county's 1973 Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance lists a client-facing home occupation as a conditional use in the A-1 Rural Agricultural and R-1 Single-Family zones, not a permissive use. The Zoning Administrator can approve it for a fixed term of up to three years and can allow one non-family employee. Without that approval, the ordinary home-occupation use bars exterior signs of the business and limits staffing to resident family members, so a home business cannot host clients, customers, patients, or patrons on-site. The rule governs unincorporated county land only; Albuquerque, Los Ranchos de Albuquerque, and Tijeras apply their own separate zoning codes to home businesses within their limits.
Violations & Fines
Hosting clients without the conditional-use approval is a zoning violation; Bernalillo County can cite it under the Code's general penalty section: up to a $300 fine and 90 days in jail per violation, with each day a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a home business in unincorporated Bernalillo County have customers visit?
How long does the customer-visit approval last?
Does this rule apply if I live in Albuquerque?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Bernalillo County
Compare Bernalillo County to another location·View the New Mexico home business overview
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