Can you build your own house in New Mexico without a contractor’s license?

Your New Mexico home must be your primary residence, where you live or plan to live¹. A homeowner permit covers your single-family dwelling and its related structures, such as a private garage, carport or shed¹. You cannot use it for rental property, commercial work or other property you own¹.

You must do the major portion of the work by dollar amount, even as your own general contractor¹. You can work yourself, use employees issued W-2 forms, or subcontract part of the project to licensed contractors¹. Owning the property alone does not meet the work requirement¹.

The New Mexico Construction Industries Division (CID) handles building permits and inspections unless a qualifying local building department provides them⁴. To qualify, a local department must cover general construction, mechanical-plumbing and electrical work, with a certified building official and enough certified inspectors⁴. Call CID’s Albuquerque office to find the building authority for your address⁵.

You need the issuing authority’s approval for your homeowner permit application¹. CID offers an online option for permit applications⁶. For a CID application, start with the state forms and applications page⁶. Ask the issuing office which homeowner forms and drawings to submit.

You need proof of your identity and property ownership for a New Mexico homeowner permit application¹. Submit a signed, notarized responsibility sheet acknowledging your legal responsibility and the major portion of work you will do¹. You must also sign to acknowledge that you received the homeowner permit instructions¹.

For the application, you need local zoning approval and a floodplain determination, and you must pay the required fees¹. Ask the issuing building office for the total fee for your plans and trade work. New Mexico limits each property owner to 1 homeowner permit for a single-family dwelling within any 12-month period¹.

You can do homeowner electrical work in New Mexico only with approved plans and a passing CID homeowner electrical exam¹. You need a score of at least 75% and must wait at least 30 days to retake a failed exam¹. For plumbing, you must show your knowledge; the building official or trade bureau chief can require a written exam¹. That exam also requires a 75% passing score and a 30-day wait if you fail¹.

Only you, as the permit holder, can do electrical or plumbing work under those homeowner permits¹. New Mexico does not issue homeowner permits for HVAC, natural gas or LP gas installations¹. For those installations, you need properly licensed contractors and the applicable trade permits and inspections¹.

No. You need residential building permits on unincorporated land in all 33 New Mexico counties². You need them in Cibola County, McKinley County and Taos County, among others². The county comparison covers unincorporated land, rather than each city’s building office².

You can use the homeowner exemption to build without a contractor’s license only if you meet its conditions¹. You still need building permits before covered construction begins⁷. Your residential work under CID jurisdiction must follow the 2021 International Residential Code with New Mexico amendments⁸. You also need local zoning approval for the homeowner permit application¹.

You must request inspections and correct code violations on your New Mexico homeowner project¹. CID residential inspections include foundation, slab or under-floor, framing, weather-resistive barrier and final inspection⁷. You need final electrical, plumbing and mechanical inspections before the final general construction inspection⁷.

To occupy a building under CID jurisdiction, you need the appropriate inspector’s certificate of occupancy or approved final inspection, as applicable³. Your new home’s certificate must state that construction used a homeowner permit³. Your subcontractors are responsible for their trade permits, inspections and corrections¹. Arrange those approvals before you request your home’s final sign-off¹.