Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Town of Kirtland, New Mexico

Town of Kirtland’s own rules

• InspectionsLimited

  Proposed mobile homes and proposed mobile-home parks or travel-trailer parks inside Kirtland town limits.

  • A proposed individual mobile home may not be occupied until Town Building Inspector inspection and approval.
  • A park site may not be occupied until improvements are made as submitted in the approved final plat and inspections and approval are granted.

  “No individual mobile home shall be occupied on any proposed site until proper inspection by the Town Building Inspector has been made and approval granted.”

• Certificate of occupancyLimited

  New construction or development in the Community Commercial, Neighborhood Commercial, Limited Industrial, and Heavy Industrial districts inside Kirtland town limits.

  • Required landscaping must occur before the occupancy certificate is issued unless Town staff approve an agreement.

  “The landscaping must occur prior to the occupancy certificate being issued, unless an agreement has been reached and approved by Town staff.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land and structures inside the Town of Kirtland, New Mexico.

  • Uses, occupancy, and construction must conform to the regulations for the district where located.

  “No building, structure, or land shall hereafter be used or occupied, and no building or structure or part thereof shall hereafter be erected, constructed, reconstructed, moved, or structurally altered except in conformity with all of the regulations herein specified for the district in which it is located.”

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  Family living area inside Kirtland town limits.

  • A family of two adults only or a single individual has a lower stated minimum.

  minimum living area: >= 550 square feet (350 square feet for a family of two adult people only or a single individual) · minimum living area for specified smaller household: >= 350 square feet (family of two adult people only or a single individual)

  “The living area of any family, as defined in the Definitions, shall not be less than five hundred fifty (550) square feet, and the living area for any family consisting of two adult people only, or a single individual, shall not be less than three hundred fifty (350) square feet.”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Manufactured or modular homes in the R-4 Residential-4 district inside Kirtland town limits.

  • A mobile home must comply with the R-4 special provisions and be set up within an approved mobile-home park.
  • The home must be the only dwelling unit on the lot and meet the listed size, construction, installation, foundation, skirting, parking, and utility conditions.

  minimum mobile-home width: >= 12 feet · minimum mobile-home living area: >= 720 square feet

  “One manufactured home or modular home for one family, provided that any mobile home must comply with all the requirements set forth under "special provisions" this section and be setup within an approved mobile home park.”

• Off-grid sanitationLimited

  Mobile homes on R-4 lots where Town water and sewer are unavailable inside Kirtland town limits.

  • Private water supply and sewage disposal systems must comply with all state and local requirements.

  “If these systems are not available in the area where the lot is located, private water supply and sewage disposal systems must be provided which comply with all state and local requirements for such systems.”

• Mandatory utility hookupConditional

  Mobile homes placed on lots in the R-4 Residential-4 district inside Kirtland town limits.

  • Connection is required only if the Town water and sewer systems are available.
  • Where the systems are unavailable, private water supply and sewage disposal systems must comply with all state and local requirements.

  “Be connected to the water and sewer systems of the Town of Kirtland, if available. If these systems are not available in the area where the lot is located, private water supply and sewage disposal systems must be provided which comply with all state and local requirements for such systems.”

• Subdividing landLimited

  Mobile-home subdivisions, mobile-home parks, and travel-trailer parks inside Kirtland town limits.

  • The applicant must obtain a Town Council special exception and final-plat approval before a certificate or license is approved.
  • No development or construction may take place until after a Certificate of Zoning Compliance issues.

  “Upon approval of both the final plat and the application for a special exception, a Certificate of Zoning Compliance will be issued in accordance with the provisions of Section 7, Items 4 and 6, of the Town of Kirtland Zoning Ordinance No. 2016-02. No development or construction whatever shall take place on the proposed site until after the issuance of the Certificate of Zoning Compliance.”

• Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

  Original and renewal mobile-home park and travel-trailer park licenses inside Kirtland town limits.

  • The original fee is prorated to the nearest quarterly basis between the original-license date and October 1 of each year.
  • The stated fee applies to original license applications and renewals.

  license fee: 150 USD (plus $8.00 per lot for each mobile-home or travel-trailer stand) · additional fee: 8 USD per lot (each mobile-home or travel-trailer stand)

  “All original license applications or renewals thereof shall be accompanied by a fee of $150, plus an additional fee of $8.00/ Lot for each mobile home or travel trailer stand in the Mobile Home Park or Travel Trailer Park.”

• Permit processPartial

  Mobile homes, mobile-home subdivisions or parks, and travel-trailer parks inside Kirtland town limits.

  • Applications go to the Town Building Inspector.
  • For proposed subdivisions or parks, a Town Council special exception is required before issuance.
  • The applicant must comply with the ordinance, regulations adopted under it, and other applicable legal requirements.

  “All applications for permits, licenses, or certificates shall be made to the Town Building Inspector who shall issue a license, certificate, or permit upon compliance by the applicant with provisions of this ordinance and of any regulations adopted pursuant thereto, and of any other applicable legal requirements.”

Rules another office applies inside Town of Kirtland

Town of Kirtland does not set these itself; the county, a health district or the state does, and they apply to every address inside its limits.

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Lots in the RR-1 Rural Residential-1 district inside Kirtland town limits.

  • The one-half-acre standard applies where Town sewer is available; the three-quarter-acre standard applies where Town sewer is unavailable.
  • The district also specifies open-space amounts for small and large animals.

  minimum lot width: >= 70 feet · minimum lot area with Town sewer: >= 0.5 acre · minimum lot area without Town sewer: >= 0.75 acre

  “Minimum lot width: Seventy (70) feet. 2. One-half(½) acre (21,780 square feet) where Town sewer is available; or 3. Three quarters(¾) acre (32,670 square feet) where Town sewer is not available.”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Structures in the RR-1 Rural Residential-1 district inside Kirtland town limits.

  front-yard setback: >= 25 feet · side-yard setback: >= 10 feet · rear-yard setback: >= 20 feet

  “Minimum setback requirement: Front yard: Twenty-five (25) feet. Side yard: ten (10) feet. Rear yard: twenty (20) feet.”

• Lot coverageDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Lots in the NCD Neighborhood Commercial district inside Kirtland town limits.

  • The maximum includes buildings, driveways, and parking spaces.

  maximum lot coverage: <= 70 percent (building, driveways, and parking spaces)

  “Lot coverage by building, driveways, and parking spaces shall be no greater than [seventy] (70) percent of the total lot area.”

• Building heightDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Structures in the RR-1 Rural Residential-1 district inside Kirtland town limits.

  • The lower of the story and height limits controls.

  maximum stories: <= 2.5 stories · maximum height: <= 35 feet

  “No structure shall exceed two and one-half stories or thirty-five feet whichever is less.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Town of Kirtland or San Juan County directly.

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built construction inside Kirtland town limits.
• Building code adopted — Construction inside Kirtland town limits.
• Camping on your land — Temporary camping on private land inside Kirtland town limits.
• Tiny homes — Tiny-home occupancy inside Kirtland town limits.
• Accessory dwellings — Accessory dwelling units inside Kirtland town limits.

Each answer was extracted from an official source and independently re-checked against that source by a second reviewer. That is an evidence check, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the authority before you buy or build.