What's Required in Albuquerque
- Every wall or fence needs a permit: Zoning Counter approval ($35) up to 6 feet, a building permit above 6 feet.
- Residential zoning caps: 3 feet in the front or street side yard, 8 feet elsewhere on the lot (IDO Table 5-7-1).
- Corner lots: rear-yard wall abutting a neighbor's front yard is limited to 3 feet within 10 feet of the street lot line, 6 feet beyond.
- Walls over 6 feet, or existing walls raised above 6 feet, must be certified by a New Mexico registered structural engineer or architect.
- Wall height is measured from the low side of grade; a garden wall on a retaining wall counts the combined height.
- Plans for a permitted wall: site plan with wall lengths, property line dimensions, setbacks, easements and grading, at 1/4 inch scale with sections at 1/2 inch.
- Building permits for walls are issued only to the owner-occupant or a New Mexico GB-2 or GB-98 general contractor.
- Inspections for a permitted wall: foundation or footing, bond beam or reinforcement, and final.
Do you need a permit to build a fence in Albuquerque?
Yes, at any height, but which permit depends on the height. The Building Safety permits page puts it plainly: walls and fences over six feet high need a building permit, and walls and fences under six feet require a permit from the Zoning Counter. The 2024 Uniform Administrative Code (109.2.1) is the source of the six-foot line: exterior fences and freestanding masonry walls not over six feet high above grade on the lowest side are exempt from the building permit. The zoning permit is the Wall or Fence Approval (Minor) on the General Planning Fee Schedule, $35 in total, applied for online through the Code Enforcement side of ABQ-PLAN. Build a wall without it and the same schedule charges $90.
How tall can a fence be in Albuquerque?
The Integrated Development Ordinance sets the zoning caps in Table 5-7-1. In residential zones a wall in the front yard or street side yard is limited to 3 ft, and a wall in other locations on the lot is limited to 8 ft. On a corner lot, the part of a rear-yard wall that abuts a neighbor's front yard is held to 3 ft within 10 ft of the street lot line and 6 ft beyond it. A taller front-yard wall is possible with a Permit – Wall or Fence – Major: view fencing that is at most 50 percent opaque may be added above 3 ft, to 5 ft within 10 ft of the street lot line and 6 ft beyond, per Table 5-7-2. Anything over Table 5-7-1 needs a Variance. Height is measured from the low side of grade, and a garden wall built on a retaining wall counts the combined height.
How much does a fence permit cost in Albuquerque?
Up to 6 ft: the $35 zoning fee. Over 6 ft you pay the zoning fee plus a building permit priced from UAC Table 112-A by valuation, times the 0.50 modifier for one- and two-family homes, plus 65 percent plan review. Table 112-F supplies the per-foot valuation guide: a cedar wood fence is $31.00 per lineal foot at 8 ft, a CMU garden wall $55.40. Worked examples for 100 lineal feet:
- 8 ft cedar fence: 100 x $31.00 = $3,100. Table 112-A: $69.25 + 2 x $14.00 = $97.25; x 0.50 = $48.63 permit + $31.61 plan review = $80.24.
- 8 ft CMU wall: 100 x $55.40 = $5,540. Table 112-A: $69.25 + 4 x $14.00 = $125.25; x 0.50 = $62.63 + $40.71 = $103.34.
Walls over 6 ft, and existing walls raised above 6 ft, must be certified by a New Mexico registered structural engineer or architect, which is usually the larger cost. Retaining walls are a separate case: the UAC exempts retaining walls with up to 36 inches of grade difference from a building permit, while the 2017 wall handout asks for engineer certification above 24 inches and says garden walls cannot retain more than 24 inches. Ask the plan reviewer which applies before you design one.
| What you are doing | City filing | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| 6 ft cedar fence along the back and sides | Zoning wall permit, $35 | Under 6 ft is exempt from the building permit (UAC 109.2.1) but needs Zoning Counter approval. |
| 3 ft front-yard wall | Zoning wall permit, $35 | IDO Table 5-7-1 caps front and street side yard walls at 3 ft in residential zones. |
| 5 ft front-yard wall with open view fencing | Permit – Wall or Fence – Major | Table 5-7-2: view fencing at most 50 percent opaque may rise to 5 ft within 10 ft of the street lot line, 6 ft beyond. |
| 8 ft CMU wall in the rear yard | Building permit + plan review, about $103 | Over 6 ft: engineer or architect certification, Table 112-A fee, foundation and bond-beam inspections. |
| Raising an existing 6 ft wall to 7 ft | Building permit + plan review | Existing walls raised above 6 ft must be certified by a NM engineer or architect. |
| 9 ft wall in a residential zone | Variance required | IDO Table 5-7-1 stops at 8 ft in other locations on a residential lot. |
| Wall built without a permit | Zoning fee $90 plus building investigation fee | General fee schedule: $90; UAC 112.4 adds an investigation fee equal to the permit fee. |
Who can pull the permit?
Over 6 ft, the building permit is issued only to the homeowner or a New Mexico GB-2 or GB-98 general contractor, and the application expires if the permit is not issued within six months. Inspections for a permitted wall are foundation or footing, bond beam or reinforcement, and final. If your subdivision has an HOA, the city expects its approval first and does not enforce HOA rules.
How to Get a Fence Permit in Albuquerque
Check the height limit for the yard
Use IDO Table 5-7-1: 3 feet in the front or street side yard, 8 feet in other locations, with the corner-lot rule for walls facing a neighbor's front yard.
Apply for the zoning wall permit
File the Wall or Fence Approval (Minor) online through the Code Enforcement permitting system and pay $35; this covers any fence up to 6 feet.
Over 6 feet: get the plans certified
Have a New Mexico registered structural engineer or architect certify the wall design, and prepare a site plan with lengths, property lines, setbacks and grading.
Submit the building permit in ABQ-PLAN
Upload the plans as the owner-occupant or through a GB-2/GB-98 contractor and pay plan review (65 percent of the Table 112-A fee times 0.50).
Build and pass inspections
Post the permit and approved plans on site and call for the foundation or footing, bond beam or reinforcement, and final inspections.