Data through September 2026 · updated 15 Oct 2026
The usual Bernalillo County (unincorporated) permit takes 310 days from issue to the county's final inspection or closeout, across all 10 kinds of work on file (14,025 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). The usual electrical permit, the biggest trade here, takes 161 days. Heating & Cooling is quickest at 144 days; pool & spa the slowest at 637 days. This is the turnaround to finish the work and close the permit, not the wait for approval.
“How long does a permit take?” can mean two waits. This page measures the second one.
Getting the permit (not measured): application → issue, the wait for the county to approve it. Bernalillo County's file we read does not carry a usable application date, so we don't guess at it. Ask the permit office for its current review times.
Finishing the work (measured here): issue → completion. The day the county issued the permit to the day it recorded a final inspection or closeout. That is the contractor's part: doing the work and getting it signed off.
What “finished” means in Bernalillo County (unincorporated): For contractors with at least 8 permits a year or more old, the share the County closed, compared with permits of the same trade issued in the same quarter. Additions aren't measured.
Usual is the middle permit: half finish sooner, half later. Finished is the share of permits a year or more old that the county closed out.
| Trade | Permits | Usual days to finish | Finished | Firms with 10+ permits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical | 4,725 | 161 | 70.9% | 123 |
| Heating & Cooling | 3,069 | 144 | 69.3% | 52 |
| Plumbing | 2,774 | 195 | 66.9% | 53 |
| Roofing | 1,339 | 206 | 61.0% | 30 |
| Solar | 881 | 168 | 78.3% | 15 |
| New Home | 372 | 321 | 75.6% | 7 |
| Garage, Carport & Outbuilding | 299 | 170 | 77.8% | 4 |
| Remodel, Repair, Windows & Doors | 228 | 321 | 68.9% | 3 |
| Addition | 200 | 364 | — | 0 |
| Pool & Spa | 138 | 637 | 54.4% | 6 |
Each trade on its own, from issue to the county's sign-off. The spread between the quickest and slowest quarter of firms is the part you can choose.
The usual electrical permit in Bernalillo County (unincorporated) takes 161 days from issue to the county's final inspection or closeout (4,725 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 70.9% of electrical permits a year or more old have been closed out. The wait for approval before issue is not in Bernalillo County's file.
The usual heating & cooling permit in Bernalillo County (unincorporated) takes 144 days from issue to the county's final inspection or closeout (3,069 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 69.3% of heating & cooling permits a year or more old have been closed out. The wait for approval before issue is not in Bernalillo County's file.
The usual plumbing permit in Bernalillo County (unincorporated) takes 195 days from issue to the county's final inspection or closeout (2,774 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 66.9% of plumbing permits a year or more old have been closed out. The wait for approval before issue is not in Bernalillo County's file.
The usual roofing permit in Bernalillo County (unincorporated) takes 206 days from issue to the county's final inspection or closeout (1,339 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 61.0% of roofing permits a year or more old have been closed out. The wait for approval before issue is not in Bernalillo County's file.
The usual solar permit in Bernalillo County (unincorporated) takes 168 days from issue to the county's final inspection or closeout (881 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 78.3% of solar permits a year or more old have been closed out. The wait for approval before issue is not in Bernalillo County's file.
The usual new home permit in Bernalillo County (unincorporated) takes 321 days from issue to the county's final inspection or closeout (372 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 75.6% of new home permits a year or more old have been closed out. The wait for approval before issue is not in Bernalillo County's file.
The usual garage, carport & outbuilding permit in Bernalillo County (unincorporated) takes 170 days from issue to the county's final inspection or closeout (299 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 77.8% of garage, carport & outbuilding permits a year or more old have been closed out. The wait for approval before issue is not in Bernalillo County's file.
The usual remodel, repair, windows & doors permit in Bernalillo County (unincorporated) takes 321 days from issue to the county's final inspection or closeout (228 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 68.9% of remodel, repair, windows & doors permits a year or more old have been closed out. The wait for approval before issue is not in Bernalillo County's file.
The usual addition permit in Bernalillo County (unincorporated) takes 364 days from issue to the county's final inspection or closeout (200 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). The wait for approval before issue is not in Bernalillo County's file.
The usual pool & spa permit in Bernalillo County (unincorporated) takes 637 days from issue to the county's final inspection or closeout (138 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 54.4% of pool & spa permits a year or more old have been closed out. The wait for approval before issue is not in Bernalillo County's file.
From our cross-city data studies: the same measure, read the same way, for every city we cover.
How long permits take for other places in Albuquerque. Each permit office keeps its own file, so the numbers are not added together.
Source: Bernalillo County Planning & Development Services permits on homes in unincorporated Bernalillo County (the County's Accela permit layer; the City of Albuquerque issues its own permits and has its own separate pages). The window is October 2023 through September 2026; a permit filed after that isn't here yet.
A filed value is what the contractor wrote on the permit when they applied. It is not a quote and not the final bill.
Counts are permits, not jobs: one job can need several permits, and one permit can cover several visits.
Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can. How the records work in Bernalillo County (unincorporated) → · Sources and definitions for every city →
Free to reuse with attribution (CC BY 4.0). Please credit Contractor Records and link to this page. Suggested citation:
Contractor Records, "How long do permits take in Bernalillo County (unincorporated), NM?", https://contractorrecords.com/bernalillo-county/how-long-does-a-permit-take, data through September 2026, from Bernalillo County building-permit records.Link to a table: By trade · Each kind of permit.
Download the tables (CSV): Days to finish by trade.
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