County or City?
This guide is for unincorporated Bernalillo County: the South Valley, North Valley, West Mesa and East Mountains, plus trade permits the County issues for the Village of Los Ranchos. The City of Albuquerque issues its own permits. The County's FAQ says it identifies jurisdiction from your address or the UPC number on your tax bill; the trade permit page warns "Verify the address is in Bernalillo County. NO REFUNDS FOR ERRORS."
What is exempt
From Section 105.2 of the County Building Ordinance (Ordinance 2024-8, the County posts it as "unsigned"; read 26 October 2026), an electrical permit is not required for:
| Exempt | Still needs a permit |
|---|---|
| Repair or replacement of fixed motors, transformers or fixed appliances "of the same type and rating in the same location" | A new appliance circuit, or moving the appliance |
| Repair or replacement of current-carrying parts of a switch, contactor or control | Adding a switch or outlet |
| Reinstalling receptacles, "but not the outlets therefore" | New outlets |
| Repair or replacement of an overcurrent device "of the required capacity in the same location" | A panel upgrade or a bigger breaker |
| Removal of electrical wiring; temporary decorative lighting; cord-and-plug appliances | Service changes, meters, generators, solar |
| Emergency work to safeguard life or property | The permit, applied for "not later than the next business day" |
The County enforces the 2020 National Electrical Code, the 2020 New Mexico State Electrical Code and PNM's service guidelines (Electrical inspections page).
Who can pull it
A licensed electrical contractor. The ordinance says only a contractor licensed by the state Construction Industries Division "will be issued a permit" unless exempt. The County's online portal is for contractors that have "A valid State of New Mexico Contractors License for the respective Permit Type" and "A current Bernalillo County Business License" (trade permit page). For a house that is usually an ER-1 or EE-98 classification; check it on the state's license lookup, with the steps in How to check a contractor's license in New Mexico.
You, after an exam. The ordinance lets the County issue an electrical permit "to a homeowner who successfully completes a written electrical exam with a score of 75% or greater", after filling in the Homeowner's Responsibility Form. You get two hours, and one retake after 10 working days. The County's older homeowner exam handout (2017) adds that exams are held on Mondays at 8:30 a.m., are open book with no code books supplied, cost $25, and that homeowner permits "ARE NOT ALLOWED FOR COMMERCIAL OR INDUSTRIAL WORK." The handout predates the ordinance and gives a 30-day retake wait; ask the inspection line which applies.
What it costs
The County charges electrical permits by item, not by job value. From Administrative Resolution 25-2009, Table 3-B (effective 1 May 2009, "as amended from time to time"):
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Administrative charge, every permit | $23.50 |
| Outlets, switches, fixtures: first 20 | $0.75 each |
| Outlets, switches, fixtures: over 20 | $0.45 each |
| Outlet of 30 amps or over, including panels | $4.00 each |
| Residential fixed appliance, 30 amps or over | $4.00 each |
| Meter loop | $20.00 each |
| Prefinal | $20.00 each |
| Re-inspection | $47.00 each |
By our arithmetic, one new 240-volt circuit for a range or charger is $23.50 + $4.00 = $27.50, and rewiring a room with 15 devices is $23.50 + $11.25 = $34.75. The County says "The final payment amount for the Permit may vary according to data provided", so the invoice in the portal is the number to trust.
How to apply and get inspected
- Apply online in Accela Citizen Access; the County no longer takes PDF trade forms. It will "make every effort to process any submittal received by 3:00 p.m. on the same day." No trade permit is issued on a property with an unresolved County flag or hold, and none for new construction without an open building permit.
- Book inspections on the inspection line, (505) 314-0351, with the application number.
- Rough-in before wiring is covered; pre-final for a service (riser, meter can, point of attachment and ground in place); final when devices and fixtures are in (Ordinance 110.5.1). A missed or failed visit costs $47 to repeat.
- Keep it moving. A permit expires if work does not start within 180 days or stops for 180 days (Sec. 105.5).
What 4,725 County electrical permits show
| Measure | Unincorporated Bernalillo County electrical |
|---|---|
| Permits on homes, October 2023 to September 2026 | 4,725 |
| Firms / with a permit in the last 12 months | 556 / 343 |
| Closed (permits a year or more old) | 70.1% |
| Usual days from issue to close (where dated) | 161 |
| Firms with 10+ permits closing under 70% | 46 of 100 |
| Share held by the five busiest firms | 12.2% |
| Firms with a single permit | 162 (29.1%) |
| Busiest / quietest month | July (123) / January (82) |
The spread between firms is the useful part: among the 100 firms with 10 or more permits, the 10th-percentile firm closed 53.7% and the 90th 87.9%. Ask an electrician who books the final, and look up its close rate on the compare list. Electrical permits here carry no job value because the County charges by fixture, so we cannot show prices; national ranges are in electrical work cost.
See every Bernalillo County electrician by permits closed →
Related
Counts by year: Bernalillo County permit statistics. How long County permits stay open: how long does a permit take. Rules in other cities: do I need a permit for electrical work and panel upgrades. Choosing one: hiring an electrician.
What this does not tell you
The County records a completion date on only about half of its closed trade permits, and a closed permit is not always a passed final, so days to close are from the dated ones only. We have no license match for New Mexico firms. Fees are from the 2009 resolution the County still links; amendments may not be reflected.
How we know this
Exemptions, homeowner rules, inspections and expiry are quoted from Bernalillo County's Building Ordinance 2024-8 (unsigned copy posted by the County); fees from Administrative Resolution 25-2009; portal rules from the County's trade permit page; exam details from its 2017 homeowner handout, all read 26 October 2026. Fee examples are our arithmetic. Our figures are County electrical permits on homes in unincorporated Bernalillo County, October 2023 to September 2026.
Numbers come from 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), data through October 15, 2026. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can.
Questions
- Do I need a permit for electrical work in Bernalillo County?
Yes, for almost anything beyond a like-for-like swap. The County building ordinance exempts only a short list, such as replacing a fixed appliance of the same type and rating in the same place, repairing a switch's parts, or replacing a breaker of the same size in the same location. New circuits, outlets, panels and services all need a permit.
- Can a homeowner pull an electrical permit in Bernalillo County?
Yes, after passing the County's written homeowner electrical exam with 75% or better and completing the Homeowner's Responsibility Form. The ordinance allows two hours per exam and one retake after 10 working days. Homeowner permits are not allowed for commercial work.
- How much is an electrical permit in Bernalillo County?
It is priced by item under Resolution 25-2009: a $23.50 administrative charge, $0.75 per outlet, switch or fixture for the first 20 and $0.45 after that, $4 for each 30-amp-or-larger outlet including panels, and $20 for a meter loop. By our arithmetic a single new 240-volt circuit comes to $27.50. The County says the final amount can vary with what you enter.
- How long does an electrical permit take in Bernalillo County?
The County says it tries to process online trade permit submittals received by 3:00 p.m. the same day. Closing is slower: in our file the usual electrical permit with a recorded completion date closed 161 days after issue.
- Is my house in Bernalillo County or the City of Albuquerque for permits?
Check before you apply. Many unincorporated homes have an Albuquerque mailing address, and the County says applications on the wrong jurisdiction get no refund. The County matches your address or tax-bill UPC number in its GIS; City permits are handled by the City of Albuquerque.
Build your own list
Every firm with that kind of permit on record. Pick what you value. The list moves.
Related guides
- Do I need an electrical permit in Anaheim? Panel upgrades, the utility meter spot, fees and inspections
- Do I need an electrical permit in Arlington, VA? What's exempt, who pulls it, how long it takes
- Austin building permit search: how to look up permits on an address
- Do I need an electrical permit in Austin? The exempt list, the homestead permit, fees and inspections
- Do I need an electrical permit in Cambridge, MA? Who can pull it, the per-item fees, and timing
- Do I need an electrical permit in Chicago? Yes, and only a licensed electrical contractor can pull it
For one city
- Home improvement costs in Bernalillo County, NM (2026): what 6 kinds of jobs were filed at
- Do I need an HVAC permit in Bernalillo County? Furnaces, AC, swamp coolers and the mechanical permit
- Do I need a plumbing permit in Bernalillo County? What homeowners may do, the gas rule and the per-fixture fee
- Bernalillo County Building Ordinance, Ordinance 2024-8 (unsigned copy, Sec. 105.2, 105.5, Issuance, 110.5.1) (accessed 2026-10-26)
- Electrical inspections — Bernalillo County Planning & Development Services (accessed 2026-10-26)
- Electrical (trade permit application) — Bernalillo County Planning & Development Services (accessed 2026-10-26)
- Homeowners Electrical Exam (handout, 2017) — Bernalillo County (accessed 2026-10-26)
- Administrative Resolution 25-2009, Permit Fee Schedule (Table 3-B Electrical) — Bernalillo County (accessed 2026-10-26)
- Frequently Asked Questions — Bernalillo County Planning & Development Services (accessed 2026-10-26)
- Accela Citizen Access — Bernalillo County (2026-10-26)
- Verify a License — New Mexico RLD (Construction Industries Division) (2026-10-20)