What is exempt and what is not
Section 105.2 of the County Building Ordinance (Ordinance 2024-8, posted as "unsigned"; read 26 October 2026) lists the mechanical work that needs no permit:
| Exempt | Needs a mechanical permit |
|---|---|
| Any portable heating appliance, ventilating equipment or cooling unit | A furnace, boiler, heat pump or central AC, new or replacement |
| "Any portable evaporative cooler" | A roof or window-mounted (fixed) evaporative cooler |
| "Replacement of any component part" that does not alter the appliance's original approval | Replacing the appliance itself, or changing its type or fuel |
| Closed steam or hot or chilled water piping inside equipment | New ductwork, gas piping or venting |
| Emergency work | A permit applied for "not later than the next business day" |
The County's Plumbing and Mechanical page names a swamp cooler installed without a permit among its common complaints, and its inspectors work to the 2021 Uniform Mechanical Code. A gas line to a new appliance is plumbing/gas work; a new 240-volt circuit or disconnect for a condenser is electrical work with its own permit.
This applies to the unincorporated County (South Valley, North Valley, West Mesa, East Mountains) and to trade permits for the Village of Los Ranchos. City of Albuquerque addresses go to the City.
Who can pull it
A licensed mechanical contractor. The online portal is for contractors with "A valid State of New Mexico Contractors License for the respective Permit Type" and "A current Bernalillo County Business License" (Mechanical page). In New Mexico, MM-3 covers air handling, refrigeration, evaporative coolers and ductwork; MM-2 covers gas piping, gas appliances and warm-air heating; MM-98 holds all of them (14.6.6 NMAC). A gas furnace swap needs MM-2 coverage, an AC or cooler MM-3. Check the classification on PSI's license search; steps in How to check a contractor's license in New Mexico.
Not you, for this. The County's homeowner sheet (July 2026) says homeowners may not do "DUCT WORK FOR HEATING /COOLING APPLIANCES", may not "INSTALL ANY GAS HEATING/COOLING APPLIANCES ie:boilers, furnaces and air conditioners", and may not do venting for gas heating appliances or water heaters.
What it costs
From Administrative Resolution 25-2009, Table 3-C, mechanical (effective 1 May 2009, "as amended from time to time"):
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Administrative charge, every permit | $23.50 |
| Each appliance, including ducts and venting (not boilers, refrigeration, AC or absorption units) | $7.00 |
| Repair, alteration or addition to a heating appliance, cooling unit or evaporative cooler | $8.00 |
| Condensing unit over 36,000 to 180,000 BTU output | $20.00 |
| Each air handling unit with its ducts | $7.00 |
| Each evaporative cooler other than portable | $7.00 |
| Gas outlet | $3.00 each |
| Re-inspection | $47.00 per hour |
On the electrical side (Table 3-B), an evaporative cooler is $4.00 and a 30-amp-or-larger outlet $4.00, plus a second $23.50 administrative charge. By our arithmetic a gas furnace swap is $30.50, a furnace plus a 4-ton AC condenser (48,000 BTU) about $50.50, and a fixed swamp cooler $30.50 mechanical plus $27.50 if it needs a new circuit. The portal invoice is final; the County says the amount "may vary according to data provided".
How to apply and get inspected
- Apply in Accela Citizen Access. Submittals received by 3:00 p.m. are usually processed the same day.
- Inspections under Ordinance 110.5.2: duct groundwork if any duct is underground, rough piping before gas piping is covered, "Heating Cooling Top Out" before ducts and vents above grade are concealed, then the gas test and final. "An air test is required for a final gas inspection."
- Book on (505) 314-0351 with the application number. The permit expires if work does not start, or stops, for 180 days.
What 3,069 County HVAC permits show
| Measure | Unincorporated Bernalillo County heating and cooling |
|---|---|
| Permits on homes, October 2023 to September 2026 | 3,069 |
| Firms / with a permit in the last 12 months | 389 / 224 |
| Closed (permits a year or more old) | 68.9% |
| Usual days from issue to close (where dated) | 144 |
| 10th / 90th-percentile firm's closed share (10+ permits) | 48.3% / 83.1% |
| Share held by the five busiest firms | 27.5% |
| Firms with a single permit | 139 (35.7%) |
| Busiest / quietest month | August (124) / April (87) |
Filing peaks in August, when cooling fails, and is lowest in April, so a spring replacement usually gets a firm's attention faster. The close rate varies a lot between firms: from 48.3% to 83.1% among the 46 firms with 10 or more permits. The County charges these permits by appliance, so they carry no job value; for prices see HVAC replacement cost.
See every Bernalillo County HVAC firm by permits closed →
Related
Rules elsewhere: do I need a permit for HVAC replacement. Choosing one: hiring an HVAC contractor. Counts by year: Bernalillo County permit statistics.
What this does not tell you
The County records a completion date on only about half of its closed trade permits, and closed is not always a passed final. We cannot match New Mexico licenses, so check the classification yourself. Fees are from the 2009 resolution the County still links.
How we know this
Exemptions, inspections and expiry are quoted from Bernalillo County's Building Ordinance 2024-8 (unsigned copy); homeowner limits from the County's July 2026 homeowner sheet; portal rules from its Mechanical page; fees from Administrative Resolution 25-2009, all read 26 October 2026. Fee examples are our arithmetic. Our figures are County heating and cooling 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 to replace my furnace or AC in Bernalillo County?
Yes. The County's mechanical exemptions cover portable heaters, coolers and fans and replacing a component part that does not change the appliance's approval. A new furnace, air conditioner, heat pump or ducted system needs a mechanical permit, and the electrical connection may need an electrical permit.
- Do I need a permit for a swamp cooler in Bernalillo County?
For a fixed one, yes. The ordinance exempts 'Any portable evaporative cooler' only, and the County lists installing a swamp cooler without a permit among its common plumbing and mechanical complaints. The fee schedule charges $7 for each evaporative cooler other than portable.
- Can a homeowner pull an HVAC permit in Bernalillo County?
Not for the main work. The County's 2026 homeowner sheet says homeowners may not install gas heating or cooling appliances such as boilers, furnaces and air conditioners, ductwork for heating or cooling, radiant tubing, gas piping, or venting for gas appliances. Those go to a licensed mechanical contractor.
- How much is a mechanical permit in Bernalillo County?
Resolution 25-2009 charges a $23.50 administrative fee plus $7 for each appliance including its ducts and venting, $8 to repair or alter a heating or cooling appliance, $3 per gas outlet and $47 for a re-inspection. By our arithmetic a furnace replacement is $30.50 before any separate electrical permit.
- How long does an HVAC permit stay open in Bernalillo County?
In our file the usual heating and cooling permit with a recorded completion date closed 144 days after issue, and 68.9% of permits a year or more old were closed.
Build your own list
Every firm with that kind of permit on record. Pick what you value. The list moves.
Related guides
- Ames building permit search: how to look up permits on an address
- Do I need an HVAC permit in Ames? Yes: what is exempt, homeowner permits, the $56.23 base fee and inspections
- Do I need an HVAC permit in Anaheim? The mechanical permit for a furnace or AC change-out, fees and inspections
- Do I need an HVAC permit in Arlington, VA? The like-for-like exemption, the gas exception and zoning
- Do I need an HVAC permit in Chicago? Not for a like-for-like furnace or AC swap; yes for a heat pump or new system
- Do I need an HVAC permit in Cincinnati? Yes, to install or replace a furnace or AC: the 2026 fee and the slow final
For one city
- Do I need an electrical permit in Bernalillo County? The exemptions, the homeowner exam and the fixture-based fee
- Home improvement costs in Bernalillo County, NM (2026): what 6 kinds of jobs were filed at
- 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, 110.5.2) (accessed 2026-10-26)
- Plumbing and Mechanical — Bernalillo County Planning & Development Services (accessed 2026-10-26)
- Plumbing homeowner test information (rev. 07/2026) — Bernalillo County (accessed 2026-10-26)
- Mechanical (trade permit application) — Bernalillo County Planning & Development Services (accessed 2026-10-26)
- Administrative Resolution 25-2009, Permit Fee Schedule (Tables 3-B and 3-C) — Bernalillo County (accessed 2026-10-26)
- Accela Citizen Access — Bernalillo County (2026-10-26)
- License search — PSI (New Mexico CID licensing) (2026-10-20)