Who can pull it
From the City's Homeowner's Responsibility Form (revised 8/2016, read 24 October 2026):
| Work | Who may permit it |
|---|---|
| Plumbing | A New Mexico licensed plumbing contractor, who "must obtain their own permits", or a homeowner who passes "a homeowner's examination given by the jurisdiction's electrical or plumbing inspector" |
| Natural gas and HVAC | Licensed contractor only: "under no circumstances can I perform HVAC or natural gas work under my Homeowner's Permit" |
| Everything else in a remodel | A homeowner building permit covers general construction only; "Any electrical, mechanical or plumbing work must be permitted separately" |
A homeowner permit is for a home you own and occupy; if you decide not to, the form says you must cancel it and hire a licensed general contractor. Check a plumber's CID license before hiring; New Mexico's MM-1 classification covers plumbing (how to check).
Fees
From the City's 2023 Schedule of Fees, effective 1 February 2023, the schedule linked from the City's permits page:
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Residential plumbing, flat fee for new, remodel or addition | $150.00 |
| Demonstrated affordable housing | $50.00 |
| Miscellaneous: backflow, yard line, pressure test and similar | $75.00 |
| Reinspection / second or more on the same item | $55.00 / $180.00 |
| Cover-up fee | $120.00 |
| Work started or done without a permit | Permit fee tripled |
Utility fees can apply on top. A sprinkler backflow device or a new yard line falls under the $75 miscellaneous line; for anything else, confirm the category when you apply.
How to apply
- Apply in the City's Accela Citizen Access portal; the City's permits page puts residential review at about 0 to 3 business days.
- Pay online.
- Request inspections in the same portal before anything is buried or closed in; questions go to 575-528-3059.
What 3,536 Las Cruces plumbing permits show
From Las Cruces plumbing permits, October 2024 to September 2026:
| Measure | Las Cruces plumbing |
|---|---|
| Issued | 3,536 (26% of all city permits) |
| Last 12 months / 12 months before | 1,718 / 1,818 (−6%) |
| Residential / commercial | 3,097 / 436 |
| Busiest / quietest month (index) | July (112) / November (82) |
| Permits naming a contractor | 98% |
| Share held by the busiest named firm | 20%, a landscaping company |
The firm named on the most Las Cruces plumbing permits is a landscaping company, and three of the ten busiest names are landscapers, which fits irrigation and backflow work filed as plumbing. So the count is not all bathrooms and water heaters. Filing peaks in July. More on Las Cruces permit statistics and the rows on browse Las Cruces permits.
Before you hire
Look up the address in Accela with the Las Cruces building permit search guide, and check the plumber's license with CID (steps). Rules elsewhere: plumbing repairs, a water heater, a sewer line. Costs elsewhere: plumbing labor cost.
What this does not tell you
The City's permit layer has no status, ZIP or final date for plumbing permits, so we show no finished share, time to final or ZIP split. Plumbing permits carry no value. We have not matched contractor names to New Mexico license records. Unincorporated Doña Ana County is not in the file.
How we know this
Rules are quoted from the City of Las Cruces Homeowner's Responsibility Form, its 2023 Schedule of Fees and its Permits, Licenses, and Registrations page, read 24 October 2026. Our counts are the City's GIS BuildingPermits layer (Accela feed), read 20 October 2026: plumbing permits issued October 2024 to September 2026.
Numbers come from public permit records in 57 cities, data through October 20, 2026. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can.
Questions
- How much is a plumbing permit in Las Cruces?
The City's 2023 fee schedule lists a $150.00 flat fee for new, remodel or addition plumbing, $50.00 for demonstrated affordable housing, and $75.00 for miscellaneous work such as a backflow device, a yard line or a pressure test. Utility fees can be added.
- Can a homeowner do their own plumbing in Las Cruces?
Only with a separate plumbing permit, after passing a homeowner's examination given by the plumbing inspector, on a home you own and occupy. Otherwise a New Mexico licensed plumber pulls the permit.
- Can a homeowner do gas work in Las Cruces?
No. The City's homeowner form says 'under no circumstances can I perform HVAC or natural gas work under my Homeowner's Permit'; a licensed contractor must pull its own permit.
- What if plumbing was done without a permit in Las Cruces?
The fee schedule says electrical and plumbing permit fees are tripled for work started or completed without an approved permit.
- When are Las Cruces plumbing permits busiest?
July, at 112 against an average month of 100; November is the quietest at 82. The City issued 3,536 plumbing permits from October 2024 to September 2026.
Build your own list
Pick your city and the kind of work. Every firm with a permit on record, sorted by what you value.
Related guides
- Albuquerque building permit search: how to look up permits on an address
- Building a casita in Albuquerque: the 750 sq ft limit, rear-yard rule, parking, free plans, and who builds them
- Do I need a permit to build a house in Albuquerque? GB-2 or homeowner, the plan set and the fee
- Do I need a solar permit in Albuquerque? Building and electrical permits, the engineer triggers and the fee
- 2023 Schedule of Fees (effective 1 February 2023) — City of Las Cruces Community Development (2026-10-24)
- Homeowner's Responsibility Form (revised 8/2016) — City of Las Cruces (2026-10-24)
- Permits, Licenses, and Registrations — City of Las Cruces (2026-10-24)
- BuildingPermits layer, Information_Services map service — City of Las Cruces GIS (2026-10-20)