For a commercial permit in New Mexico, check that the code sheet cites the codes in Title 14 NMAC: the 2021 New Mexico Commercial Building Code (the 2021 IBC as amended in 14.7.2 NMAC, effective July 14, 2023), the 2021 New Mexico Commercial Energy Conservation Code (14.7.9 NMAC, the only basis for permits issued after July 30, 2024), the 2024 New Mexico Plumbing and Mechanical Codes (effective August 1, 2026, with the 2021 editions still allowed for permits issued until January 1, 2027), and the 2020 New Mexico Electrical Code. Then confirm whether CID or a city or county building department with a certified building official reviews the plans. AI can flag conflicts; the design professional and the building official decide compliance.
Which New Mexico codes apply to a set of drawings?
CID issues the state’s construction codes as rules, and 14.5.1 NMAC calls Title 14 the state minimum standards. A city, county, or other political subdivision that is an authority having jurisdiction, meaning it has a full-service building department with a certified building official, may enact stricter ordinances, but where its official and the CID trade bureau chief disagree about a state minimum code, the bureau chief’s determination controls. The same rule says the code in force when a structure is built or modified governs it, and that the residential and commercial building codes govern the type of structure, design, construction, and occupancy classification over conflicting construction codes of other state agencies. The New Mexico Commercial Building Code (NMCBC, 14.7.2 NMAC) adopts the 2021 IBC. Detached one- and two-family dwellings and townhouses not more than three stories with a separate means of egress follow the New Mexico Residential Building Code (14.7.3 NMAC, the 2021 IRC), and existing buildings undergoing a change of occupancy, repair, alteration, or addition follow either the NMCBC or the New Mexico Existing Building Code (14.7.7 NMAC, the 2021 IEBC). The NMCBC sends gas, mechanical, plumbing, and energy work to the New Mexico Mechanical, Plumbing, and Commercial Energy Conservation Codes and IBC Chapter 27 electrical systems to the New Mexico Electrical Code, deletes the IBC’s fire prevention reference, and adopts Appendices C, E, G, H, I, and J. CID’s Rules, Laws, and Building Codes page also lists New Mexico codes for earthen building materials, historic earthen buildings, non-load-bearing baled straw, solar energy, swimming pools, and LP gas.
The NMCBC took effect July 14, 2023 and applies to work subject to CID jurisdiction from that date unless CID received the permit application earlier. The residential and existing building codes took effect the same day, with permits under the previous rules allowed until December 14, 2023. The commercial and residential energy conservation codes adopt the 2021 IECC with New Mexico amendments, effective January 30, 2024, and after July 30, 2024 permits may be issued only under them. The 2024 New Mexico Plumbing Code (the 2024 UPC with all appendices) and the 2024 New Mexico Mechanical Code (the 2024 UMC) take effect August 1, 2026, and until January 1, 2027 permits may be issued under either those rules or the 2021 editions they replace. The 2020 New Mexico Electrical Code (14.10.4 NMAC) adopts the 2020 NEC, effective March 28, 2023, and CID’s FAQ names it as the current electrical code. CID’s permit guide names ICC A117.1-2017 as the accessibility standard. All checked November 3, 2026.
Some CID sources lag the rules. CID’s electronic plan review page still lists the 2021 plumbing and mechanical codes and the 2012 pool code, while its Rules page lists the 2024 plumbing, mechanical, and swimming pool codes effective August 1, 2026, and the official NMAC site on srca.nm.gov still served the 2021 plumbing and mechanical parts when we checked. CID’s Building Permit Guide for Commercial Construction, revised March 29, 2024, lists the 2018 New Mexico Commercial Energy Conservation Code, while 14.7.9 NMAC adopts the 2021 IECC, and the electrical code’s own text still refers to the 2018 energy codes. Confirm the editions with CID or the local building official before the code sheet is final.
The New Mexico amendments change what a reviewer looks for. The NMCBC’s accessibility chapter requires design to Chapter 11, Appendix E, and the current ICC A117.1, and adds a children’s accessible elements table. A new restroom in a place of public accommodation needs at least one baby changing facility on each floor that has a public toilet facility, shown on the plans. The roofing chapter requires coped parapets with positive drainage, a waterproof cover under the plaster on plastered parapets, and metal pan linings at canales and scuppers, and it bars pumice and other granular fill in roof assemblies. The rule also amends smoke control exhaust and design fire provisions, special inspection triggers for concrete, masonry, and firestopping, prescriptive light-frame footings, slab-on-ground minimums, and emergency and standby power. The residential code removes the sprinkler requirement for townhouses and one- and two-family dwellings within its scope, and the commercial energy code adds electric vehicle power transfer infrastructure for parking facilities and deletes the IECC voltage drop section.
Plan review follows the authority having jurisdiction. Under 14.5.1 NMAC, the state is the authority having jurisdiction except where a municipality, county, or other political subdivision has a full-service building department with a certified building official, or kept the trade authority it held before July 1, 2009. 14.5.2 NMAC lists the submittal documents: type, occupancy, and occupant load; plans; specifications; engineering calculations; diagrams; soil reports; exterior wall envelope details, including flashing, intersections, parapets, drainage, and openings, with roofing manufacturer specifications; mechanical design criteria; and, for public buildings under CID authority, a design flood elevation determined by a New Mexico structural engineer or architect before submittal. It requires an architect or engineer stamp for the uses in the IBC table it cites or where the authority requires one, with exceptions such as small dwellings and low-occupancy buildings, lists electrical engineer seal triggers by service capacity, overcurrent device size, project valuation, and occupancy, and allows deferred submittals only with the prior approval of the trade bureau chief or certified building official, listed by the responsible design professional. CID’s commercial permit guide asks for a cover sheet naming the prime design professional and the applicable codes, a design criteria list, and zoning approval signed on the state permit application, and it says fire suppression system submittals are reviewed and approved by the State Fire Marshal’s Office. Permit routing is on the New Mexico page, and the model codes have their own guides: IBC, IRC, IECC, UPC, and UMC.
Gather the cover sheet, the design criteria, and each discipline’s New Mexico references
Collect the cover sheet with the project address, the design professionals, the prime design professional, and the applicable New Mexico codes, and the design criteria list with construction type, area of each floor, occupancy, occupant load, allowable area, exiting, the plumbing fixture count, fire suppression systems, height and stories, land use zone, and seismic location. Add the site plan with utilities, accessible parking, drainage, and grading, the foundation plan and geotechnical report, floor plans with rated assemblies and door and window schedules, framing and roof plans, elevations, building and wall sections, exterior envelope and parapet details, the mechanical, plumbing, and electrical drawings with riser diagrams, load and fault current calculations, and panel schedules, structural calculations, the COMcheck or other energy documentation, and the specifications.
Add the reviewing authority (CID or a city or county building department), the date the permit application was or will be received and the expected issue date, whether the building is a public building, the flood zone, the zoning approval, whether the project includes public restrooms, parking, or earthen or straw construction, and the fire suppression submittal path to the State Fire Marshal’s Office or the local fire authority. Download the Title 14 NMAC parts you rely on from CID’s Rules page.
Trace the Title 14 NMAC codes through the set
| Review question | Sources to compare | Decision to record |
|---|---|---|
| Code editions and permit date | Cover sheet, code sheet, general notes, Title 14 NMAC parts, permit application and issue dates | Confirm the 2021 NMCBC, NMRBC, or NMEBC, the 2021 energy codes, and the 2020 NEC are cited, and record whether plumbing and mechanical work follow the 2024 UPC and UMC or, for a permit issued before January 1, 2027, the 2021 editions. |
| Energy code basis | COMcheck, envelope and lighting schedules, parking plan, electrical notes | Check that energy documents follow the 2021 IECC as amended in 14.7.9 NMAC, not the 2018 code some CID guides still list, and that parking areas show the electric vehicle infrastructure the rule adds. |
| Accessibility and baby changing facilities | Accessibility sheets, restroom plans and elevations, signage, Appendix E items | Confirm the design follows Chapter 11 as amended, Appendix E, and ICC A117.1-2017, and that each floor with a new public toilet facility in a place of public accommodation shows a baby changing facility. |
| Roof and exterior envelope details | Roof plan, roof sections, parapet and canale details, envelope details, roofing specifications | Check for parapet coping and positive drainage, a waterproof cover under parapet plaster, metal pan linings at canales and scuppers, no pumice or granular roof fill, and envelope details complete enough for plan review. |
| Reviewing authority and submittals | Project address, authority having jurisdiction, public building status, flood zone, deferred submittal list | Record whether CID or a local building department reviews the plans, the design flood elevation for a public building under CID, and the deferred items the bureau chief or building official approved in advance. |
| Fire protection path | Sprinkler and alarm notes, smoke control narrative, fire suppression submittal list | Confirm the fire code edition the fire authority applies, that fire suppression submittals go to the State Fire Marshal’s Office or the local fire authority, and that smoke control follows the New Mexico amendments to IBC Section 909. |
Plumbing and mechanical sheets continue in the UPC and UMC guides and the plumbing drawing checklist, energy documents in the IECC guide, accessible details in the ICC A117.1 guide, existing buildings in the IEBC guide, smoke control in the NFPA 92 guide, LP gas in the NFPA 58 guide, electrical sheets in the NFPA 70 guide, and the full set in the architectural drawing checklist. Neighboring state codes are in the Utah guide, the Oklahoma guide, and the Texas Accessibility Standards guide.
Example: a restaurant set that mixes code cycles
Hypothetical example. A one-story restaurant with a public dining room and restrooms is designed in fall 2026 for a site in an unincorporated part of a New Mexico county with no building department of its own. The permit application is planned for December 2026, so the permit is expected in January 2027. The code sheet, copied from an earlier project, cites the 2021 NMCBC, the 2018 New Mexico Commercial Energy Conservation Code, and the 2021 New Mexico Plumbing and Mechanical Codes. The roof section shows pumice fill over the deck behind plastered parapets with canales, the restroom plans show no baby changing facility, and the fire sprinkler system is treated as a deferred submittal that the cover sheet does not list.
The code sheet cites the 2018 commercial energy code, while 14.7.9 NMAC has adopted the 2021 IECC for permits issued after July 30, 2024. The plumbing and mechanical notes cite the 2021 codes, which 14.8.2.5 and 14.9.2.5 NMAC allow only for permits issued until January 1, 2027, while the permit is expected after that date. The roof section shows pumice fill, which the NMCBC amendment to IBC Section 1506 does not permit in roof assemblies, and the canale details show no metal pan lining. The new public restrooms show no baby changing facility, which 14.7.2.45 NMAC requires on each floor with a public toilet facility in a place of public accommodation, and the sprinkler deferral is not listed or approved as 14.5.2.10 NMAC requires. Confirm the governing editions with CID and coordinate the code sheet, roof, restroom, and fire protection documents.
The architect updates the code sheet to the 2021 energy code and the 2024 plumbing and mechanical codes, replaces the pumice with a permitted roof assembly and details the canale linings, adds a baby changing facility on the restroom floor, and lists the sprinkler deferral for CID approval with its submittal path to the State Fire Marshal’s Office. The finding is a citation and coordination conflict; CID decides compliance.
Review a New Mexico set with Groundbook
Upload the current drawings and specifications to Groundbook, and state the edition, amendments, and review scope in your instructions. CID links each Title 14 NMAC part from its Rules, Laws, and Building Codes page, including the 2024 plumbing and mechanical rules, and publishes its permit guides and FAQ. Upload the NMAC parts your project relies on as code files, with the 2021 International Codes, the 2024 Uniform Plumbing and Mechanical Codes, the 2020 NEC, and ICC A117.1-2017 from copies you are licensed to use where the license permits uploading them. See how Groundbook works with local and licensed codes.
Compare the cover sheet, code sheet, design criteria, and every discipline’s general notes with the architectural, accessibility, roofing, structural, mechanical, plumbing, electrical, fire protection, and energy documents. Flag citations to IBC, IRC, or IEBC editions other than 2021, energy notes on the 2018 IECC or New Mexico energy code, plumbing and mechanical notes on the 2021 UPC or UMC unless my instructions say the permit will be issued before January 1, 2027, electrical notes not on the 2020 NEC, roof assemblies with pumice or granular fill, canales and scuppers without metal pan linings, new public restrooms without baby changing facilities, and deferred submittals that are not listed. Use the supplied NMAC rules and model codes and cite both sources.
Groundbook compares the set with reference documents you upload, including licensed codes and standards you hold, and links each potential finding to the sheet and to the NMAC rule or model code. It has no built-in licensed code library and does not certify compliance, perform calculations, or produce design. Each finding is a question for the responsible professional, and Groundbook does not decide which authority reviews the plans or which edition a permit falls under.
Document review does not issue a permit or replace the design professional, CID’s trade bureau chiefs, the local certified building official, or the State Fire Marshal’s Office.