Las Cruces, NM
Las Cruces electrical permit cost
Las Cruces prices electrical work by measurement rather than by worth
and the measurement depends on the building. On a one- or two-unit dwelling or townhome the fee is on enclosed living area: $35.00 under 1,000 sq ft, $65.00 from 1,000 to 1,499, and $110.00 plus $5.00 for each 100 sq ft over 2,000 above that — for new work, additions and remodels alike. A commercial new service is priced in amps instead: $130 / $200 / $300 through 400 amps, then $300 plus $50.00 per 100 amps over 401. Plan review is $45.00 when the electrical plans are reviewed on their own ("unless part of bldg. permit"), every trade permit carries a $10 technology fee, and fees are tripled for work started without a permit.
How this fee is calculated
These are the components the schedule defines for this permit, as they applied on 2026-09-28. A component only applies to your project if its conditions match — read that column before assuming a figure. Want a figure for your own project? Estimate this fee with the permit fee calculator.
| Component | Formula | Applies when | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alternative energy systems, $45.00Permit fee | $45.00 flat fee | alt energy is true and Occupancy is residential | — |
| Commercial electrical service, 151–200 amps — $200.00Permit fee | $200.00 flat fee | one two family is not true or Occupancy is not residential and amperage at least 151 and amperage up to 200 | — |
| Commercial electrical service, 201–400 amps — $300.00Permit fee | $300.00 flat fee | one two family is not true or Occupancy is not residential and amperage at least 201 and amperage up to 400 | — |
| Commercial electrical service, 401 or more amps — $300.00 plus $50.00 per 100 ampsPermit fee | $0.5 per ampere above the first 401 A + $300.00 | one two family is not true or Occupancy is not residential and amperage at least 401 | — |
| Commercial electrical service, up to 150 amps — $130.00Permit fee | $130.00 flat fee | one two family is not true or Occupancy is not residential and amperage up to 150 | — |
| Low voltage, $45.00Permit fee | $45.00 flat fee | low voltage is true | — |
| Mobile home service, $45.00Permit fee | $45.00 flat fee | mobile home service is true and Occupancy is residential | — |
| Electrical plan review, $45.00 unless part of the building permitPlan review | $45.00 flat fee | plan review is true | — |
| Swimming pool, commercial — $180.00Permit fee | $180.00 flat fee | swimming pool is true and one two family is not true | — |
| Swimming pool, residential — $90.00Permit fee | $90.00 flat fee | swimming pool is true and one two family is true | — |
| Residential electrical, 1,000–1,499 sq ft — $65.00Permit fee | $65.00 flat fee | one two family is true and Work type is one of new construction, addition, remodel, alteration and not (solar pv is true) and Project area at least 1000 and Project area under 1500 | — |
| Residential electrical, 1,500–2,000 sq ft — $110.00Permit fee | $110.00 flat fee | one two family is true and Work type is one of new construction, addition, remodel, alteration and not (solar pv is true) and Project area at least 1500 and Project area up to 2000 | — |
| Residential electrical, over 2,000 sq ft — $110.00 plus $5.00 per 100 sq ftPermit fee | $0.05 per sq ft above the first 2,000 sq ft + $110.00 | one two family is true and Work type is one of new construction, addition, remodel, alteration and not (solar pv is true) and Project area over 2000 | — |
| Residential electrical, under 1,000 sq ft enclosed living area — $35.00Permit fee | $35.00 flat fee | one two family is true and Work type is one of new construction, addition, remodel, alteration and not (solar pv is true) and Project area under 1000 | — |
| Residential solar photovoltaic system — $250.00, inspections includedPermit fee | $250.00 flat fee | solar pv is true and Occupancy is residential | — |
| Temporary service or system, $45.00Permit fee | $45.00 flat fee | temp service is true | — |
| Technology fee, trade permit — $10.00Other fee | $10.00 flat fee | Every permit of this type | — |
| Reinspection, $45.00 per occurrenceInspection fee | $45.00 flat fee | reinspection is true | — |
| Work without a permit — the permit fee tripledSurcharge | 200% of calculated permit fee | unpermitted work is true | — |
A real permit fee is these components added together. The department’s final calculation is the one that applies — this is the schedule it will be based on.
A worked example
Follow the arithmetic by hand. Every line is produced by the engine from the rules above, so the total cannot drift away from the schedule behind it.
Worked example
A remodel of a one- or two-family dwelling with 2,400 square feet of enclosed living area, ordinary review, no unpermitted work.
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Project area | 2,400 sq ft |
| Occupancy class | Residential |
| Type of work | Remodel |
| One two family | Yes |
Example total
$140.00
An estimate, not an official fee. It is calculated from the published fee schedule as it applied on 2026-09-28. The permit office’s own calculation is the one that applies, and your project may fall under rules this schedule does not describe.
Fee schedule as of 2026-09-28Rules applied 2Rules considered 19
| Component | How it is calculated | Amount |
|---|---|---|
Residential electrical, over 2,000 sq ft — $110.00 plus $5.00 per 100 sq ftPermit feeResolution 21-019, Residential Electrical Permit Fees: "1,500 sf or more — $110.00 plus $5.00 per 100 sf over 2,000 sf." The rate has no "or fraction thereof" beside it, so the hundreds of square feet are prorated rather than rounded up — 2,050 square feet adds $2.50, not $5.00, and the page says so because the same document rounds the mechanical and plumbing ladders up where it means to.Show the working
| $0.05 per sq ft above the first 2,000 sq ft + $110.00 | $130.00 |
Technology fee, trade permit — $10.00Other feeResolution 21-019, Administrative Fees: "Technology Fee — Trade Permit (Electrical, Plumbing, Mechanical & Rock Wall): $10 per permit." The trade row of the technology table, flat, on every trade permit.Show the working
| $10.00 flat fee | $10.00 |
| Total | $140.00 |
Fees that do not apply here
Listed so you can see what was considered and left out, rather than wondering whether something is missing. A rule can also be left out because it is not published for this permit at all, and that is stated where it matters.
- Alternative energy systems, $45.00 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Commercial electrical service, 151–200 amps — $200.00 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Commercial electrical service, 201–400 amps — $300.00 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Commercial electrical service, 401 or more amps — $300.00 plus $50.00 per 100 amps — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Commercial electrical service, up to 150 amps — $130.00 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Low voltage, $45.00 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Mobile home service, $45.00 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Swimming pool, commercial — $180.00 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Swimming pool, residential — $90.00 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Residential electrical, 1,000–1,499 sq ft — $65.00 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Residential electrical, 1,500–2,000 sq ft — $110.00 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Residential electrical, under 1,000 sq ft enclosed living area — $35.00 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Residential solar photovoltaic system — $250.00, inspections included — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Temporary service or system, $45.00 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Electrical plan review, $45.00 unless part of the building permit — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Reinspection, $45.00 per occurrence — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Work without a permit — the permit fee tripled — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
Assumptions
- Calculated from 2 fee rules in effect on 2026-09-28.
- Amounts are rounded to the nearest cent, once, at the end of each component.
The area ladder answers this job: $110.00 is the base for 1,500 sq ft and above, plus $5.00 for each 100 sq ft over 2,000 — 400 square feet over, prorated, is $20.00. The permit fee is $130.00, and the $10.00 trade technology fee brings the total to $140.00.
The commercial amperage rows are not charged, and the answer of "one- and two-family dwelling" is what excludes them — a service upgrade on this same house would have no residential row to price it with either, because the schedule's amperage ladder is in the commercial section and its commercial "Service Change" row is printed without an amount. That gap is the schedule's, and the page states it instead of filling it.
At 2,000 square feet exactly the fee is $110.00 with no per-100 addition, and at 1,999 it is too — the slope only exists above 2,000. Had this been new construction rather than a remodel, the same area would price the same way: the residential ladder reads "new, remodels, and additions" alike.
What is different in Las Cruces
The residential ladder has a step at 1,000 square feet and a slope above 2,000, with a flat run between them: 999 sq ft is $35.00, 1,000 is $65.00, and 1,500 through 2,000 are all $110.00. Above 2,000 the $5-per-100 rate joins — and the schedule prints no "or fraction thereof" beside it, so 2,400 sq ft adds $20.00 rather than $25.00, and the total residential fee on that remodel is $130.00. The phrase matters because the mechanical and plumbing ladders in the same document do print it and do round up.
The commercial ladder is four rows of amperage with a slope of its own: $130.00 to 150 amps, $200.00 to 200, $300.00 to 400, and 401 or more at $300.00 plus $50.00 per 100 amps over 401 — again prorated, so 451 amps is $325.00 and 401 and 400 cost the same $300.00. What is absent speaks louder: the schedule prints a "Service Change (Calculated service capacity using cost X 75%)" row with no amount beside it, and this site does not invent one.
Solar is the third thing worth knowing, because it is bundled: a "Residential solar photo voltaic system (including plan review, building inspection, and electrical inspection)" is $250.00 flat, and the area rows stand down when it applies rather than charging a second time. The $45 alternative-energy row is explicitly "does not include solar photo voltaic" — the schedule keeps the two apart with a parenthesis, and so does this page.
What this figure does not include
Impact fees, utility connections and other departments’ permits are the usual omissions, and in some jurisdictions they are larger than the permit fee itself.
Not included in these figures
This is the electrical permit fee — the residential area ladder, the commercial amperage ladder, the published flat rows, plan review and the $10 technology fee, with tripling for unpermitted work. It excludes:
- The commercial Service Change row, printed as "Service Change (Calculated service capacity using cost X 75%)" with no fee beside it — the schedule publishes the row and not its price, and no figure is invented for it here. A service change on a one- or two-unit dwelling has no residential row either; both are named rather than priced.
- The commercial solar photovoltaic process: "Commercial solar photo voltaic system fees are calculated using the commercial building process" — a building-permit figure, not an electrical one, and this page does not convert it.
- The building permit and its plan check, which a solar installation, a remodel or a new service usually needs alongside: plan review here is $45.00 only when it is not part of the building permit, and the building page's 25% plan check is a different fee for a different review.
- The mobile home installation permit ($75.00, which "applies to zoning and flood plain management" — the electrical connection permit is additional and is this page's $45.00 mobile home service row).
- Inspection charges beyond reinspection: after-hours at $60.00 an hour with a two-hour minimum, partial inspections at $45.00, and the $150.00 charged for a "second or more reinspection fee on same team" — the $45.00 per-occurrence reinspection is the one modelled.
- Fire systems, which have their own head-count, alarm, hood and pump ladders on the schedule, and the sign permit fees ($45–$250) that a lighted sign needs beside its electrical permit.
- The expedited option (the greater of $1,000 or an additional permit fee) and the UNAPPROVED OR NON-PERMITTED variance fees ($100–$2,000), both named rather than charged: the first belongs to the building process and the second to a board.
- Anything charged by another authority — the utility's service and connection charges, State licensing, and Doña Ana County.
Common questions
How does Las Cruces calculate an electrical permit fee?
By measurement. On a one- or two-unit dwelling or townhome, the fee is on enclosed living area — $35.00 under 1,000 sq ft, $65.00 to 1,499, $110.00 from 1,500, plus $5.00 per 100 sq ft over 2,000. On a commercial new service it is on amperage — $130.00, $200.00 or $300.00 through 400 amps, then $300.00 plus $50.00 per 100 amps over 401. Every trade permit also carries a $10 technology fee.
Does the electrical fee round up partial hundreds?
No. Both sloped rows — $5.00 per 100 sq ft over 2,000, and $50.00 per 100 amps over 401 — print no "or fraction thereof", and this schedule uses that phrase where it means it: the mechanical and plumbing ladders carry it and do round up. So 2,400 sq ft adds $20.00 rather than $25.00, and 451 amps adds $25.00 rather than $50.00.
Is electrical plan review an extra $45?
Only when the electrical plans are reviewed on their own. The row reads "Plan Review (unless part of bldg. permit) — $45.00": when the review happens inside the building permit's plan check, the parenthesis says so and this charge does not apply. It is a flat fee, not a percentage — the 25% plan check belongs to the building fee, not to this page.
How much is a residential solar photovoltaic permit?
$250.00, and it is bundled: "Residential solar photo voltaic system (including plan review, building inspection, and electrical inspection): $250.00." The area ladder stands down when it applies, so the three reviews it names are not charged again. The separate $45.00 alternative energy row states "does not include solar photo voltaic", which is how the schedule keeps the two apart.
How is a service change or upgrade priced?
For a commercial service, by amperage: the "New (in Amps)" ladder runs $130.00, $200.00 and $300.00 to 400 amps, then $300.00 plus $50.00 per 100 amps over 401. Beyond that, the schedule prints a "Service Change (Calculated service capacity using cost X 75%)" row with no amount beside it, and no residential service-change row at all — the document publishes the row and not its price, so this site names it rather than inventing one.
Source and verification
The documents behind every figure on this page, with the dates that make them checkable.
- OrdinanceCityPrimary source
Read 2026-09-25 from the City's own document portal, which serves the resolution as a text-extractable PDF. Adopted August 17, 2020; the resolution's title states it is "to be effective September 1, 2020" and its enactment clause repeats the date. The whole fee schedule is Exhibit "A": general information and contact block, administrative fees (technology fees, expedited review, revision fees), building permit fees (the $0.20 residential rate, the commercial valuation process, plan check, the Fee Table and the scope and local-area modifiers), the ICC-derived valuation tables, electrical, mechanical, plumbing, roofing, demolition and other building permit fees, site permit and grading fees, floodplain, rock walls, signs, fire systems, mobile home installation, inspection fees, right-of-way, traffic, land-use and administrative review application fees, the unpermitted-work variance fees, and a historic preservation section marked "to be developed". Every rate modelled on this site comes from this one document.
Verification
Last verified against the official source in Sep 2026.