Sandoval County Clerk

Business Registration (business license), unincorporated Sandoval County

Code §8-19(a) requires everyone proposing to engage in business within the unincorporated areas of Sandoval County to apply for and pay a business registration fee for each outlet, branch or location before engaging in business, unless exempted. Under §8-19(c) the fee is $35.00 for each calendar year per place of business, and under §8-19(d) a $10.00 late fee applies when a new business does not pay before it commences business or a renewal is not paid when due; the fee is then paid yearly on the date one year after the business began. The figures are from the county ordinance (Ord. No. 01-12-6.9A, adopted December 6, 2001, codified as §8-19), and the County Clerk's Business Registration packet (Rev. 2.18.26) lists the same amounts: Business License $35.00 and a late renewal fee of $10.00 assessed the day after expiration. Registrations are issued by the County Clerk (§8-19(h)); the Clerk's page states that the form is submitted in person with the $35.00 fee, that the fee is due on the anniversary of the initial issuance of the business license, that a new business must first be registered with the NM Taxation and Revenue Department, and that corporations, LLCs and partnerships must first register with the Secretary of State. The requirement covers the unincorporated area, including the county administration campus. Step: the Planning & Zoning page states that a business registering a residential or commercial location needs a Business Clearance Letter from Planning & Zoning, which certifies the location and that the property is properly zoned for the business; the form (17 January 2025) asks for the four-digit NAICS code and the property's Uniform Property Code and, for a home occupation, a checklist under Zoning Ordinance §6.37. Sandoval County Planning & Zoning, 1500 Idalia Road, Building D, Bernalillo, NM 87004; 505-867-7628; P&ZMain@sandovalcountynm.gov. Section 8-19(g) exempts sanctioned and registered school athletic officials and part-time artists whose prior-year artwork sales did not exceed $1,000. A business inside an incorporated municipality registers with that municipality instead.