16 permits · verified 2026-10-12
What permits do you need to open a retail store in Santa Fe County?
In short
A retail store in Santa Fe County, NM has 3 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 13 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. Santa Fe County Treasurer charges $35 per calendar year, for each place of business; not prorated; late fee $10.00 (Code §110.03(1)(b), §110.06) for the county business registration (annual, per place of business). 6 of the 16 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-10-12 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.
Permits particular to a retail store in Santa Fe County
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| County Temporary Business License (under 60 days in any 12 months)only if it applies to you | Santa Fe County Treasurer | Up to $10.00 per month (Santa Fe County Code §110.03(2)(d), "Any other temporary business"). | per license, for a business carried on for fewer than 60 days in any 12-month period | 2026-10-12 |
| County Business License: Dealers in Secondhand Goods and Pawnbrokersonly if it applies to you | Santa Fe County Treasurer | $50 per year (Code §110.03(2)(d)); pawnbrokers also post a $5,000.00 surety bond (Code §115.04) | annual; renewal due before March 15 each year | 2026-10-12 |
| Home Occupation Business License Review (no, low or medium impact)only if it applies to you | Santa Fe County Growth Management Department, Building and Development Services Division | $50–$500 per application by category (Code §37.06): no impact $50.00; low impact $100.00; medium impact home occupation (conditional use permit) $500.00; the $35.00 business registration and the $25.00 fire inspection are charged separately | per application, before the home business opens | 2026-10-12 |
| Annual Fire Inspection (listed occupancy groups)only if it applies to you | Santa Fe County Fire Department, Fire Prevention Division | $50–$150 a year, by business floor area: 1,500 sq ft or less $50.00; 1,501-3,000 sq ft $75.00; 3,001-6,000 sq ft $100.00; 6,001-9,000 sq ft $125.00; "more than 9,001 square feet" $150.00; reinspections $50.00; paid by the property owner before the inspection | annual, each year after operations begin | 2026-10-12 |
| Temporary Use Permitonly if it applies to you | Santa Fe County Growth Management Department, Building and Development Services Division | $125 per temporary use permit (Code §37.06) | per permit | 2026-10-12 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
Local permits that apply to every type of business in Santa Fe County
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| County Business Registration (annual, per place of business) | Santa Fe County Treasurer | $35 per calendar year, for each place of business; not prorated; late fee $10.00 (Code §110.03(1)(b), §110.06) | calendar year; registration and fee due before March 15 each year (within 30 days of starting for a business that begins after March 15) | 2026-10-12 |
| Business Registration Land-Use Review (no site development permit required)only if it applies to you | Santa Fe County Growth Management Department, Building and Development Services Division | $225 per application ("Business registration (when site DP not req'd)", Code §37.06) | per application, when a business is registered without a site development permit | 2026-10-12 |
| Fire Inspection Before Commencement of Operations | Santa Fe County Fire Department, Fire Prevention Division | Varies — formula on the Santa Fe County page | one-time, before the business begins operating | 2026-10-12 |
| Fire Protection System Plan Review and Construction Permit (commercial)only if it applies to you | Santa Fe County Fire Department, Fire Prevention Division | Varies — formula on the Santa Fe County page | per permit, before installing, rehabilitating or modifying a fire protection or life safety system | 2026-10-12 |
| Development Permit: Non-Residential Remodel up to $50,000 Valuationonly if it applies to you | Santa Fe County Growth Management Department, Building and Development Services Division | $75 per development permit for a non-residential remodel up to $50,000.00 valuation (Code §37.06) | per permit; void if not picked up within 30 days of approval | 2026-10-12 |
| Sign Permitonly if it applies to you | Santa Fe County Growth Management Department, Building and Development Services Division | $245 per sign permit (Code §37.06) | per permit; void if not picked up within 30 days of approval | 2026-10-12 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
NM registrations that apply to every type of business
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Articles of Incorporationonly if it applies to you | New Mexico Secretary of State, Business Services Division | Varies — formula on the NM page | perpetual, but a biennial report is due every two years | 2026-10-09 |
| General Business License — State of New Mexico positiononly if it applies to you | New Mexico Secretary of State, Business Services Division | No fee | not applicable | 2026-10-09 |
| Articles of Organization (LLC)only if it applies to you | New Mexico Secretary of State, Business Services Division | $50 one-time filing | perpetual — the LLC fee section lists no annual or biennial report | 2026-10-09 |
| Corporate Biennial Reportonly if it applies to you | New Mexico Secretary of State, Business Services Division | $25 every two years; filing late adds a $200 penalty | biennial — due on or before the 15th day of the fourth month after the close of the tax year | 2026-10-09 |
| Gross Receipts Tax Registration | New Mexico Taxation and Revenue Department | No fee | not stated as expiring | 2026-10-09 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
How much does it actually cost to permit a retail store in Santa Fe County?
There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 16 records listed for a retail store in Santa Fe County, NM, 3 apply to every business of this type and 13 are conditional. Adding every fee on the page together would overstate what most operators pay, because it would include permits they never need.
Of the 3 that always apply, 1 carry a flat fee, coming to $35.00. That is a floor, not a total. 6 of the 16 are charged as a range or a formula set by the issuing agency, and 2 have no fee published at all. The ones particular to this business that vary:
County Temporary Business License (under 60 days in any 12 months): Up to $10.00 per month (Santa Fe County Code §110.03(2)(d), "Any other temporary business").
Home Occupation Business License Review (no, low or medium impact): $50–$500 per application by category (Code §37.06): no impact $50.00; low impact $100.00; medium impact home occupation (conditional use permit) $500.00; the $35.00 business registration and the $25.00 fire inspection are charged separately
Annual Fire Inspection (listed occupancy groups): $50–$150 a year, by business floor area: 1,500 sq ft or less $50.00; 1,501-3,000 sq ft $75.00; 3,001-6,000 sq ft $100.00; 6,001-9,000 sq ft $125.00; "more than 9,001 square feet" $150.00; reinspections $50.00; paid by the property owner before the inspection
The other 3 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the Santa Fe County permits page and the NM state page.
Which offices issue these permits in Santa Fe County?
Permits for a retail store in Santa Fe County, NM come from 5 separate offices: Santa Fe County Treasurer, Santa Fe County Growth Management Department, Building and Development Services Division, Santa Fe County Fire Department, Fire Prevention Division, New Mexico Secretary of State, Business Services Division, New Mexico Taxation and Revenue Department. No single office issues them all, which is why an opening means filing in several places rather than one.
- Santa Fe County TreasurerIssues 3 permits on this page: County Temporary Business License (under 60 days in any 12 months), County Business Registration (annual, per place of business), County Business License: Dealers in Secondhand Goods and Pawnbrokerswww.santafecountynm.gov/treasurer
- Santa Fe County Growth Management Department, Building and Development Services DivisionIssues 5 permits on this page, including Business Registration Land-Use Review (no site development permit required), Home Occupation Business License Review (no, low or medium impact), Development Permit: Non-Residential Remodel up to $50,000 Valuation505-986-6225www.santafecountynm.gov/growth-management/building-development
- Santa Fe County Fire Department, Fire Prevention DivisionIssues 3 permits on this page: Fire Inspection Before Commencement of Operations, Annual Fire Inspection (listed occupancy groups), Fire Protection System Plan Review and Construction Permit (commercial)35 Camino Justicia, Santa Fe, NM 87508www.santafecountynm.gov/fire/fire-preventionrisk-reduction/fee-schedule-fire-inspection-plan-review
- New Mexico Secretary of State, Business Services DivisionIssues 4 permits on this page: Articles of Incorporation, General Business License — State of New Mexico position, Articles of Organization (LLC), Corporate Biennial Report325 Don Gaspar, Suite 300, Santa Fe, NM 87501 · (505) 827-3600www.sos.nm.gov/business-services
- New Mexico Taxation and Revenue DepartmentIssues 1 permit on this page: Gross Receipts Tax Registration1200 South St. Francis Drive, Santa Fe, NM 87505 · 1-866-285-2996www.tax.newmexico.gov
What does a retail store need in Santa Fe County that other businesses do not?
1 of the 5 permits particular to a retail store here applies to no other business type we cover in Santa Fe County: County Business License: Dealers in Secondhand Goods and Pawnbrokers.
County Temporary Business License (under 60 days in any 12 months)
Under Santa Fe County Code chapter 110, a business carried on in the unincorporated county for fewer than 60 days in any 12-month period is a temporary business rather than a permanent one. Code §110.03(2) requires any person engaging in a temporary business to complete a county business license form before a license is issued and to comply with the chapter's license requirements. The fee schedule in §110.03(2)(d) sets the fee for "Any other temporary business" at up to $10.00 per month. This applies to temporary retail sales and other short-term operations in the unincorporated county; a business operating 60 days or more in a 12-month period takes the annual $35.00 business registration instead. The figure is set by ordinance in the codified chapter 110, current through Ord. No. 2026-07; contact the County Treasurer for the amount charged for a particular operation.
County Business License: Dealers in Secondhand Goods and Pawnbrokers
A retail store that regularly deals in secondhand goods of any kind (the Code §110.02 definition excludes automobiles and includes pawnbrokers) carries on a licensed activity under Santa Fe County Code chapter 110 and needs a county business license from the County Treasurer. Code §110.03(2)(d) sets the fee for "Dealers in secondhand goods of any kind, including flea-markets and pawnbrokers" at $50.00 per year; renewal is due before March 15 each year (§110.05(A)), with a $10.00 late fee under §110.06. A pawnbroker is also governed by Code chapter 115: under §115.04, before a license can be granted the pawnbroker must deliver a bond in the penal sum of $5,000.00 with a corporate surety authorised in New Mexico, approved by the office of the land use administrator and the county attorney, and must give the county 30 days' written notice of cancelling the bond. The figures are set by ordinance in the codified text current through Ord. No. 2026-07.
Home Occupation Business License Review (no, low or medium impact)
A business run from a home in the unincorporated county is licensed as a home occupation under the Sustainable Land Development Code. The county's Home Occupation page states that, depending on the nature of the work and the number of employees, home occupation businesses are categorized as No Impact (business registration), Low Impact (development permit) and Medium Impact (conditional use permit), with at most 1, 3 and 5 non-resident employees, up to 25%, 35% and 50% of the heated floor area, and 0, 4 and 12 patron visits a day respectively. Each application requires a detailed letter of intent describing the business, the materials involved, the number of employees and the number of client appointments per day. The §37.06 fee schedule sets the review fee at $50.00 for a no impact and $100.00 for a low impact home occupation, and $500.00 for a medium impact home occupation (listed under the conditional use permit). The $35.00 annual business registration and the $25.00 fire inspection for no and low impact businesses are separate charges. The county's Home Occupation page states: "Businesses require an inspection by Fire Prevention Specialists before the commencement of operations. Depending upon the type of occupancy, certain businesses will require an annual Fire Prevention inspection." The figure is from the fee schedule in Santa Fe County Code §37.06, adopted by Ordinance 2016-8 (adopted December 13, 2016, recorded December 14, 2016, effective 30 days after recording) and carried unchanged in the codified text current through Ord. No. 2026-07. Under §37.08, fees are due at the time of application and are not refundable; under §37.05, a permit not picked up within thirty days of approval is void and needs a new application and fee. Contact Building and Development Services at 505-986-6225.
Annual Fire Inspection (listed occupancy groups)
Under the county fire code, the owner of a property housing any of these occupancy groups must obtain an annual fire inspection, both before operations begin and each year after: Assembly A-1, A-2 and A-3 over 3,000 square feet; Educational E; Institutional I-1 and I-2; Mercantile M over 6,000 square feet; and Residential R-1, R-2 and R-4. A restaurant or coffee shop classed as Assembly A-2, a fitness studio classed as A-3 over 3,000 square feet, a child care facility classed as Educational E, and a retail store classed as Mercantile M over 6,000 square feet therefore take an annual inspection; a business outside those groups has no annual fire inspection under this section. The property owner pays the annual fee before the inspection, and an owner who does not correct violations within the time in the inspection report is charged a reinspection fee. The annual fee is $50.00 for 1,500 square feet or less, $75.00 for 1,501 to 3,000, $100.00 for 3,001 to 6,000, $125.00 for 6,001 to 9,000 and $150.00 for "more than 9,001 square feet", with reinspections at $50.00. The figures are from the county fire code, Ordinance 2023-06 (adopted August 29, 2023, recorded September 7, 2023, effective 30 days after recording), §15, codified in Santa Fe County Code chapter 96 with the same amounts through Ord. No. 2026-07, and repeated on the Fire Department's fee schedule page. The fire code applies in the unincorporated county; Ord. 2023-06 repealed the earlier fire fee ordinance, Ord. 2018-8.
Temporary Use Permit
A temporary use of land in the unincorporated county that the Sustainable Land Development Code makes subject to a temporary use permit, such as a temporary sale or event on a property, is permitted by the Building and Development Services Division. The §37.06 fee schedule sets the temporary use permit fee at $125.00. The SLDC defines which temporary uses need this permit; contact Building and Development Services at 505-986-6225 to confirm whether a particular activity does. The figure is from the fee schedule in Santa Fe County Code §37.06, adopted by Ordinance 2016-8 (adopted December 13, 2016, recorded December 14, 2016, effective 30 days after recording) and carried unchanged in the codified text current through Ord. No. 2026-07. Under §37.08, fees are due at the time of application and are not refundable; under §37.05, a permit not picked up within thirty days of approval is void and needs a new application and fee.
The other 6 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Santa Fe County, NM; what each one involves is set out on the Santa Fe County permits page. The 5 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across NM and are covered on the NM state page.
How does a retail store compare with other businesses in Santa Fe County?
The closest match is a fitness studio, which shares 2 of these permits. A retail store also needs County Temporary Business License (under 60 days in any 12 months), County Business License: Dealers in Secondhand Goods and Pawnbrokers and Temporary Use Permit. A fitness studio needs Swimming Pool Development Review (conditional: installing a pool), which a retail store does not.
| Business | Its own permits | Shared with a retail store | Only a retail store needs | Only it needs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fitness studios | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| Coffee shops | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| Restaurants | 5 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| Childcare centres | 2 | 1 | 4 | 1 |
| Contractors and trades | 2 | 1 | 4 | 1 |
| Salons and barbers | 2 | 1 | 4 | 1 |
| Food trucks | 4 | 1 | 4 | 3 |
| Auto repair shops | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 |
| Veterinary clinics | 2 | 0 | 5 | 2 |
Sources
Every figure for the permits explained on this page was read from one of these government pages on the date shown. Sources for the permits that apply to every type of business are listed on the Santa Fe County permits page and the NM state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.
- Santa Fe County Code, Chapter 110: Business Registration and LicensingSanta Fe County, New Mexico (eCode360) · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-12
- Santa Fe County Code, Chapter 115: Pawnbrokers and junk dealersSanta Fe County, New Mexico (eCode360) · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-12
- Santa Fe County Code §37.06 Fee schedule (Sustainable Land Development Code fees)Santa Fe County, New Mexico (eCode360) · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-12
- Ordinance No. 2016-8 (SLDC fee schedule, Exhibit A)Santa Fe County Board of County Commissioners · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-12
- Home Occupation pageSanta Fe County Growth Management Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-12
- Ordinance No. 2023-06 (Santa Fe County Fire Code)Santa Fe County Board of County Commissioners · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-12
- Santa Fe County Code, Chapter 96: Fire Regulations; FireworksSanta Fe County, New Mexico (eCode360) · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-12
- Fee Schedule: Fire Inspection and Plan ReviewSanta Fe County Fire Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-12
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Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.