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13 permits · verified 2026-10-12

What permits do you need to open a veterinary clinic in Santa Fe County?

In short

A veterinary clinic in Santa Fe County, NM has 4 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 9 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). 4 of the 13 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 veterinary clinic in Santa Fe County

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Kennel Permit (more than 10 dogs or 10 cats on a business property)only if it applies to youSanta Fe County Animal Control DivisionThe permit fee is set in Appendix A to Santa Fe County Code chapter 95; the amount is not published on the §95.05 page. Contact the county animal control division for the current amount.annual; renewed each year with a new permit fee2026-10-12
Veterinary Facility LicenseNew Mexico Board of Veterinary Medicine$155 to open; renewal is $155 a yearannual — every facility license expires 30 September2026-10-09

Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.

Local permits that apply to every type of business in Santa Fe County

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
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 youSanta 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 permit2026-10-12
Fire Inspection Before Commencement of OperationsSanta Fe County Fire Department, Fire Prevention DivisionVaries — formula on the Santa Fe County pageone-time, before the business begins operating2026-10-12
Fire Protection System Plan Review and Construction Permit (commercial)only if it applies to youSanta Fe County Fire Department, Fire Prevention DivisionVaries — formula on the Santa Fe County pageper permit, before installing, rehabilitating or modifying a fire protection or life safety system2026-10-12
Development Permit: Non-Residential Remodel up to $50,000 Valuationonly if it applies to youSanta 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 approval2026-10-12
Sign Permitonly if it applies to youSanta 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 approval2026-10-12

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

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Articles of Incorporationonly if it applies to youNew Mexico Secretary of State, Business Services DivisionVaries — formula on the NM pageperpetual, but a biennial report is due every two years2026-10-09
General Business License — State of New Mexico positiononly if it applies to youNew Mexico Secretary of State, Business Services DivisionNo feenot applicable2026-10-09
Articles of Organization (LLC)only if it applies to youNew Mexico Secretary of State, Business Services Division$50 one-time filingperpetual — the LLC fee section lists no annual or biennial report2026-10-09
Corporate Biennial Reportonly if it applies to youNew Mexico Secretary of State, Business Services Division$25 every two years; filing late adds a $200 penaltybiennial — due on or before the 15th day of the fourth month after the close of the tax year2026-10-09
Gross Receipts Tax RegistrationNew Mexico Taxation and Revenue DepartmentNo feenot stated as expiring2026-10-09

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 veterinary clinic in Santa Fe County?

There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 13 records listed for a veterinary clinic in Santa Fe County, NM, 4 apply to every business of this type and 9 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 4 that always apply, 2 carry a flat fee, coming to $190.00. That is a floor, not a total. 4 of the 13 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:

Kennel Permit (more than 10 dogs or 10 cats on a business property): The permit fee is set in Appendix A to Santa Fe County Code chapter 95; the amount is not published on the §95.05 page. Contact the county animal control division for the current amount.

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 veterinary clinic in Santa Fe County, NM come from 7 separate offices: Santa Fe County Animal Control Division, 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, New Mexico Board of Veterinary Medicine. No single office issues them all, which is why an opening means filing in several places rather than one.

What does a veterinary clinic need in Santa Fe County that other businesses do not?

2 of the 2 permits particular to a veterinary clinic here apply to no other business type we cover in Santa Fe County: Kennel Permit (more than 10 dogs or 10 cats on a business property) and Veterinary Facility License.

Kennel Permit (more than 10 dogs or 10 cats on a business property)

Santa Fe County Code §95.05 makes it unlawful to keep, maintain, harbor or possess more than ten dogs of licensing age or ten cats on the premises of any one household or any one business property unless the owner or person in charge has obtained a permit to operate a kennel from the animal control division. A veterinary practice that boards more than that number of animals on its business property therefore needs a kennel permit. Each kennel license must be renewed annually and a new permit fee paid; the fee is set out in Appendix A to chapter 95. No kennel permit is issued until an inspection by an animal control officer finds compliance, permitted kennels must meet the section's minimum standards and may be inspected at any reasonable hour, and a permit may be revoked, with a hearing available to the permit holder.

Veterinary Facility License

Under 16.25.7.8 NMAC (effective 14 January 2025), every facility in New Mexico where the practice of veterinary medicine regularly occurs must hold a facility license from the Board of Veterinary Medicine, separate from the individual veterinarian's license, and a facility license cannot be issued without a physical facility. All facility licenses expire, and renewals are due, on 30 September each year. Section 16.25.7.9 sets the initial facility license at $155 and annual renewal at $155, with late renewal penalties of $65 for a renewal postmarked after 30 September but no later than 30 October and $155 after 30 October. A consulting-only veterinarian with no hands-on practice, a veterinarian practising under a 60-day temporary permit, and a veterinarian working under another licensee's jurisdiction do not need their own facility license.

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 veterinary clinic compare with other businesses in Santa Fe County?

The closest match is a auto repair shop, which shares 0 of these permits. A veterinary clinic also needs Kennel Permit (more than 10 dogs or 10 cats on a business property) and Veterinary Facility License. A auto repair shop needs Automotive Repair Shop — MVD Dealer Licensing Covers Vehicle Sales Only (New Mexico), which a veterinary clinic does not.

Permits particular to each business type in Santa Fe County, NM, compared with a veterinary clinic
BusinessIts own permitsShared with a veterinary clinicOnly a veterinary clinic needsOnly it needs
Auto repair shops1021
Childcare centres2022
Coffee shops4024
Contractors and trades2022
Fitness studios3023
Food trucks4024
Restaurants5025
Retail stores5025
Salons and barbers2022

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.

  1. Santa Fe County Code §95.05 Kennels, grooming parlors and the likeSanta Fe County, New Mexico (eCode360) · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-12
  2. New Mexico Administrative Code 16.25.7 (effective 14 January 2025) — veterinary facility license, $155 a year, expiring 30 SeptemberNew Mexico Board of Veterinary Medicine · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
  3. New Mexico Administrative Code 16.25.7 — the veterinary facility license, $125 a year, expiring 30 SeptemberNew Mexico Board of Veterinary Medicine · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04

Related

Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.