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Effective October 4, the City of Santa Fe’s Land Use Department staff will be responsible for building permits and development reviews within designated “annexation areas” located outside the city limits. In preparation for the changeover, applications for building permits, lot splits, subdivisions, and other types of development are now being accepted by city staff, following the normal city procedures.

The annexation areas were designated for inclusion into the city by an agreement between the city and Santa Fe County in 2008, and actual annexation will proceed in phases over the next four years. The joint city-county Extraterritorial Zoning Authority formerly had authority over development review functions such as subdivisions and zoning. New joint regulations approved in August give the city primary jurisdiction in the annexation areas, and the county will have primary authority for parts of the former extraterritorial zone that will not be annexed.

The city will also assume jurisdiction over functions that are closely related to permitting and development review, including business licenses and enforcement of the building and land development codes.

The annexation areas include the area bounded by I-25, NM 599 and the current city limits, as well as several infill areas surrounded by the existing city limits and some areas adjacent to the city’s current east boundary. A map of the annexation areas and the new Subdivision, Planning Platting and Zoning ordinance are available at the city’s web page at santafenm.gov. The City of Santa Fe’s Land Use Department can be reached by phone at 955-6585.