Curry County, New Mexico Clovis, Portales & the Eastern Plains

Barndominium Builders in Clovis, New Mexico

Clovis anchors the eastern plains of New Mexico: farm and ranch country on the high, level Llano Estacado, with Cannon Air Force Base in the same county and a steady stream of military families, farmers and small-business owners looking for land with room for a shop. A barndominium fits that brief, pairing a finished home with an equipment bay or hobby garage under one roof. We supply the plans and kit packages, drawn for the wind and cold snaps that come across open ground here, and the building is put up by a New Mexico-licensed contractor, or by an owner-builder who qualifies for a homeowner permit. The useful thing to know in Clovis is how far the city's reach extends. Its Building Safety Department reviews plans and inspects not only inside the city but across a five-mile extraterritorial ring, so a good deal of the acreage near Clovis is reviewed by the city even though it looks like open county. When you talk to barndominium contractors, give them the parcel number first so everyone starts from the same jurisdiction. Tell us about the land through the survey and we will suggest a plan that suits it.

Clovis at a glance

Principal county: Curry County
Building permit: City building department
Local facts on this page: 5, each linked to its source

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Before you build in Clovis

The local answers that shape a build here, each taken from the office or document that publishes it. Rules change, so we confirm them again against your parcel before drawing.

City-issued permitWho issues the permit

City of Clovis Building Safety Department

Building Safety handles permitting, plan review and inspection for building, electrical, plumbing and mechanical work across the City of Clovis and a five-mile extraterritorial jurisdiction. It also covers the City of Portales and its three-mile ring. Land farther out in Curry County should be checked with the county before plans are drawn.

Source: Building Safety | Clovis, NM (clovisnm.gov)

Codes and jurisdiction: The City of Clovis Department of Building Safety says it has adopted the 2021 International Codes and the 2020 National Electric Code, with jurisdiction throughout the city and a five-mile extraterritorial jurisdiction, plus the City of Portales and its three-mile extraterritorial jurisdiction.
Who may take out the permit: Clovis lets a residential permit be taken out by a homeowner who owns and occupies the single-family house, or by a contractor holding both a New Mexico state licence and a City of Clovis business licence. The city says electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits go only to licensed contractors holding both.
Energy code climate zone: The state residential energy code's table places Clovis, in Curry County, at 4,268 feet in climate zone 4B, one step colder than the 3B assigned to the oil towns farther south.
Forms on the permits page: The city's Building Permits page offers online applications and publishes a Residential Application for new houses, a Floodplain Development Application, an Excavation Application and the City of Clovis and Curry County Joint Comprehensive Plan.
Cannon Air Force Base planning: The 2011 Joint Land Use Study, posted on the city's permits page, notes that Curry County is home to Cannon Air Force Base and was prepared with Curry and Roosevelt counties, Clovis, Portales, Melrose and Floyd to guide land use that stays compatible with the base and Melrose Air Force Range.

Building on land near Clovis

The ground around Clovis is level farmland and pasture, so the questions are less about slope and more about what reaches the parcel. Inside the city there may be water and sewer; in the five-mile ring and beyond, most houses rely on a domestic well permitted by the Office of the State Engineer and a septic system permitted by the Environment Department before the house is built. Land close to the base deserves a look at the Joint Land Use Study before you buy. Post frame homes, pole barn homes and steel shells all do well here once they are specified for plains wind, and a flood check is worth doing on low, flat lots.

Other locations in this part of New Mexico

Clovis, Portales & the Eastern Plains

Plans and kits for Clovis

Custom plans and kit packages, drawn to the local design figures. Construction is carried out by a New Mexico-licensed contractor. The parcel decides the budget more than the floor area does, so we quote against your land rather than a rate card.

Custom Plans

Custom barndominium plans drawn for your New Mexico parcel: sun, wind and drainage, the look you want, and design values for your site's elevation.

Barndominium Kits

Barndominium kits for New Mexico land: steel or post-frame shell packages drawn to the snow, wind and frost values for your site, delivered to your parcel.

Post-Frame Homes

Post frame and pole barn homes in New Mexico, built as real dwellings: posts set for your soil, termite protection, and a wall that handles heat and cold.

See every service

Have land in or near Clovis? Tell us about the parcel and what you want to build, and we will check it against the local rules before anything is drawn.

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Building in Clovis: questions

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How much does it cost to build a barndominium in Clovis?

The land decides more than the floor plan: a lot on city water and sewer is a very different budget from acreage that needs a well, a septic field and a long power run. Because every site differs, there is no fixed rate on this page. Read the barndominium cost guide for sourced ranges, then send us the parcel through the survey and we will price the plans and kit for it.

Do I need a building permit for a barndominium in Clovis?

Yes. The city's Building Safety Department issues it inside Clovis and across its five-mile ring. A contractor with a New Mexico licence and a Clovis business licence applies, or an owner who will live in the house applies as a homeowner; under the state rule that covers only a primary residence, the owner does the major portion of the work by dollar value, and subcontracted trades must be licensed. For land farther out, see the Curry County page.

Can I use barndominium kits for a home near Cannon AFB?

Yes, provided the site is zoned for a dwelling and the drawings meet the 2021 codes Clovis enforces. Our barndominium kits are drawn to the climate zone 4B energy rules, and a licensed contractor or qualifying owner-builder erects them. Check the Joint Land Use Study for the parcel before committing to land close to the base.

Are post-frame houses built around Clovis?

They are, and the city treats a post-frame house like any other dwelling: permit, plan review and phase inspections. Metal building homes follow the same path. The framing choice mostly comes down to clear span and budget; our post-frame homes page sets out the differences.

Keep reading

What usually comes next once you know what Clovis allows.

Barndominium Cost Guide

Sourced per-square-foot ranges by tier and size, and what moves the number on your land.

Read it

Is a Barndominium Legal in New Mexico?

Zoning, septic and who inspects, before you buy the land.

Read it

How Long Does It Take?

From parcel to move-in, and which steps set the clock.

Read it

Sources for this page

The published pages behind the Clovis facts above. Rules change, so check the current version with the office before you rely on it.

Barndominiums near Clovis

Nearby places we also cover. Across a city limit or a county line the permit office, zoning and septic rules can change, so each has its own page.

Curry County

New Mexico county

Portales

Roosevelt County, New Mexico

Roosevelt County

New Mexico county

Building in Clovis?

Start with the survey. Tell us where the land is and what you want on it, and we will come back with which office permits it, what it will allow, and a plan to fit.

Start the survey