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

Barndominium Builders in Curry County, New Mexico

Curry County covers a stretch of the high eastern plains around Clovis, Texico and Melrose, a region of cropland and cattle country with Cannon Air Force Base inside its borders. Much of the demand here comes from families who want a few acres outside town and a building that can hold a pickup, a tractor or a welding bench as easily as a kitchen. We supply barndominium plans and kit packages for that kind of rural lot, and the building is erected by a New Mexico-licensed contractor, or by an owner-builder who meets the conditions of a homeowner permit. Before settling on a design, find out which office reviews the land. The City of Clovis inspects well past its own limits, across a five-mile extraterritorial ring and in Texico, so a parcel that feels like open county may still go through city plan review. Beyond those areas, check with the county first; where no local building department reaches the land, the state issues the permit. Anyone comparing barndominium contractors for a county parcel should start with that question. Share the parcel through the survey and we will recommend a plan to match.

Curry County at a glance

County: Curry County
Building permit: State of New Mexico (no local program)
Local facts on this page: 5, each linked to its source

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Before you build in Curry County

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.

State-issued permitWho issues the permit

New Mexico Construction Industries Division where no local department covers the land; City of Clovis Building Safety inside its five-mile ring and Texico

Clovis Building Safety permits and inspects in Clovis and its five-mile extraterritorial jurisdiction, in Portales and its three-mile ring, and in Texico. For unincorporated land beyond those areas, confirm with Curry County first; where no local building department covers the site, New Mexico's Construction Industries Division issues the permit and inspects.

Source: Permitting & Inspections | Clovis, NM (clovisnm.gov)

Where Clovis reviews plans: The City of Clovis Department of Building Safety lists its jurisdiction as the city plus a five-mile extraterritorial jurisdiction, the City of Portales with a three-mile ring, and Texico, applying the 2021 International Codes and the 2020 National Electric Code.
Energy code climate zone: In the state energy code's climate table, Clovis is the Curry County location listed, at 4,268 feet in climate zone 4B. The rule lets the building official assign a zone by elevation for places not in the table.
Cannon Air Force Base: The 2011 Joint Land Use Study states that Curry County is home to Cannon Air Force Base, whose 27th Special Operations Wing has a significant social and economic impact on Curry and Roosevelt counties, and sets out tools for keeping nearby land use compatible with the base.
Joint planning with Clovis: The City of Clovis publishes a City of Clovis and Curry County Joint Comprehensive Plan and a Regional Growth Management Plan on its Building Permits page, alongside its floodplain development and new residential applications.
Groundwater basin: The Office of the State Engineer's map of declared underground water basins labels a Curry basin. Declaring a basin means the State Engineer has proclaimed a groundwater source with ascertainable boundaries and assumed jurisdiction over appropriation and use of its water.

Building on land near Curry County

Rural Curry County land is mostly level cropland and pasture served by section-line roads, so access is rarely hard, but utilities often are. Expect a house outside Clovis or Texico to need a domestic well, permitted by the Office of the State Engineer, and an on-site septic system whose Environment Department permit comes before any building. For anyone buying acreage near Curry County's towns, note that splitting a parcel off a larger farm can trigger the county's subdivision process, so ask before you buy. Metal building homes and pole barn homes both hold up well on open ground when the wind load is specified properly, and they give room for equipment.

Other locations in this part of New Mexico

Clovis, Portales & the Eastern Plains

Plans and kits for Curry County

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.

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Have land in or near Curry County? 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 Curry County: questions

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How much does it cost to build a barndominium in Curry County?

Rural costs hinge on the site: a well, a septic field, the distance to a power line and the length of the driveway can each shift the budget more than the square footage. We keep no rate card. Sourced ranges are in the barndominium cost guide, and a parcel sent through the survey lets us price a plan and kit for your acreage.

Do I need a building permit for a barndominium in Curry County?

Yes. Within five miles of Clovis, or in Texico, the City of Clovis issues it; farther out, check with the county and expect the state Construction Industries Division where no local department applies. A New Mexico-licensed contractor applies, or an owner-builder uses a homeowner permit, which is limited to a primary residence, requires the owner to do the major portion of the work by dollar value, and needs licensed subcontractors. The Clovis page covers the city side.

Can I build from barndominium kits on Curry County acreage?

Yes. Our barndominium kits are drawn to the 2021 residential code and climate zone 4B, and they are erected by a licensed contractor or a qualifying owner. Where the state reviews the plans, its guidance calls for steel-framed and pre-manufactured buildings to carry drawings sealed by a New Mexico-licensed engineer.

Do post frame homes suit Curry County farm ground?

They do. A post-frame house is permitted and inspected as a home like any other, and its long clear spans make room for machinery. See how it compares with a steel frame on the post-frame homes page.

Keep reading

What usually comes next once you know what Curry County 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 Curry County facts above. Rules change, so check the current version with the office before you rely on it.

Barndominiums near Curry County

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.

Clovis

Curry County, New Mexico

Roosevelt County

New Mexico county

Portales

Roosevelt County, New Mexico

Building in Curry County?

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