Planning, Community & Economic development

Mission

The Planning and Zoning Department is responsible for the administration of the Town's land use policies and zoning regulations as well as the provision of technical expertise to the community in an effort to foster the sustainable growth of the Town.

Our goal is to offer consistent, courteous, high-quality service to the citizens and business community of the Town of Taos by providing a one-stop shop for planning, zoning and building permitting that facilitates and guides the physical growth of the Town in order to enhance the collective quality of life of Town residents and to ensure safe, healthy, and quality development.

Responsibilities

  • The Planning and Zoning Department informs and works with the Planning and Zoning Commission as well as the Town Council by conducting researching and making policy recommendations on a wide variety of land use issues within the Town and greater region.
  • The Planning Division reviews and processes all development applications to ensure all zoning standards have been achieved prior to approval, recommends changes to the Land Use Development Code (LUDC), prepares long range planning documents and provides guidance with the implementation of those plans.
  • The Building Division works with the Planning and Zoning Division in processing all building permits, demolition permits and overseeing all excavation within Town limits.
  • The Building Division does all on-site building inspections in Town limits.

Permit Application Processing

In an effort to better serve our customers, the Planning Department has instituted the following procedures and guidelines to ensure the efficient processing of all permit applications:

  • Please allow a minimum of 5 days for the processing of all applications.
  • Applications will be processed in the order received.
  • Incomplete applications will not be accepted.
  • No same day appointments.

Important Note

Staff and Commission site visits may be scheduled on Wednesday afternoon before the public meetings. Staff may be temporarily out of the office during these times.