Santa Fe County has authority to require businesses in the County (outside of the incorporated areas of the cities of Santa Fe, Edgewood and Espanola) to obtain a license to conduct business. That authority is granted through Santa Fe County Ordinance 1992-3as amended by Ordinance 2009-3and Ordinance 2013-4. The Sustainable Land Development Code (SLDC) describes the requirements to obtain a Business License for a home occupation. Depending upon the nature of the work and the number of employees, home occupation businesses are categorized as No Impact, Low Impact, and Medium Impact. The table below of the SLDC, that summarizes the requirements of each category, is duplicated here for convenience
| No Impact | Low Impact | Medium Impact | |
| Permit Type | Business Registration | Development Permit | Conditional Use Permit |
| Non-Resident Empoyees (max) | 1 | 3 | 5 |
| Area used for business (max) | 25% of heated square footage | 35% of heated square footage | 50% of heated square footage |
| Accessory Building Storage | 100 SF | 600 SF | 1,500 SF |
| Appointments/Patron Visits (max/day) | 0 | 4 | 12 |
| Business Traffic | none | see Section 10.6.5 | See Section 10.6.5 |
| Signage | not permitted | See Section 7.9.10 | See Section 7.9.10 |
| Parking and Access | Resident and Employee only | see Section 10.6.5 | see Section 10.6.5 |
| Heavy Equipment | None | Up to 2 | 3-6 |
The submittal requirements vary for each of these categories of Home Occupation licenses. Those requirements are detailed in the following application packets:
· No Impact Home Occupation Application Packet
· Low Impact Occupation Application Packet
· Conditional Use Application Packet (for Medium Impact Home Occupations)
Each of the applications require a detailed letter of intent that describes the business and includes the types of materials involved, the number of employees and the number of client appointments per day.
Businesses require an inspection by Fire Prevention Specialists before the commencement of operations. Depending upon the type of occupancy, certain businesses will require an annual Fire Prevention inspection.
Call or visit the Building and Development Services Division at 505-986-6225 and 102 Grant Avenue in Santa Fe to speak with a Development Review Specialist to get started on your project.