County guide · New Mexico
Metal buildings in Doña Ana County, NM.
We supply shops, barns, farm buildings and more across unincorporated Doña Ana County. Our work reaches from the Mesilla Valley farms to Chaparral, Santa Teresa and Hatch, and anywhere else you’re building.
5-acre lots (R5, R5L)
Up to 5,000 sq ft
Accessory height
2 stories
Side & rear (rural)
5 ft
Behind the house front
20 ft
From the Doña Ana County Unified Development Code (Chapter 350, Article V), for the rural T2, R5 and R5L zones unless noted. Inside Las Cruces, the city’s rules apply.
What people build in Doña Ana County
Chile fields, pecan orchards and desert acreage along the Rio Grande.
Shops & garages
Up to two stories, set behind the house. Tubular steel suits most garages.
Farm buildings
Equipment, grain and packing buildings for valley farms. Red iron takes over past eighty feet.
Barndominiums
Steel truss is the fit for a home on rural acreage.
Floodplain sites
In a FEMA flood zone, an accessory building also needs a floodplain development permit.
See what a steel building costs for real per-square-foot ranges.
Permitting metal buildings in Doña Ana County
Size & spacing
- In R5 and R5L, accessory buildings can total 5,000 sq ft or 10% of the lot, whichever is less, and sit 10 feet from all other buildings.
- Elsewhere, detached buildings keep at least 6 feet apart.
Placement
- Accessory buildings sit 20 feet behind the house’s front facade, with 5-foot side and rear setbacks in rural zones.
- The Zoning Administrator can adjust setbacks by up to 20% to fit a site.
Timing & permits
- In residential zones, the house must exist before an accessory building goes up.
- A shipping container used as a building needs a building permit too.
In Doña Ana County, the house comes first. On residential land, an accessory building can’t go up until the home is built. On 5-acre lots, the cap is 10% of the lot or 5,000 sq ft. We size your building to the lot and check the flood map before you apply.
For the city itself, see our Las Cruces guide, or all of New Mexico.
Start with a conversation
Let’s talk about your Doña Ana County project.
Tell us what you’re planning and where you’re building. We’ll help you work out the next steps.
- Tell us what and whereSend us the size, how you’ll use the building and the address.
- We check the siteWe confirm who permits the address and which code and loads apply.
- You get a clear recommendationWe recommend the frame that fits and price it against the alternatives.
Or call
417-218-8348