What does MX-M zoning mean in Albuquerque?

MX-M is a medium-intensity mixed-use district under the IDO, permitting a blend of retail, office, and multi-family residential along arterial corridors outside Downtown. It sits between the lower-intensity MX-L district and the form-based MX-FB district used Downtown.

How do I find the zoning for a parcel in Albuquerque?

Use the Planning Department's IDO Zone Atlas / AGIS mapping tool, which shows the base IDO district plus any overlay zones — Character Protection, View Protection, Airport Protection, or Historic Protection — that apply to a specific parcel.

Does Albuquerque allow accessory dwelling units (ADUs)?

Yes. The IDO permits ADUs by right in most residential zones, subject to owner-occupancy requirements and size limits relative to the primary dwelling. Specific standards vary slightly by base district and any applicable overlay.

Albuquerque, New Mexico · city zoning districts · 15 districts

Albuquerque, NM zoning map & districts

Albuquerque consolidated its 1970s-era zoning code and subdivision regulations into a single Integrated Development Ordinance (IDO), effective May 2018 and administered by the Planning Department's Development Review Services division. The IDO organizes districts into three families — Residential (R-), Mixed-use (MX-), and Non-Residential (NR-) — plus a Planned Community (PC) designation for large master-planned developments such as Mesa del Sol. A stack of overlay zones layers on top of base zoning in specific areas: Character Protection Overlay zones tied to individual neighborhoods (Nob Hill, North Valley, and others), a View Protection Overlay near the Sandia foothills, an Airport Protection Overlay around the Sunport, and Historic Protection Overlay zones for districts like Old Town and Huning Highland.

The code Integrated Development Ordinance (IDO)

Albuquerque zoning map

Parcel zoning is confirmed through the Planning Department's IDO Zone Atlas / AGIS mapping tool, and the current IDO text is published on the Planning Department's codes and ordinances page.

There is no link to the official map here yet — confirm current district boundaries directly with the Albuquerque planning or zoning department.

A published summary is never the authority. The adopted ordinance and the city's official zoning map govern, and both change — verify the district and every standard on your parcel before you rely on it.

How zoning works in Albuquerque

The IDO is amended on a near-annual cycle through Environmental Planning Commission-recommended text amendments, so the specific dimensional standards attached to any district can shift year to year — always confirm the current effective version. Accessory dwelling units are permitted by right in most residential zones subject to owner-occupancy and size limits, and MX-T (transit-oriented mixed-use) zoning favors reduced-parking infill along Central Avenue and the ART rapid-transit corridor.

Albuquerque zoning districts by family

The 15 district codes below are the ones that decide most projects in Albuquerque, grouped by what they are for rather than by the order the ordinance prints them.

Key districts in the Integrated Development Ordinance (IDO) — a curated reference, not the exhaustive list. Confirm against the current adopted code.
Code	District	What it is for
Residential 4 districts
R-1	Residential Detached	Single-family detached housing; sub-designations R-1A/B/C/D set minimum lot size within the district.
R-T	Residential Townhouse	Attached townhouse and duplex housing at moderate density.
R-ML	Residential Multi-Family Low Density	Low-density multi-family and small apartment buildings.
R-MH	Residential Manufactured Housing	Manufactured and mobile home parks and subdivisions.
Mixed-use 4 districts
MX-L	Mixed-Use Low Intensity	Low-intensity neighborhood mixed-use district.
MX-M	Mixed-Use Medium Intensity	Medium-intensity mixed-use along arterial corridors.
MX-H	Mixed-Use High Intensity	Major district confirmed in current IDO Zoning legend; was missing from prior list.
MX-T	Mixed-Use Transit-Oriented	Transit-supportive mixed-use with reduced parking requirements.
Commercial 2 districts
NR-C	Non-Residential Commercial	General commercial uses — retail, office, and service commercial.
NR-BP	Non-Residential Business Park	Business and office park development, typically campus-style.
Downtown / core 1 district
MX-FB	Mixed-Use Form-Based	Form-based standards for Downtown Albuquerque; legend shows ID/FX/UD subdistrict variants.
Industrial 2 districts
NR-LM	Non-Residential Light Manufacturing	Light industrial, warehousing, and flex uses.
NR-GM	Non-Residential General Manufacturing	Heavier industrial and manufacturing uses.
Special purpose 2 districts
PD	Planned Development	Major district confirmed in current IDO Zoning legend; was missing from prior list.
PC	Planned Community	Custom zoning framework for large master-planned developments, e.g., Mesa del Sol.

Albuquerque zoning — common questions

What does MX-M zoning mean in Albuquerque?: MX-M is a medium-intensity mixed-use district under the IDO, permitting a blend of retail, office, and multi-family residential along arterial corridors outside Downtown. It sits between the lower-intensity MX-L district and the form-based MX-FB district used Downtown.
How do I find the zoning for a parcel in Albuquerque?: Use the Planning Department's IDO Zone Atlas / AGIS mapping tool, which shows the base IDO district plus any overlay zones — Character Protection, View Protection, Airport Protection, or Historic Protection — that apply to a specific parcel.
Does Albuquerque allow accessory dwelling units (ADUs)?: Yes. The IDO permits ADUs by right in most residential zones, subject to owner-occupancy requirements and size limits relative to the primary dwelling. Specific standards vary slightly by base district and any applicable overlay.

Working in New Mexico? Get on the list.

The parcel layer lands in the order demand does. Illinois went first because that's where the deals were; the next state is decided by who tells us what they're trying to underwrite. Tell us where you're building and what you wanted to run — you'll hear from us when New Mexico opens, and sooner if we need a test parcel.

Keep reading

← New Mexico zoning — who holds the zoning power in New Mexico, under which enabling statute, and the reforms that override local rules.

Other New Mexico cities

The zoning reference → — every state, plus city-level district guides like this one.

Albuquerque zoning summaries on this page are provided for information, not legal advice. Confirm every project against the current adopted code for the jurisdiction.