AMAFCA’s Development Review program serves to ensure technical, policy, and procedural compliance for development within AMAFCA’s jurisdiction of current policy, regulation, and criteria promulgated by AMAFCA and other agencies.
The program includes but is not limited to review and approval of site development plans, grading and drainage plans, preliminary plats, and final plats through City of Albuquerque and Bernalillo County development process.
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- City Development Hearing Officer (DHO)
- City Design Review Committee (DRC)
- City Environmental Planning Commission (EPC)
- County Planning Commission (CPC)
- County Development Review Authority (CDRA)
Recommendation: in order to avoid delays in review and approvals during the above processes, please be sure to contact AMAFCA in the early stages of development planning; transmitting critical documents directly to AMAFCA may reduce or eliminate unnecessary delays.
AMAFCA’s current Drainage Policy was established by the AMAFCA Board of Directors Resolution 2020-11 – Drainage Policy. The Policy was established to set forth standards which are intended to protect the capacity of existing watercourses, to ensure adequate space to convey the design storm under urbanized development, and to prevent the capacity of existing and planned drainage facilities from being exceeded during the storm for which the facilities were designed.
AMAFCA’s Technical Standards Manual provides policies, standard practices, criteria, guidance, and references for use in carrying out drainage designs, studies, and analysis. The Manual is intended to be used by AMAFCA employees, partner agencies, consultants, developers, and property owners involved with the planning and design of AMAFCA projects and projects that discharge to or are adjacent to AMAFCA’s flood control facilities.
Plats
AMAFCA must review and sign off on all plats/platting action within AMAFCA’s jurisdiction. Below is the process for plats followed by AMAFCA.
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AMAFCA will review the plats electronically first, they can be emailed or shared with the Development Review Engineer.
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Once reviewed and approved, the plat will be electronically signed and be sent back to the requestor.
Easements
The AMAFCA Drainage Policy states that “all right of way required to preserve an existing arroyo or to implement an approved drainage plan shall, to the extent the same is located within the 100-year floodplain at minimum, be granted or dedicated to a public authority without compensation as a condition of approval. …. The right of way required to preserve an arroyo is that land constituting its 100-year floodplain and all areas determined to be within the energy grade line limits as determined in the required drainage analysis report …of this Regulation. Limited grading or modification will be allowed within the area needed to preserve the arroyo…”
AMAFCA may require additional easements for things like access, embankment slope, or any other need required for AMAFCA’s mission of flood control.
Easements are subject to comments, direction, and approval by the AMAFCA Board of Directors and to the fee schedule shown below.
Properties which are subject to AMAFCA easements may require submission of an AMAFCA-specific Foundation Certification. The Foundation Certification form can be downloaded by clicking here.
Development Licenses & Turnkey Agreements
In the event a property owner wishes to construct any improvements within an easement granted to AMAFCA or within AMAFCA property, an Encroachment/Maintenance License and/or a Turnkey Agreement must be executed. Any improvements within an easement granted to AMAFCA or within AMAFCA property must meet AMAFCA’s design and construction requirements prior to approval.
Development Licenses:
These licenses (also referred to as permits or agreements in some cases) are executed when a property owner proposes to construct any improvement within an easement granted to AMAFCA or within AMAFCA property and intends to maintain such improvements in a way that preserves the drainage and flood control function of such improvements. Encroachment/Maintenance Agreements are subject to the fee schedule shown below.
Turnkey Agreements:
These agreements are executed when a property owner proposes to construct any drainage improvement within an easement granted to AMAFCA or within AMAFCA property and intends to turn over maintenance of such improvements to AMAFCA. This agreement is subject to comments, direction, and approval by the AMAFCA Board of Directors and to the fee schedule shown below. There is an additional Turnkey Agreement fee a percentage of the estimated construction costs of the improvements within the AMAFCA easement/property. The estimated construction costs of the improvements shall be approved by AMAFCA prior to finalization of turnkey agreement fee. Seventy-five percent (75%) of the finalized turnkey agreement fee shall be paid to AMAFCA upon approval of the turnkey agreement by the AMAFCA Board of Directors. The remaining twenty-five percent (25%) of the finalized turnkey agreement fee shall be paid to AMAFCA at time of signature for construction approval of the improvements by AMAFCA.
Drainage Management Plans
Due to size, Drainage Management Plans are unavailable for download online.
Please contact licensing@amafca.org for more information and details.
Service Fees
Below is a schedule of fees for goods and services associated with development review provided by AMAFCA as approved by the AMAFCA Board of Directors per AMAFCA Resolution 2023-21 – Facility Usage and Reimbursement Schedule:
Please note, these fees do not include applicable NM GRT.
AMAFCA accepts payments in the form of certified or personal checks, money order, and cash ‘exact change’ only for fees.
| License Agreements with an effective duration of one (1) year or less and are not associated with a document that will be recorded. | No Charge |
| Agreements with registered not-for-profit organizations (under Internal Revenue Code (IRC) 501(a) as described in Publication 557) or other government agencies, but not including Film Licenses below. | No Charge |
| Documents that are recorded with the County Clerk’s Office that are not exempt. | $50.00 per document |
| Sediment and Excess Earth for those locations that are not to AMAFCA’s benefit or in partnership with another Government Agency. | $1.50 per cubic yard |
| Access Easements (AE), Grant of Easement (ES), Encroachment and Maintenance Agreements (EA), Temporary Construction and Access Licenses (TCAL), and Utility Agreements (UA) with non-government agencies, for profit organizations, and other private entities. | $150.00 per document* |
| Film Licenses - Site set up/tear down | $500.00 per day |
| Film Licenses - All other activities | $1,000.00 per day Reimbursement for Staff time is actual costs plus 40%. |
| Empty Sandbags | No Charge |
North Albuquerque Acres
In North Albuquerque Acres, AMAFCA and Bernalillo County (and the City of Albuquerque in some locations), are the responsible entities for development review and stormwater management.
Platted in the 1920-1930’s and sold as individual lots, the North Albuquerque Acres subdivision sought to preserve the rural nature of the foothills, and the arroyos were left largely in their natural state. To protect homeowners from the identified risk of flooding from these natural arroyos, AMAFCA and Bernalillo County beginning in the early 1990’s required individual property owners to submit Grading and Drainage Plans (G&Ds) for approval on proposed development. In some cases where an arroyo or flow path was identified, AMAFCA and Bernalillo County required a grant a Drainage Easement to AMAFCA or Bernalillo County to preserve the conveyance of stormwater through each lot.
As development has increased in the area, a growing number of drainage issues have been identified by the agencies.