So you’ve found a beautiful piece of land in Costa Rica — lush, well-located, and seemingly perfect for your dream home or rental project. But here’s the truth most sellers won’t tell you: just because you own land doesn’t mean you can do whatever you want with it.
This is where zoning and land use laws come in — and ignoring them can turn your “great deal” into a costly mistake.
Zoning Isn’t Just a Technicality — It’s the Law
Every municipality in Costa Rica has its own zoning plans (planes reguladores), which define how land can be used. Is the property residential, agricultural, protected, commercial, or mixed-use? What are the rules for building height, distance from rivers, environmental setbacks, or the number of structures allowed?
These rules can affect everything — from whether you can build a house, to how many units you can rent, to whether your project will ever get municipal approval.
Many foreign buyers skip this step, only to find out later that their land is unbuildable, environmentally restricted, or subject to regulations they didn’t expect.
What I Help You Verify
Before you commit, I help you uncover the true development potential of the property by:
- Reviewing official zoning regulations and restrictions from the local municipality
- Consulting with urban planners or zoning officers, if needed
- Verifying environmental impact zones, protected areas, or coastal maritime zones (ZMT)
- Identifying whether permits will be needed — and how realistic it is to obtain them
- Providing clarity on what’s actually possible on that land, not just what’s advertised
Why This Matters
A property might look like a great opportunity — until you discover it’s zoned only for agricultural use, or you need to leave 15 meters clear for a creek, or you can’t build anything higher than one level. These limitations aren’t always obvious, especially if you’re relying on a seller or agent who may not know — or may not tell you.
📌 Planning to build? Start by knowing where you actually can.
Let’s review the land’s zoning and land use so your project starts off on solid legal ground.