So perhaps you are interested in buying a house or a lot to build on in southern Costa Rica in an area like Pavones, Pilon or Zancudo. Well if you are, how do you know what the zoning restrictions are? Yes, even in the jungle there are certain restrictions that you need to abide by in order to not get fined or your property taken away or demolished. In Costa Rica, a Plan Regulador describes the zoning and its boundaries on a map and rules for that zone. It is basically a giant survey of the area with most of the major landmarks, like major creeks, rivers and also has building restrictions, rules and laws that go along with zoning.

The picture above is the official Plan Regulador for the area of Pavones, Costa Rica. It shows where the protected areas are, where the maritime zones are, and also talks about specific zoning, like protected areas. When buying a piece of land in Costa Rica, it’s a good idea to verify that you can do what you want to with the property. For example, it would be a terrible experience to buy a property in Pavones with the intent of making it a business, only to later find out it’s zoned for residential…. Likewise, it would be a bummer if you bought what you thought was a residential property only to have someone put up a loud bar next door (some folks may like that but the majority don’t). With the help of a good real estate agent and a good attorney you can avoid making a huge mistake. I like to put a period of ‘DUE DILIGENCE’ on any offers when I represent a buyer because during this period of time we can verify that the property is zoned for the intended use. A ‘due diligence’ period is similar to an inspection period on US purchase contracts and is a predetermined period of time in which the buyer may cancel the purchase agreement if the buyer feels the property is not an adequate fit. So if you need to get a hold of a plan regulador for the area of Pilon and Pavones, here is the link ( https://www.ict.go.cr/es/informacion-institucional/zona-maritimo-terrestre.html#pavones ) just make sure you click on Pavones or the area that you are looking for.

Some areas don’t actually have a plan regulador yet and it’s up to the municipality to pay for the survey and some have not yet done that. A good example of an area without a plan regulador is Zancudo. Playa Zancudo is a beautiful area full of very diverse wildlife and amazing beaches, not to mention the Coto River with its massive crocodiles, so it’s a no-brainer why people want to move to the area. Heck, people have lived in the area and built houses on the beach for well over 60 years. Playa Zancudo has some very nice houses right up on the beach, yet none have titles. That’s right, not a single one as far as I know has a title. In Zancudo it goes even a bit further…. Zancudo does not have an official Plan regulador and therefore can’t issue concessions either – so it’s a big mess. Would I still buy an untitled property in Zancudo? Yes, I would because those houses have been there before these laws came into effect in the area and the local government has added municipality water and electricity to these houses. Some of them are luxury houses and the last thing that the Costa Rican government wants to do is make more people homeless. They would literally have to destroy hundreds of homes. The other good thing is because of the title issues in Zancudo, the properties are dirt cheap. For example this property https://kwpavones.com/properties/23-House-Casa-Rosa-Zancudo-60704-USD249-900/ is only $249,900 – it’s large and right on the beach. This property would run you into the $500k+ range anywhere else in Costa Rica and in some select beaches in Guanacaste that house would cost you a million dollars! The zoning in the south is still a work in progress but as a Keller Williams-Costa Rica real estate agent, I plan on helping you make an informed decision.

Eric Chavarria
Real Estate and Construction Consultant.
Keller Williams Costa Rica