Common Real Estate Terms in Costa Rica

You will likely come across these terms in many web sites, advertisements and contracts regarding Costa Rica real estate.

• Escritura - a written description of the property.
• Plano - the official survey of the property.  Older properties only have an Escritura.
• Folio Real - Each property has a unique number that identifies it in the computer systems at the Registro Nacional.  With this number one can perform background searches on the property.
• Servidumbre - Easement
• Ley Sobre la Zona Maritimo Terrestre
  The Maritime Zone Law. In most cases, beach front property is untitled because the ownership and possession of the shoreline is governed by the Maritime Zone Law which restricts the possession and ownership of beach front property in the following manner:
• The first 200 meters of beach front, starting at the high tide markers, is owned by the government.
• Of those 200 meters, the first 50 are deemed public zones and nobody may possess or control that area.
• On the remaining 150 meters, the government – through the local Municipal government – will lease, by way of concessions, the land to private individuals
• Ministerio de Obras Publicas y Transportes (MOPT)  - The Ministry of Public Roads and Transport, it is responsible for all roads current and planned.
• Instituto Nacional de Vivienda y Urbanismo (INVU) - The National Institute of Urban Development, it is the main government agency that governs property development.
• Acueductos y Alcantarillados (AYA) - The Department of Water and Sewers, it is the government authority that will verify whether water and sewer services are available to your property.
• Ministerio de Ambiente y Energia - Ministry of the Environment and Energy.  They also cover National Parks and Reserves.
• Ministerio de Agricultura y Granaderia - Ministry of Agriculture and Farms
• Direccíon General Forestal - Forestry Services.
• Colegio Federado de Ingenieros y Arquitectos de Costa Rica (CFIA) -The Federated College of Engineers and Architects.  This serves as both a licensing and regulating agency for Architects, Engineers, Topographers and Builders.
• Grupo ICE - The Costa Rican Monopoly that controls electricity and telephone service, including Internet access.
• Registro Nacional - The National Registry where all property holdings, corporations, LLC corporations etc. are recorded.
• Registro Publico - The Public Registry Office where these documents are on file.
• Cedula - An identification card issued by the Costa Rican government to all citizens and legal residents.

Here are common units of measurement:

• Meter - 3.28 feet.
• Kilometer - 0.6214 miles.
• Square meter - 10.76 square feet.
• Manzana - about 6,989 square meters or about 1.71 acres.
• Hectare - 10,000 square meters or about 2.5 acres.