Water Rights in Costa Rica May Impact Your Building Plans3644037

The way Costa Rica deals with the abundant resources contained within its borders differs greatly from the way the U.S. does. Just because you own the land, it doesn't mean you own the rights to all its resources. One resource that is strictly protected is water. You may or may not have water rights. If you drill a well, you can use that water. However, if there is a natural occurring source of water on the property, you do not necessarily own the water rights. Those rights might belong to the municipality and you'll need to confirm what the rules are about how you may or may not use that property. •	You may not damn a spring or river. •	You may not be able to build near a spring or river. •	You may integrate a spring or river into a landscape design. •	You may plant trees and other plants near it. •	You may be able to construct walking paths and seating areas near the water. There are many people who fall in love with a property here buy property in costa rica, partly because they have a vision on how to use the spring or river in the overall design, only to learn that they cannot build at all on that property. It is highly recommended that the buyer do some research to learn what the regulations and rules are for that particular property.

There is no compensation from the municipality for the water on your property, so knowing these limitations is absolutely vital at the start. Often a buyer can get assistance from their real estate attorney as well as reviewing the registered plano for the property. The plano should outline the property features, including water. This information can be used to get preliminary information from the municipality on whether or not your plans for the property conform to their regulations. Unfortunately, the plano is not always correct, so the buyer should be prepared for surprises after purchase. If you walk your property and find a spring not on the Plano you should get it checked out before closing any purchase. For example, there is development property that I own in Miramar. The plano indicated a spring and we dutifully designed our development around that spring. Before we received our building permits, another little spring was discovered on the property and we have to redesign the offset from both water sources. There are roughly 10 acres that I cannot build on, instead I'll be using that space as a park with walking paths and lush tropical plants. Luckily, the property is big enough to accommodate the offset -- if it hadn't been, I might not have been able to build at all. Margo Ackerman relocated to retire in costa rica a number of years ago. She's passionate about the work she does in real estate down here and shares her experiences and other tips regarding Costa Rica with the hope of helping you be prepared for your relocation or investment. If you are interested in subscribing to her blog or to keep up to date on her listings, please sign up at http://ackermanrealtyinternational.com/subscribe-today/.