What is the maximum size dwelling allowed in CR without requiring a building permit?

the size of the building depends on the classification of the segregation–urbanization, co-derecho or concession and it can vary from municipality to municipality.
i think scott is right on the 50 meters national law and it used to be at 70 meters but was changed in 2006.
the real regulation i look at is how large can i build with only needing permits from the municipalidad.
you can build up to 200 square meters in the canton of parrita with no need to get the permits from invu or salud which are notoriously the most difficult permits to obtain.
even if you are going 500 square feet remember that we are in a earthquake zone and no sense in cutting corners by forgoing the permit process.
have any of you ever read “the legal guide to costa rica” by roger petersen?
it is super helpful and it was my bible when i began my development company here.
[i]articles one and two of the civil code under construction are as follows.
Article 1 .- The Municipalities of the Republic are responsible for other cities and towns qualify for safety, health, comfort and beauty in their roads and buildings and constructions on the land of the same rise without prejudice to the powers granted law in these matters to other administrative bodies.

Article 2 .- Scope of this Act . This law applies throughout the Republic. No building, structure or part thereof shall be constructed, adapted or repaired in the future if not with the conditions which the respective regulations stipulate. Nor should demolition or excavation made property owners, or occupy public roads, or do work on it, without being subject to the prejudices of those regulations.[/i]

Article 3 .- Third Party Rights . The licenses give the municipality in accordance with this law only leave intact the rights of the third.

CHAPTER II

STREET

Article 4 .- Definition. Thoroughfare road is public domain and common use, that provision of the administrative authority it is intended to free transit in accordance with planning laws and regulations and in fact this was intended and, in this public use.

By class, roads will be used also to secure the conditions of ventilation and lighting of buildings that limit, to facilitate access to neighboring properties, to the installation of any pipe, appliance, apparatus or fitting belonging to a public work or for a public service.

Article 5 .- law. The roads are public and inalienable and therefore can not be drawn on these mortgages, however, use, lease or easement for the benefit of a particular person, in terms of common law. The rights of transit lighting and ventilation, view, access, and other similar spills inherent to the fate of public roads shall be governed exclusively by the laws and administrative regulations.

Article 6 .- Permits and Concessions. permissions or concessions granted by the competent authority to build roads for certain purposes, do not believe the concessionaire or permit any real law or possessory action on these pathways. Such permits or concessions are provided temporary and revocable, and in no case be granted to the detriment of free, safe and expeditious transit, or free, safe and speedy access to neighboring properties, tranquility and comfort of neighbors or public services installed on them or in general to the detriment of any of the purposes to which these pathways, by class HAVE been designed.

Article 7 .- Property. All land in the existing plans of the municipality, or in the archives of the Public Works Board or the General Directorate of Roads, or the Land Registry, or any other archive, museum or public library, displayed as public roads shall be presumed to have the capacity, but full proof to the contrary, to be held that asserting that the land in question is private property or any right to claim to have exclusive use. Until final sentence is pronounced so declares, no one can prevent or impede the public use of the land in question.

Article 8 .- Gated or batch. Approved a plan of subdivision or subdivisions, in accordance with the regulations on subdivision, the land at these levels appear to be for roads, for that fact alone domain will pass to the fractionator public domain. The subdivision approval is granted by public deed to be entered in the Land Registry for the purposes of cancellation of property owners in regard to the land intended for public roads.

Article 9 .- In the case of the execution of works that may alter the balance of the subsoil should be taken with summons and hearing of those concerned, the necessary technical measures, according to the Engineering Department or the City Engineer or the Engineer appointed ad-hoc, to avoid any damage to properties. In any case will retain the right of injured parties in the execution of the work, to demand compensation corresponding person in question.

Article 10 .- Invasion of the Road. When you run a particular work can not invade the streets and the subsurface of the same without written permission from the Municipality.

Article 11 .- Subject to execute particular works that may alter the balance of the subsurface of public roads or cause damage to existing facilities in them or surrounding properties, the City will require stakeholders to take technical precautions to avoid any damage.

In any case, will retain the right of the city, the company owns or concession of public works damaged or damaged and the affected individuals to claim compensation.

Article 12 .- When the execution of particular works will cause damage or destroy any existing public service on a public road, the repair or replacement of damaged public service will be at the owner of the work.

Article 13 .- Transit. It is incumbent on the City monitor the rational use of public roads and take the measures necessary to ensure that vehicular and pedestrian traffic is easy, convenient and safe, for which resolved:

a) The amendment of alignments for the widening of roads and to form eighths on the corners of the blocks, allowing more visibility in these areas and easier movement;

b) On the construction of islands for the protection of pedestrians and the traffic channel, identified by means of signs, lights, reflectors, etc;

c) Upon approval of the occupation of temporary public works for the protection of pedestrians;

d) On areas of the city or streets that may be issued permits to install mechanical equipment for fairs and semi-fixed positions.

Article 14 .- When a privately owned site providing access to neighboring properties are abandoned or cause of ill health, insecurity or just annoying, the municipality ordered the owners of that property and the adjoining these reasons make them disappear. In no comply within the time limit are set, the municipality will be responsible for the transformation of the property that serves as a step in the road that has the breadth and services and other requirements of the laws and regulations. The amount of these works will be paid jointly by the owner who serves and the adjacent step.

CHAPTER III

FRACTIONATION AND DEVELOPMENTS

Article 15 .- Licensing . The division of an estate in blocks and lots in putting them on sale will be made prior permission of the council, which shall take account for the preventions of special regulations on the subject.

Article 16 .- Easements. The fractions are required to be stated in the contracts with the Municipality, to authorize the division concerned, restrictions or easements that impose to acquire lots for the use of their land, so that the City make are met, as may be desirable for hygiene or beautification of the street.

Article 17 .- Types of Construction. The council is empowered to demand certain quality of materials in buildings as well as the class or category of them, in housing developments or redevelopment areas that category or areas on the importance of immediate required to submit a tender must be harmonious and durable quality.

CHAPTER IV

ALIGNMENTS

Article 18 .- Obligations and Rights .- Every building is built or rebuilt in the future to address the public highway, shall be attached to the alignment and official level set by the Municipality.

Who is planning to build or rebuild, shall be entitled to ask the municipality, before submitting its application for construction or reconstruction permit, which prompted the alignment and official level that corresponds to your property. The threshold should be within three months from the date of filing the respective application, and if not made, will be a full line of construction and the property boundary with the street.

If the line to bring the City would entail expropriation of property law, the formal filing of building permits or reconstruction will mean that the owner accepts the expropriation and the municipality will try to reach an agreement with him for the transfer of ring or item and assessment of consequential damages. If no agreement is reached, such damages and losses shall be valued at the request of either party by an expert appointed by the City and another by the owner and in default of any of the parties, by the judge. The courts will have discretion to those views to fix the damages. The payment of these funds will be transfer to the strip or parcel of land, which will be transferred free of tax or by law and within three months after the date it is firm resolution that fixed. The expenses incurred in the expropriation proceedings shall be construed as part of the damage and injury and shall pay the municipality.

Expropriation measures of postponing dealing with the construction or reconstruction permit or the initiation of them.

Whoever does construction or reconstruction without permission Municipal addition to paying the fine prescribed by the Police Regulations will be required to demolish the buildings.

(As amended by Law No. 1605 of July 16, 1953, article 2).

(NOTE: The Law No. 1605 of July 16, 1953, in Article 1 This article authentically interpreted in the sense that, when the alignment ordered by the Municipality in accordance with this text, involving expropriation of property rights , should proceed subject to the provisions of Law No. 36 of June 26, 1896 and subsequent amendments on the strip or parcel of land passing into public service. The compensation, if they had not paid, set as shown in the following article.)

Article 19 .- The owners of buildings to be removed according to the official line, it may not perform repair work leading to fully consolidate and perpetuate its current state. consolidation works are considered changes in walls, reinforcement structure, remodeling of facades, opening or closing doors and windows or replacement for one another.

Article 20 .- eighths. To improve traffic conditions at the crossings of public roads, and to achieve better look at all the buildings in those places, the public interest is the formation of eighths on the premises located at corners, between the lines of the streets competing. The owners are entitled to compensation for their land segregated areas to form eighths.

Article 21 .- Once legally decreed the formation of eighths on a cruise, new construction or reconstruction on corner lots should be subjected to the provisions of the Regulation, and the Municipality will not allow major repairs on the part of a building in corner, to increase the value of the part affected by the chamfer if before its owner does not celebrate with the City the respective agreement for compensation for the area to be public roads.

Article 22 .- Restriction Zones. the construction limit line on the grounds that easement to the city, or imposed by crackers, garden areas should leave or free to the public road shall be determined by the municipality, which shall exercise supervision so that these do not rise buildings that impede the view of the facade and that these areas are intended for use other than that imposed by the respective easement.

Article 23 .- Prohibition. When caused by a legally approved project planning, construction is officially out of alignment will not be allowed to work to amend that part of the construction project from the alignment, except those which in the opinion of the Municipality necessary to preserve the said building in a safe condition.

Article 24 .- Invasion. Any alteration to the front line of a building, out of official alignment will be considered as invasion of the street, leaving my landlord of the building to demolish part of it that motivates this invasion into the period that purpose by the Municipality. If it does so, the said Municipality implemented the demolition at the expense of the owner.

Article 25 .- The validity of official alignments will be indefinite.

CHAPTER V

FENCES

Article 26 .- Fences. The owners of vacant land located in urban streets in the Municipality deems it necessary, they must isolate them from the street through a fence.

CHAPTER VI

HEIGHT OF BUILDINGS

Article 27 .- The provisions relating to maximum heights of buildings that set the regulations do not apply to the temples, monuments, observatories, etc.

Article 28 .- The buildings are in the area of influence of any field of aviation will have a maximum height of one tenth (1 / 10) of the distance separating the boundaries of the field.

CHAPTER VII

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Article 29 .- License. To place or posting notices, labels, signs, or warnings, should be asked to leave the City. The license will be requested by the owner of the structure in which to fix the announcement and the owner’s consent the land on which they place the structure when appropriate. In cases where frames or structures are used, the City will require an expert responsible to take charge of the construction. It will require a detailed drafts showing the inscriptions or figures to wear.

Article 30 .- Prohibition . Advertisements that are prohibited to cross the street, and those poles are placed using public services or trees in parks or gardens.

Article 31 .- The Municipality has the authority to limit the area on a facade occupy a warning or a set of messages and not to allow placement.

Article 32 .- Prohibitions. It is strictly forbidden to fix or paint notices, advertisements, programs, etc., of any kind and material, at the following locations:

a) Public buildings, schools and temples.

b) Buildings listed by the City as national monuments.

c) Poles, candle lighting, kiosks, fountains, trees, sidewalks, curbs, in general ornamental elements of squares and avenues, parks and streets.

d) Private houses and fences.

e) In foreign boards.

f) At a distance less than thirty (30) inches in any direction, plates naming the streets.

g) In places where hinder visibility for traffic.

h) In the hills, rocks, trees, as it may affect the panoramic perspective or the harmony of a landscape.

Article 33 .- Sanctions. The Municipality will impose fines of ten (10) to one hundred (100) colones for breaches of the rules of this Chapter, and ordered the dismantling and removal, at the expense of the owner of ads and related structures to consider inconvenient or dangerous.

CHAPTER VIII

OCCUPATION OF THE BUILDING WITH PRIVATE STREET

Article 34 .- License. Any construction that runs on a property must be contained within their respective boundaries. If any part of a building facade stands out of alignment, so that its construction is authorized is essential to request the municipality the appropriate permission occupation of public roads, except for exceptional cases expressly provided for in this Regulation.

Article 35 .- Occupation. may be permitted the occupation of the street with the foundations of a building, when in the opinion of the council, the special conditions of the property, such as its shape, its location on the corners of acute angle or size their boundaries, together with the size and position of the approved charges make it impossible or uneconomical construction, confirming the foundation within the boundaries of the site. In such cases, grant permission for the occupation of the portion or portions of the road adjacent to the alignment of front necessary to satisfy the stability conditions of the project, provided that the respective projections are included in what sets the Regulations.

Article 36 .- Payment of Occupation. The occupation of the road in cases authorized by this Regulation, only be allowed on payment of excise duty laid down by the Municipality.

CHAPTER IX

PARKS AND GARDENS

Article 37 .- Parks and Gardens. ‘s parks, gardens and public parks are freely accessible to everyone in the country, which when used have the obligation to keep the best possible condition. In effect, it must:

a) Destroy the lawns, shrubs or trees that are planted them.

b) Destroy the works of ornament than to their being placed.

c) To abuse or harass wild or domestic animals that live in them.

In general, it prohibits the use of gardens, meadows, etc., Other than that for which they were created.

Article 38 .- It is strictly forbidden to present at parks, gardens and meadows, they throw in garbage, refuse or any other kind of objects that impairs good appearance to be submitted by meadows, or the life of the plants they planted .

Article 39 .- In the parks, gardens, public parks and fields, can not establish or operate places of any kind without the express permission of the municipality to grant a permit to expressly set the conditions under which the applicant can establish that position .

Article 40 .- Individuals may not place for the purpose of holding any kind of furniture within parks, lawns and gardens, without prior authorization.

Article 41 .- Sanctions. Violations of the rules of this chapter shall be punished with fines of two (2.00) to one hundred (100.00) colones.

Article 42 .- Objection. In case of disagreement on a decision of the council, in relation to the proposed building or structures, upon request, will submit the case to a jury, composed of three (3) members to be be civil engineers or architects of the College of Engineering of the Republic. The applicant shall choose one member, the municipality to another, and between the two designated shall choose the third. Case of Appeal, will ultimately fail the College of Engineering.

CHAPTER X

FACILITIES IN BUILDINGS

(A) Sanitary Facilities

Article 43 .- The sewer inspectors are appointed for the due compliance with this law and its regulations will be invested with the character of Police Officers.

Article 44 .- The owner put the service a health facility without being approved by the Technical Office, subject to the penalties that are identified without this law prevents the Commission from Sewer Pipes and order, at the infringer’s expense, loss or amendment of disobedience installed with the respective regulations.

(B) Boilers, Heaters and Pressure Vessels

Article 45 .- License. To make heating and those in which pressure fluid handling is needed prior permission from the Municipality. It also needed to make repairs or modifications to equipment or facilities already implemented. abide in all respects the existing regulation on boilers.

Article 46 .- The electric heating systems, hot air, steam or any other system, ancillary buildings, will be highlighted in their construction plans. When those do not pay utilities and also not of importance The permission for the execution can be processed with the general license of the work and be included in it.

Article 47 .- Repair – Amendment. To repair, adapt or modify boilers, heaters, or similar devices, the applicant, through the Responsible Engineer, submit a request to the City, detailing clearly the kind of repair or modification which will to do and the alteration is to be made to dimensions and specifications previously approved.

CHAPTER XI

IMPLEMENTATION OF CONSTRUCTION

Article 48 .- Standards. The College of Engineering of the Republic of the standards will require support from building materials.

Article 49 .- New Materials. The building materials intended to be used for the first time in the Republic, must have prior approval from the College of Engineers, which shall be granted or not in light of the analysis and tests done on behalf concerned in the laboratory designated by the College.

Article 50 .- Prohibition. The College of Engineering has the power to prohibit the sale of building materials that do not meet the minimum standards to bring them.

CHAPTER XII

DEMOLITION

Article 51 .- License. To carry out work of total or partial demolition of buildings, shall be sought by an engineer prior permission from the Municipality. If the council deems necessary, may be required to submit a detailed study of the procedure that followed the demolition plan and the precautions to be taken to avoid damage to nearby buildings.

Article 52 .- Suspension. The council ordered the suspension of work when not taken the necessary precautions to avoid damage to neighboring buildings and urban services.

Article 53 .- Obligation on Neighbours. The owners and occupants of buildings near the site of the demolition, are required to provide access to parts of it in which to take the levels requested by the Regulation.

Article 54 .- Responsibility. The owner of the land on which to run demolitions and the Engineer in charge of the work, are responsible for any act or omission involving a violation of this regulation and may be punished by the Municipality. These sanctions do not preclude liability incurred in relation to third.

CHAPTER XIII

EXCAVATIONS

Article 55 .- License . To carry out any excavation work by an engineer should be obtained prior permission from the Municipality which granted the approval of the project or report on caution.

Article 56 .- Precautions. Precautions must be taken to prevent ground movement where excavated, causing damage to buildings and public facilities located in its immediacy.

Article 57 .- Suspension. The council is empowered to order the suspension of work in the event of significant movements that may affect the stability of nearby buildings.

Article 58 .- Responsibility. The owner of the site is responsible for damages that arise surrounding properties as a result of the implementation of the excavation works being required to take before all necessary measures to prevent the deleterious effect the neighboring properties.

Article 59 .- The public service works (paving, water, sanitation, etc..) that are damaged by the demolition, excavation or construction will be repaired by the Municipality at the expense of the owner of land on which they carried out the work.

CHAPTER XIV

MEETING PLACES

Article 60 .- Also included in this chapter, theaters, cinema halls, concert halls, radio transmission facilities, assembly halls, arenas, stadiums, and generally all building for public meetings.

Article 61 .- License. To erect a building falling under the Article 60, and to use a new or adapted building as a meeting place, you need permission and license to use, given by the Municipality.

Article 62 .- Location. aforementioned buildings to be erected in any part of the city, provided that meet the requirements specified by the regulation.

Article 63 .- Violation of this Chapter. All provisions of this Chapter are mandatory, not an enforcement be obtained. Any license, permit or approval shall be null and void, therefore, at any time, the discovery of the violation, City should require that the condition of existing fact should be modified in order to comply with the provisions of the Regulations, and if this is not possible, order the closure of the premises or establishment concerned, without prejudice to the application of penalties.

CHAPTER XV

DANGEROUS USE OF BUILDINGS

Article 64 .- License. To use a building designated as dangerous by the competent authority is essential to obtain the license from the municipality. The respective application is accompanied by a report detailing the measures to be taken to guard against the danger.

Article 65 .- The Municipality may deny a license if precautions deemed insufficient or if the location of the building is not in accordance with the zoning rules.

Article 66 .- Reluctance. ‘s reluctance to obey the order of the Municipality within the prescribed period will result in this order the evacuation of the affected local and, if necessary, make the work leading to the owner’s expense.

Article 67 .- Payment of Expenses. If the expenses incurred by the municipality within the time limit are not covered by the owner is not allowed to use the site without prejudice to require repayment by the economic and coercive power.

CHAPTER XVI

DISTURBING ESTABLISHMENTS

Article 68 .- Location. The location of the nuisance establishments, will be at the discretion of the municipality before the delivery of planning and zoning laws.

CHAPTER XVII

Unhealthy ESTABLISHMENTS

Article 69 .- Location. unsanitary establishments will be located outside towns and in areas especially designated by the Municipality.

Article 70 .- When the substances released in the form of dusts, gases, etc., can damage the health of residents, will be essential to adequately address these substances before launching them abroad.

Article 71 .- Waters. It is forbidden to give free rein to the waste water from industrial waste, they are harmful to human health or animal, or when temperature or chemical proportion system of culverts attack or impair established land for agriculture.

Article 72 .- Other industrial waste must be removed so as not to prejudice the health of the parties and third parties.

Article 73 .- In the areas identified for unhealthy industries are not allowed neighboring rooms.

CHAPTER XVIII

LICENSES

Article 74 .- Licensing. Any work related to construction, running on the populations of the Republic, be it permanent or temporary license must be executed with the local council.

Article 75 .- Public Buildings. The public buildings, or are, the buildings constructed by the Government of the Republic, no license is required for Municipal. Nor need buildings constructed by other state, provided they are approved and monitored by the Directorate General of Public Works.

Article 76 .- Rights of Third. The municipalities issuing licenses for construction, will always be left intact the rights of third parties.

Article 77 .- Private companies and operating utilities, requested permission for the works through expert responsible, assisting the latter to the terms of their concessions.

Article 78 .- Rights License. All licenses will cause rights to be established in accordance with the current rates, which take into account the amount of work to be performed or occupation of public roads, and its duration.

Article 79 .- Payment. For a license to take effect, it is essential that has been paid the royalties.

Article 80 .- Payment Exception. are hereby exempted from the payment of these branches of government rights in works that run with their staff.

Article 81 .- Responsibility. The owner and the Responsible Engineer will be responsible for the data included in the project. The City will only be responsible for data alignment and levels.

Article 82 .- Sanctions . The violation of any rule of this Chapter will merit the sanctions determined by the municipality at the time.

CHAPTER XIX

Responsible Engineer

Article 83 .- Definition. For purposes of this law are responsible engineers, engineers or architects built the College of Engineering to pursue their careers in their various specialties. Responsible Engineers are the only ones who have power to authorize license applications construction and the obligation to monitor the works for which they have requested or authorized license. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any person may make repairs not exceeding five thousand colones
( Ë 5,000.00), self or others.

Municipalities who are not City Engineer shall submit construction applications to the nearest municipality has the services of a Civil Engineer incorporated.

(As amended by Law No. 1714 of June 9, 1953, article 1.)

Transient .- The authorized builders listed in accordance with the provisions made in the original transition of this Article, according to Law No. 1714 of December 9, 1953, carry out construction of buildings or repairs to any kind of material, provided the work does not exceed one hundred square meters.

For this purpose it will be necessary authorization and supervision by engineers or architects referred to in Article 83 of this law.

Authorized builders have the option to submit plans and specifications designed for municipal engineers, with the same requirements imposed upon them the engineers responsible.

At the same time, follow the same procedure set by this law in case of objections to the plans and specifications.

(As amended by Article 7 of Law No. 7029, of April 23, 1986).

Article 84 .- Free Profession. The office of Engineer responsible does not impose any restriction on the exercise professional engineers or architects, who are free to design, manage, execute, contract, etc., the building or construction works relating to their specialties.

Article 85 .- Obligation. For the Municipality, the expert who requested the license for execution of works, is responsible for compliance with the rules of this system, even when the work involving other engineers, or construction this assigned to one or more contractors. However, you can make a certain part of the work or a licensed facility requested by another engineer in charge, which will monitor the facility or part of the work, who will take responsibility for that work. For that special authorization is indispensable granted written approval of the Engineer Manager responsible for general oversight of the work.

Article 86 .- Contractors . The contractors are required to comply with and enforce this law and its regulation in the work that is in charge.

CHAPTER XX

INSPECTION

Article 87 .- The Municipality shall exercise supervision over the work to be performed within their jurisdiction and on the use to which they are giving. the municipal inspectors are their agents, which are dedicated to monitoring compliance with the provisions of these Regulations.

CHAPTER XXI

PENALTIES

Article 88 .- Powers. The council may impose penalties for breaches of the rules of this Order. The penalties will be those that are specified in the body of this Act and its regulations (fines, closures, unemployment, destruction of the work, etc.) and stipulated in this Chapter.

Article 89 .- Violations. infringements will be considered in addition to those outlined in the Chapters of this Ordinance, the following:

a) Run without prior permission, works for which this law and its regulations require a license.

b) Running works covered by a license due and payable.

c) Run work in part or radically changing the respective project approved.

d) Run, without protection, works that endanger life or property.

e) Do not submit timely reports to the City of data that can be prevented in various chapters of the Regulation.

f) Failing to notify the City of suspension or termination of works.

g) Failure to obey orders for any modification, suspension or destruction of works of the Municipality.

h) improper use of public roads.

i) improper use of public services.

j) To occupy or use a building before giving notice of termination of the work.

k) prevent or impede the inspectors to fulfill their missions.

Article 90 .- Penalties. The amount of the fine in any case exceed the economic injury to the municipality involving the lack of awareness of the right to leave for the concept violated.

Article 91 .- ratings. The classification of offenses will be mindful of the provisions of this Act and its Regulations.

Article 92 .- The fines and other penalties are imposed on the owner, engineer in charge, the Contractor, or any person who violates this regulation.

Article 93 .- When a building or construction or installation was completed without a license or project approved by the City and no notice has been given to the completion of the work, will build an information, setting the owner a time limit of thirty (30) days, to give effect to what is established in this Act and regulations, introducing the project license application, etc.

Article 94 .- If after the deadline, the landlord has not complied with the previous order, it will raise new information which agree with the article on Reluctance and set a deadline, hearing the person concerned.

Article 95 .- If the owner files the respective project and once it is accepted, the City will check if the work has been carried out in accordance with it and if both meet the requirements of this Act and its regulations by submitting to the required tests.

Article 96 .- If there is no project or prescribed modifications are made, the municipality ordered the destruction of any defective parts will be borne by the owner. In no event shall authorize the use of construction and whether it is in use, fine imposed by this cause and have unemployment and closure of it.

Article 97 .- The person to whom a penalty has been applied can express their dissatisfaction. will be considered if the management made within five working days from the date the information was lifted. If one takes into account the disagreement, the municipality shall appoint one of its technicians, technical or ad-hoc, other than that imposed the sanction, to study the case and in view of its technical opinion can only solve the College of Engineering .

Article 98 .- void by the Constitutional Court decision No. 5963-94 at 15.45 pm on October 11, 1994.

Article 99 .- This law repeals any previous provision that is opposed.

In force as of its publication.

Given in the Assembly Room of the Founding Board of the Second Republic .- San Jose, two days of November 1949 .- J. FIGUERES .- F. Gonzalo J. Valverde .- FJ Orlich Facio .- .- .- U. Solano R. Gamez Blanco Cervantes .- Bruce D. Masis – Rev. Benjamin Núñez V. – Of the Secretary General of the Board, – Alberto F. Cañas.

Revised 08/31/1999. AN .-
Legal Topics

* Environmental Law
* Working in Costa Rica
* Wills and Estates
* Tax Law
* Real Estate and Property Law
* Municipal Law
* Marriage and Family Law
* Lawyer and Notary Regulation
* Labor Law
* Intellectual Property Law
* Insurance Law
* Immigration and Residency
* Educational System
* Driving in Costa Rica
* Customs and Trade
* Criminal Law
* Constitutional Law
* Consumer Protection Law
* Civil Law
* Corporate Law
* Business and Investment Law
* Banking Laws and Regulations
* Security and Guns
* Administrative Law

Latest News

* Police Forces of Costa Rica
* Guns in Costa Rica – Ownership and Registration
* Costa Rica Environmental Laws
* Income Tax Rates for 2010 Fiscal Year
* Can I Legally Work in Costa Rica?
* Costa Rican Banks and Financial Institutions
* Starting a Business in Costa Rica

[quote=”funmind”]That’s helpful…I am in the Nicoya municipality. Who would be my best best bet to contact to learn the rules this area…an architect, builder, or what department in the municipality?[/quote].

Sir May I recommend an honest architect who speaks emglish
Leo Barrantes. Other people on this website have used him. He replied to me.
THANKS FOR WRITING MR PUTRA
ANY BUILDING NEEDS A PERMIT IN CR. LESS THAN 30 M2 ONLY LOCAL MUNICIPALITY PERMIT AND ARCHITECTS BOARD. ALL PERMITS COSTS ARE ABOUT 1,33 % OVER CONSTRUCTION ESTIMATE. THIS IS THE LAW.
SETENA IS REQUIRED OVER 500 M2.
YOU CAN PUT ANY INFO THANKS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL YOUR FAMILY.
BEST,
LEO
He has made many designs thruout CR
His email
leobarra108@gmail.com
I wired him $19K once because I had to have a permit paid for that day and he ran all over the place to pay and I received the cash back. I don’t suggest you do this but I wanted to show that he is honest.
Stan

best bet is to contact the city engineer for all particulars and forgo the cost of the outside architect or engineer.
crltd

Scott is right, the linmit is 50m. Please read the fine print in his answer. You don’t need to submit your “planos” the regular way, you need a “crokis”, aka a sketch, made either by you or by architect. You still need a permit from your muni.

FYI: in many cases muni will require that you do all the regular steps in spite of the fact that your building is less than 50m. I suggest you send a trustworthy Tico friend to your muni to ask what exactly they require, and don’t be surprised if that changes.

The OP mentioned that he is ‘intending to use natural materials’ which could mean he is not going to get approval anyway … and may have to take down structures rather than just pay a fine.

If it is deemed to be ‘not earthquake resistant’ and this is in a commercial application, I wouldn’t count on the inspectors ignoring it.
Times…they are a changin’