Beachfront & Near-the-Beach Properties for Sale on the Nicoya Peninsula

Costa Rica's Maritime Zone Law (Ley 6043 of 1977) covers a 200-meter strip along the coast, measured from the ordinary high-tide line (article 9). It splits that strip in two (article 10):

• The first 50 meters are the public zone. Except where the law itself allows it, no one can occupy it or claim a right to it, and it stays open for everyone to walk (article 20). That is why every beach in Costa Rica is public.
• The next 150 meters are the restricted zone. Here the local council (in the Cóbano district, the Concejo Municipal de Distrito de Cóbano) grants concessions: the right to use and build on a defined plot for 5 to 20 years, renewable, for a yearly fee called the canon (articles 39, 40, 48, 49 and 50). The canon is paid for the land; buildings on a concession still pay the ordinary property tax (Ley 7509, article 6). A concession needs an approved coastal zoning plan for the sector (article 38), and it cannot go to a foreigner with less than five years of residence or to a company more than half foreign-owned (article 47).

Land beyond the 200 meters is ordinary private land, which can be titled in the National Registry. The law also leaves out land that was already registered in private names (article 6), which is why some beachfront parcels are titled. 3 of the 6 on the beach above are listed as titled.

Our beachfront buyer's guide goes further: what a concession costs to hold each year, which sectors of this coast have a zoning plan, and the checks we walk through before an offer. Where a listing shows "To be confirmed", we'll confirm its title status for you, and if you'd like a lawyer in Costa Rica, we're happy to recommend a few local ones.