Legal & Due Diligence

Legal Due Diligence for Land in Costa Rica

Instant legal risk screening — title, liens, protected area, river setbacks (Ley Forestal 7575), and Hacienda tax status — before you sign. Know every encumbrance before it becomes your problem.

Run a Legal Check

What We Check

We pull live data from the four registries that determine whether a Costa Rica land transaction is safe to proceed.

50m
Ley Forestal 7575 river setback we check

Construction within 50m of any river is prohibited by law. We measure it so you know before signing.

RNP
Live title & lien lookup

Direct query against the Registro Nacional de la Propiedad for current ownership and encumbrances.

SINAC
Protected area verified

We overlay parcel boundaries against the SINAC protected area registry.

24hr
Full legal report

Traffic-light risk summary delivered within one business day of parcel submission.

Legal Due Diligence Services

Title & Lien Report

Live RNP Digital lookup: ownership chain, cedula, naturaleza (RESTRINGIDA/LIBRE), all registered liens, annotations, and restrictions. Know exactly what encumbrances attach to a parcel before any transaction.

  • RNP live data
  • Lien count and type
  • Naturaleza classification
  • Ownership verification

Protected Area & River Setback Check

SINAC registry + Ley Forestal 7575 analysis: is the parcel inside a national park, wildlife refuge, or forest reserve? We measure the distance to the nearest river — the mandatory 50m setback makes many parcels unbuildable.

  • SINAC polygon overlay
  • River distance in meters
  • Setback compliance status
  • FONAFIFO PSA eligibility

Hacienda & Tax Status

Declarante status with Hacienda Digital: moroso (delinquent), omiso (non-filer), and tax regime. A delinquent seller cannot legally transfer title until the debt is cleared.

  • Hacienda Digital lookup
  • Tax compliance status
  • Regime classification
  • Delinquency flag

SETENA Pre-Screen

Environmental impact trigger analysis: development over 1 ha triggers the SETENA D1/D2 process. Proximity to rivers, wetlands, or protected areas adds further requirements. Know your compliance path before you plan.

  • Area-based trigger analysis
  • Environmental sensitivity score
  • SETENA form recommendation (D1/D2/exemption)
  • Compliance checklist

Common Issues We Catch

These are the most frequent problems our legal check surfaces — issues that can void a sale or leave a buyer unable to build or transfer.

Liens from unpaid mortgages
Naturaleza RESTRINGIDA blocking sale
Inside SINAC buffer zone (can't build)
Within 50m river setback (construction prohibited)
Hacienda moroso (blocks transfer)
Missing title (possessory rights only)

Check Any Parcel Before You Sign

Our legal check pulls live data from RNP, SINAC, Hacienda, and MOPT. Get a traffic-light risk summary in 24 hours.

Start Legal Check →