Land Segregation in Costa Rica

What It Is, Why You Shouldn't Be Afraid, and How to Do It Right

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Land Segregation in Costa Rica

Land Segregation in Costa Rica

Many clients who dream of purchasing land in Costa Rica feel hesitant when they hear the word “segregation.” Some even refuse to consider properties that are not already fully titled as individual lots. However, land segregation is a normal, legal, and often simple process—especially when handled professionally.

In this article, we’ll explain what land segregation is, how to do it properly, and what timelines you can expect, using real examples from Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast.

What Is Land Segregation?

Land segregation (“segregación” in Spanish) is the process of legally separating a portion of a larger property, known as a “madre finca”, to create a new, independent lot with its own registered title.
This is common practice in Costa Rica, especially in rural and coastal areas.

Often, landowners hold a large piece of property and only decide to divide and sell it when there is a buyer interested in a particular portion.
In such cases, segregation allows the buyer to choose exactly the part of the land they want, without the owner needing to pre-divide everything in advance.

Importantly, the success of segregation largely depends on working with an experienced and licensed surveyor (topógrafo) who knows local zoning rules and can process everything correctly.

Key Points About Segregation on the Caribbean Coast

  • Minimum Lot Sizes:
    Depending on the zoning and location, segregation rules vary.
  • In protected zones like Refugio Gandoca-Manzanillo, if the property is not facing a main public road, the minimum lot size is 5,000m².
  • If the lot has direct access to a main public road or a secondary road shorter than 60 meters, smaller segregations may be allowed—sometimes as little as 120m², depending on local regulations.
  • A minimum road frontage of 6 meters is often required for new lots.
  • Zoning Conflicts (“Avisa Catastral”):
    If the larger property has existing discrepancies with the cadastral registry (Avisa Catastral), it doesn’t necessarily affect the new segregated lot. The impact depends on where exactly the issues are located relative to the area being segregated.
  • Timeline:
    In general, segregation takes between 1 and 3 months, depending on the complexity of the case and government processing times.

How the Segregation and Purchase Process Works

If the seller hasn’t already segregated the lot you want, don’t worry. Here’s how we help you navigate it:

  1. Offer and Reservation:
    Together with your attorney, we prepare a purchase offer based on your desired lot configuration and existing zoning regulations.
  2. Option Contract with Escrow:
    You sign an option contract with a deposit placed securely in escrow.
    This contract protects your deposit—if the segregation cannot be completed for any reason, your deposit is refunded.
  3. Professional Survey and Segregation:
    The seller (often at their expense) hires a professional surveyor to begin the segregation process.
  4. Final Purchase:
    Once the new lot is properly segregated, titled, and registered, you sign the final sales contract and complete the payment. You then receive your own individual property title.

Our Commitment

At Punta Uva Realty, we work only with trusted, professional surveyors who have successfully completed many segregation processes with our clients.
Thanks to their expertise and our guidance, every client who has gone through a segregation process with us is now the happy owner of their piece of paradise.

Buying land through segregation, when handled properly, is safe, efficient, and fully legal.

Contact us—with our support, you can become the rightful owner of a fully titled property in Costa Rica.

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