Countries › Costa Rica › Guide › 11. Real estate and land › Forests, rivers and water rights on Costa Rican land: protection strips and concessions

Forests, rivers and water rights on Costa Rican land: protection strips and concessions

Last verified: 2026-10-30 · Status: Stable

Forested land cannot change use: you may not clear forest for farming or building except for limited permitted purposes. The Forestry Law sets no cut protection areas of 100 m around permanent springs and 10 to 50 m along rivers and lakes, which commonly limit where a lot can be built on. Surface water is public property and using it needs a MINAE concession.

USD figures use the Banco Central de Costa Rica reference selling rate of ₡454.82 per US dollar published for 29 October 2026 (indicator 318 on bccr.fi.cr), rounded to the cent.

Key facts

No cut protection radius around permanent springs	100 mLey 7575 art. 33(a), as of 2026-10-30 · in force
River protection strip, rural flat land	15 mLey 7575 art. 33(b), as of 2026-10-30 · in force
River protection strip, urban flat land	10 mLey 7575 art. 33(b), as of 2026-10-30 · in force
Change of land use on forested land	Prohibited, limited exceptions textLey 7575 art. 19, as of 2026-10-30 · in force

The rule

1. On forested land no change of use or plantations are allowed; the forestry administration may permit homes, offices, roads, ecotourism facilities and similar works on private forest land, national convenience infrastructure, safety cuts and fire prevention, limited to what is proportionate.Ley 7575, Ley Forestal, art. 19, 1996-02-13 official text · verified 2026-10-30

2. Protection areas: 100 m radius around permanent springs; 15 m in rural and 10 m in urban areas on each bank of rivers and streams on flat land, 50 m on broken land; 50 m around natural lakes and state reservoirs; and aquifer recharge areas.Ley 7575, Ley Forestal, art. 33, 1996-02-13 official text · verified 2026-10-30

3. Cutting trees in protection areas is prohibited except for projects declared of national convenience; INVU handles setback alignments.Ley 7575, Ley Forestal, art. 34, 1996-02-13 official text · verified 2026-10-30

4. Invading protection areas carries three months to three years in prison with no compensation for works built; changing land use against art. 19 carries one month to three years.Ley 7575, Ley Forestal, art. 58 and 61, 1996-02-13 official text · verified 2026-10-30

5. Access to drinking water is a basic human right and water is a good of the nation.Constitución Política, art. 50, 1949-11-07 official text · verified 2026-10-30

6. Waters of rivers, streams and springs from where permanent waters arise are public; using public water requires an authorisation from MINAE.Ley 276, Ley de Aguas, art. 1 and 17, 1942-08-27 official text · verified 2026-10-30

7. Unless held privately with legitimate title, land along rivers and springs in watersheds feeding populations is inalienable state land: 200 m each side on flat land and 300 m in watersheds.Ley 2825, Ley de Tierras y Colonización, art. 7(c), 1961-10-14 official text · verified 2026-10-30

Worked example

A 2 hectare rural lot has a spring and a creek across sloping land. The 100 m circle around the spring and 50 m strips on each side of the creek are protection areas, so the buildable area is much smaller than the title suggests. Using the creek for irrigation or a pool requires a MINAE water concession.

Step by step

Map springs, rivers and forest cover on the lot before buying.
Ask INVU or the municipality for the river setback alignment.
Check whether any well or water use has a valid MINAE concession.
Get forestry administration approval before cutting trees.

Common traps

Protection areas apply on private titled land.
Clearing forest to build without a permit is a crime and buildings get no compensation.
Water from a well or spring is not automatically the landowner's to use.

Sources

← Zoning, subdivision and building permits in Costa RicaBorder strip and inalienable state land in Costa Rica →

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