Countries › Uruguay › Guide › 11. Real estate and land › Water rights in Uruguay: public ownership of water, permits and concessions of up to 50 years, and wetlands

Water rights in Uruguay: public ownership of water, permits and concessions of up to 50 years, and wetlands

Last verified: 2026-10-27 · Status: Stable

In Uruguay surface and underground water belongs to the State's public domain, access to drinking water is a constitutional right and drinking water and sanitation are provided only by State entities (Constitution art. 47). Private uses such as irrigation need a revocable personal permit or a concession of up to 50 years that passes with the land (Código de Aguas art. 165 to 170). Wetlands declared of environmental importance cannot be drained (art. 159), and irrigation societies pay a canon once the Executive sets it (Ley Nº 19.553).

USD figures use UYU 40.21 per US dollar, the BCU quotation for DLS. USA BILLETE on 27 October 2026; amounts in Unidades Indexadas (UI) use UYU 6.6792 per UI, the BCU quotation for 27 October 2026; amounts in Unidades Reajustables (UR) use UYU 1,940.77, the UR for September 2026 published by IMPO (the latest published on 27 October 2026); the BPC is UYU 6,864 for 2026 (Decreto Nº 11/026). All were retrieved on 27 October 2026. Conversions are for orientation only.

Key facts

Maximum water use concession term	50 yearsCódigo de Aguas art. 168, as of 2026-10-27 · in force
Ownership of water	State public hydraulic domain (except rainwater) Constitution art. 47, as of 2026-10-27 · in force

The rule

1. Water is an essential natural resource and access to drinking water and sanitation are fundamental human rights. Surface and underground water, except rainwater, integrated in the hydrological cycle, is part of the State's public hydraulic domain; drinking water supply and sanitation are provided exclusively and directly by State entities, and first priority goes to supplying the population. Users and civil society take part in planning by river basin.
Cost to do it: No private ownership of water to buy.
Example: A farm purchase does not include ownership of the stream or aquifer; only use rights granted by the State. / Water rights must be checked separately from land title.Constitución de la República art. 47 (reforms of 8 December 1996 and 31 October 2004); Ley Nº 18.610 (national water policy), Art. 47, 2004-10-31 official text · verified 2026-10-27

2. Everyone may use public waters for drinking, hygiene, livestock, navigation, free transport and recreational fishing, without diverting water, using mechanical extraction or polluting. Private uses of public waters and occupation of beds require a permit or a concession granted by the Executive. Permits are personal, non transferable, revocable at any time and published in the Diario Oficial; concessions last up to 50 years, are renewable, and pass with the land on sale or inheritance.
Cost to do it: Canon or contributions set by regulation (Decreto Nº 115/011 under art. 167).
Example: An irrigation pump on a river needs a permit or concession; a concession attached to the farm passes to the buyer. / Prefer land with concessions over revocable permits for long term agriculture.Código de Aguas (Decreto Ley Nº 14.859), Art. 163, 165, 166, 167, 168 and 170, 1978-12-15 official text · verified 2026-10-27

3. Owners may drain marshy land at their own cost with the environmental authorizations, but draining, drying or similar works are prohibited in wetlands declared of environmental importance by the Executive.
Cost to do it: Environmental authorization costs.
Example: Rice or pasture projects on declared wetlands cannot drain them. / Check wetland declarations before buying low lying land.Código de Aguas art. 159 (wording by Ley Nº 19.670 art. 219, regulated by Decreto Nº 228/025), Art. 156 and art. 159, 2018-10-15 official text · verified 2026-10-27

4. Agrarian irrigation societies and associations must pay the canon for water use once the Executive sets it.
Cost to do it: Canon as set by the Executive.
Example: A group of farmers sharing a dam through an irrigation society will pay the water canon once fixed. / Model water costs in irrigation projects.Ley Nº 19.553 (amending Ley Nº 16.858 on agrarian irrigation), Art. 11, 2017-10-27 official text · verified 2026-10-27

Point	Permit	Concession
Transferable	No, personal	Passes with the land
Duration	Revocable at any time	Up to 50 years, renewable
Publication	Diario Oficial	As regulated

Permit versus concession (Código de Aguas)

Worked example

A foreign investor buying a rice farm checks that the water used comes under a concession attached to the land, not a personal permit held by the seller, and that no part of the farm is a declared wetland.

Step by step

List all water uses on the property and their titles.
Confirm concessions pass with the land and their remaining term.
Check wetland declarations and environmental authorizations.

Common traps

Permits are personal and revocable: they do not pass to a buyer.
Draining declared wetlands is prohibited.

Sources

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