In order to carry out a construction project in the municipality of Osa, Costa Rica, it is necessary to obtain a building permit. And in order to obtain a building permit in Osa, it is necessary to meet a series of requirements which are listed below.
It’s worth noting that obtaining a building permit is not necessarily difficult, as long as you have all the necessary documentation. However, it is not uncommon to hear stories of how a friend of a friend had such a difficult time obtaining their building permit. Often times the construction permits are denied because of careless errors such as not filling out the application form properly, missing a signature in the building contract between the property owner and building contractor, not having the proper or valid identification, or not having sufficient copies of the required documentation.
The best suggestion is to ensure that you solicit your building permit with ample time so that this crucial step is not a reason for your entire construction project to fall behind schedule. Also, it’s important to account for Costa Rican holidays (link goes to Costa Rican government website in Spanish) because government offices will be closed.
Requirements for Obtaining a Building Permit
As of 2017, there are 15 requirements to obtain a building permit for a civil construction project in the municipality of Osa, and they are the following:
- Be current with municipal taxes and have declared the property.
- Have solicited the alignment of your property relative to the public domain before the municipality and provide the certificate number of such.
- Have the property alignment documentation from the Instituto Nacional de Vivienda y Urbanismo (National Housing and Town Planning Institute) in the event that the property neighbors any streams, rivers, or other waterways.
- Have an alignment from MOPT (Ministry of Public Works and Transportation) in the event the property neighbors a national roadway.
- Have a Land Use certificate and be able to provide the certificate number.
- Have a certificate of construction location and be able to provide the certificate number.
- Fill out the application for building permit form (link goes to Spanish language website).
- Have construction plans approved by the Colegio Federado de Ingenieros y Arquitectos (Federated College of Engineers and Architects) and the respective seals from the Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (Costa Rican Electricity Institute) and Acueductos y Alcantarillados (Aqueducts and Sewage).
- Have a Building or Services Contract signed by the contractor in charge of the project.
- Have a copy of the contract between the property owner and the contractor who will carry out the project, or contractor license.
- Have a long-form certificate of the property
- Have a photocopy of the cadastre plans.
- Have a copy of a valid identification (a passport in the case of foreigners), and certification of the moral entity.
- Have the worker’s compensation insurance policy from the Instituto Nacional de Seguros (National Insurance Institute). The original certified copy is required.
- Have certification that one (the property owner) does not have any outstanding debts with the Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social (Costa Rican Social Security).
It’s worth noting that the above 15 requirements are for civil construction projects. If your project is an urbanization or condominium project, then you will need project plans approved by the Instituto Nacional de Vivienda y Urbanismo (National Housing and Town Planning Institute).
In addition, you will be required to show that your project meets an environmental viability requirements as required by the legal system, and have the stamps of approval on behalf of the Ministerio de Salud (Health Ministry) for areas larger than 300 square meters.
Have Questions About Obtaining Building Permits in Costa Rica?
If you have questions about how to go about obtaining building permits in Osa, Costa Rica, contact a building contractor in Osa who can help answer any of your questions prior to starting the permit solicitation process.
Source: Osa municipal government website (link directs to Spanish language website)
