How far from the beach does normal ownership start?

Beyond 200 metres from the high-tide line, in most places. Always confirm on the registry record.

Is a concession safe to buy?

It can be, with an attorney confirming the concession is valid, current, paid up and transferable. It is a different product from titled land.

Costa Rica Maritime Zone: Concession Land Rules Explained

The short answer

The first 200 metres inland from the high-tide line are the maritime zone. The first 50 metres are public and cannot be owned or built on. The next 150 metres can only be held under a municipal concession, which is not ownership, and foreigners face limits on holding one. Inland land is not affected.

Public zone: First 50 m; No ownership, no fences, no building
Restricted zone: Next 150 m; Concessions only
Foreign holders: 5 years' residency; Otherwise capped at a minority stake

How the zone is laid out

Law 6043 sets aside a 200-metre strip along both coasts. The 50 metres closest to the sea is the public zone: it belongs to everyone, and nobody may own it, fence it or build on it. The 150 metres behind it is the restricted zone.

A concession is not a title

In the restricted zone the municipality can grant a concession: a right to use and build on a parcel for a fixed term, under the area's zoning plan, in exchange for an annual fee. It can be renewed and transferred with approval, but it is closer to a long lease from the state than to ownership.

Limits on foreigners

A foreigner generally needs at least five years of legal residency to hold a concession directly. A company that is mostly foreign-owned cannot hold one either, so foreigners are in practice limited to a minority stake alongside a Costa Rican partner.

Exceptions

Some coastal properties were lawfully titled before the law and remain private, and certain port cities and declared urban coastal areas are excluded. Distance from the sea does not settle a property's status. Only its registry record does.

Why this matters for cheap land

Beachfront listings that look like bargains are often concessions or, worse, land with no concession at all. The zones CheapLand works in are inland, where land is ordinary titled property and none of this applies.

Questions buyers ask

Only where the property holds a private title that predates the maritime zone law. Most beachfront is concession land, which is not ownership and has limits for foreigners.