What is the Maritime Terrestrial Zone (ZMT) in Costa Rica?
Costa Rica's Maritime Terrestrial Zone (ZMT) is the 200-metre strip of coast measured inland from the mean high-tide line. The first 50 metres are public and cannot be owned or built on; most of the remaining 150 metres can only be held under a municipal concession, not owned outright.
Last updated · Buying & ownership glossary
About Maritime Terrestrial Zone (ZMT)
The ZMT is set by Law 6043, the Maritime Terrestrial Zone Law of 1977. The 50-metre public zone must stay open to everyone. The 150-metre restricted zone behind it belongs to the state and is administered by the local municipality, which can grant concessions to use and build on it where an approved coastal zoning plan is in place.
The law limits who may hold a concession: foreign nationals without five years of residency in Costa Rica, and companies majority-owned by foreigners, generally cannot be concession holders.
Some coastal land was titled before the ZMT rules applied and remains private property, so a listing within 200 metres of the sea can be either titled or concession land. Which one it is decides what you are actually buying.
- Also called
- ZMT, Zona Marítimo Terrestre, Zona Maritimo Terrestre
- Where it applies
- Costa Rica
This is general information, not legal advice. Confirm with a licensed local attorney before you buy.
Related terms
- Coastal concession
- A coastal concession is a government-granted right to occupy, use and build on public coastal land for a fixed term, under conditions set by the grant. It is not ownership: the land stays public, and the concession can be lost if its conditions are broken.
- Titled property
- Titled (fee-simple) property is land held in full private ownership and recorded in the country's public property registry in the owner's name. It can be sold, mortgaged, leased or inherited without a government grant behind it.
- Public property registry
- The public property registry is the government record of who owns each parcel of land and of the mortgages, liens and easements attached to it. A buyer's title search starts there.
- Due diligence
- Due diligence is the set of checks a buyer makes before committing to a property: the registry title and any liens, the survey and boundaries, zoning and coastal rules, permits, access, utilities and unpaid taxes.