Plano catastrado (cadastral survey plan)
Official plan, registered with the National Cadastre, defining a parcel's shape, measurements, and exact location.
Estudio registral (registry study)
A review of a property's history at the National Registry: current owner, liens, mortgages, annotations, and limitations.
Folio real (real folio)
The unique identification number of a property at the National Registry, equivalent to its "title number."
Certificación de uso de suelo (land-use certification)
A municipal document stating which activities (residential, commercial, industrial, etc.) are permitted on a parcel.
Área de protección (protection setback)
A non-buildable strip required by the Forestry Law (Law 7575) along rivers and streams. In urban areas it is usually 10 m per bank; in rural areas, 15 m, and up to 50 m on steep terrain.
Retiro (setback)
The minimum clear distance required between a building and a boundary, road, or body of water.
Servidumbre (easement)
A right affecting one property for the benefit of another — for example, a right of way or a power-line easement.
ASADA
A community association that operates the drinking-water supply in many parts of Costa Rica.
AyA
Costa Rica's national water and sewerage institute, the state body governing potable water and sanitation.
Carta de disponibilidad de agua (water availability letter)
A document from the ASADA or AyA confirming whether water is available for a development and in what quantity (water connections).
Escrow
A service in which a neutral third party holds the funds of a transaction and releases them once agreed conditions are met. Common in foreign purchases.
Notario público (notary public)
In Costa Rica, an attorney authorized to grant public faith and execute deeds; required to transfer a property.
Escritura pública / traspaso (public deed / transfer)
The notarial document that formalizes and registers a change of property ownership.
Due diligence (debida diligencia)
The pre-purchase verification process: registry status, land use, services, environmental restrictions, and other legal and technical aspects.
SETENA
Costa Rica's national environmental technical secretariat, which evaluates and grants environmental viability to development projects.
Fee simple (pleno dominio)
The most complete form of ownership, with full rights over the property. Available to nationals and foreigners outside the maritime-terrestrial zone.
Coeficiente de aprovechamiento / cobertura (floor-area ratio / lot coverage)
Planning parameters defining how much can be built on a parcel (construction area and the percentage of the lot that may be occupied).
Propiedad en condominio (condominium regime)
A legal regime (Law 7933) allowing a development to be divided into private units plus common areas; the basis for horizontal or vertical condominiums.
Urbanización / fraccionamiento (subdivision)
Dividing land into lots with roads and services for individual sale or development.
Ruta 27 (Route 27)
The José María Castro Madriz highway connecting San José to Caldera (Pacific); the backbone of the growth corridor where Orotina sits.
Gran Área Metropolitana / GAM (Greater Metropolitan Area)
Costa Rica's central region encompassing San José and neighboring cities — the country's main urban market.
Zona marítimo-terrestre / ZMT (maritime-terrestrial zone)
A 200 m coastal strip with a special regime where full private ownership is restricted. It does not apply to this property, which is fee simple.