Buying in Brasilito? Find out if the lot is titled or a concession first.

If you are buying property in Brasilito, the public records you need are the same as anywhere in Costa Rica. The order of priority changes, though. This is a beach town in the canton of Santa Cruz, Guanacaste, and a large part of the land near the sand sits inside the zona marítimo terrestre (the maritime zone, often shortened to ZMT). That one fact decides what kind of right you would actually be buying.

This note sets out what Folio's coastline measurements show for Brasilito and neighbouring Conchal, which records to pull, and the questions worth putting to the seller and your attorney before you sign anything.

Why does the maritime zone come first in Brasilito?

Costa Rican law treats the coast differently from inland land. Under the Ley sobre la Zona Marítimo Terrestre (Ley 6043), the maritime zone is "la franja de doscientos metros de ancho a todo lo largo de los litorales Atlántico y Pacífico": a strip 200 metres wide along both coasts, measured from the ordinary high-tide line.

The law splits that strip in two. The first 50 metres is the Zona Pública (public zone). The remaining 150 metres is the Zona Restringida (restricted zone). The same law adds that all mangroves count as public zone, whatever their size.

In practice, land in the restricted zone is usually held as a concession granted by the municipality, not owned outright. A concession is a right to use the land under conditions and for a set period. It is not a title. If a listing near the beach says "titled", that is the first claim you verify, not the last.

What do Folio's Brasilito numbers actually show?

Folio measured the maritime strip in 27 coastal towns for its 2026 dataset. The method draws a 200 m landward buffer from the official IGN 1:5000 coastline and intersects it with parcel geometry sampled from the Registro Nacional cadastre. Brasilito and Conchal were measured on 2026-08-03. Parcel counts are lower bounds: the real number can be higher, never lower.

What this means for you: about half the parcels Folio found touching the strip lie fully inside it. If the lot you are looking at is close to the beach, assume it may be affected until the records prove otherwise. The full breakdown is on Folio's maritime zone data page for Brasilito and Conchal.

Does "registered" mean the land is titled?

No, and this is the most common misreading of coastal data. The 85.3% figure is the share of the strip covered by registered parcels, but the cadastre map cannot tell a titled finca (registered property) from a concession. In the 50 to 200 m band, most registered parcels are state concessions.

Folio's reading of this coastline is that the registered area is a mix of concessions and, in urban pockets, possible titled exceptions. The rest of the strip is unregistered public domain. A lot can appear neatly drawn on a map and still be something you cannot own outright.

To tell them apart, you need the registry entry itself. A titled property and a concession are recorded differently, and your attorney will read the entry, not the map.

What about registered land in the first 50 metres?

Folio measured 0.376 km² of registered parcel geometry overlapping the public zone in Brasilito and Conchal. That number deserves care rather than alarm. It can reflect three very different things:

• Lawful concessions with legal authorization for a specific use.
• Pre-1973 exceptions, titles that predate the current regime and may have survived it.
• Mapping offsets, where a drawn boundary sits slightly off the real coastline.

Only a registry pull, read by someone who knows coastal law, can say which applies to a given lot. Without legal authorization, the law prohibits fencing, building or exploiting the flora and fauna in the zone. A house that already stands near the sand does not prove it was authorized.

Which records should you pull for a Brasilito lot?

Work through these in order. Each answers a different question, and none replaces the others.

1. The cadastre view. Confirm the lot's finca number, area, perimeter and boundary, and whether it touches the maritime strip. Folio's Brasilito property check page shows these on a free map, with a maritime-zone flag. It does not show the owner, liens or the plano.
2. A registry certificate. Through the Registro Nacional's digital services you or your attorney can request a certificación showing the registered owner, gravámenes (encumbrances such as mortgages or easements) and anotaciones (annotations, such as pending lawsuits or filings).
3. The plano catastrado. This is the registered survey plan. Check that its shape and area match the registry entry and what you see on the ground, including fences and access roads.
4. The concession file, if one applies. For land in the restricted zone, ask for the concession contract, its term, its permitted use and its status with the municipality of Santa Cruz.
5. The coastal plan. Concessions are granted under a plan regulador costero (coastal zoning plan). The ICT's maritime zone programme publishes information on coastal plans and regulations. Ask your attorney whether a current plan covers the lot and what use it allows.
6. Taxes and water. Confirm municipal taxes are paid and whether the property has a legal water connection or water rights.

If you would rather have this assembled for you, Folio's $29 verified report is a human-checked title and records search covering the registered owner, liens, taxes, water rights and the exact maritime line, delivered within 24 hours. It shows what the records say. Your attorney or notary still advises on what to do.

What town-specific questions should you ask?

These questions come straight out of the Brasilito numbers. Put them to the seller in writing, and to your attorney before you commit funds.

• Is this lot a titled finca or a concession? Show me the registry entry that says so.
• Where does the lot sit relative to the 200 m line and the 50 m line? Has anyone measured the exact maritime line for this lot?
• If the lot overlaps the first 50 metres, what is the legal basis: a concession, a pre-1973 exception, or a mapping offset?
• Is there any mangrove or protected area nearby? Folio measured 0.089 km² of the strip overlapping protected land here, per SINAC data.
• If it is a concession, when does it expire, what use does it permit, and is it in good standing?
• Are you eligible to hold a concession? The law bars concessions to foreigners who have not resided in Costa Rica for at least five years, so ask your attorney how that rule applies to your situation and to any company structure.

For a broader look at these traps, read Folio's guide to buying a beachfront lot in Costa Rica, and the plain explainer on how the maritime zone works for buyers.

Where do the public records stop?

Records tell you what is registered: who holds the property, what burdens it carries, and where its drawn boundary falls. They do not tell you whether a building was permitted, whether a neighbour disputes a fence, or how the municipality will treat a future application.

Treat Folio's town data as a starting map, not a verdict on any lot. The counts are lower bounds, and registration is not proof of title. Pull the records, read them with an attorney who handles coastal property in Guanacaste, and let the documents, not the listing, set your expectations.