Manuel Antonio: the Maritime Zone, measured

About 62.6% of Manuel Antonio's maritime strip is covered by registered parcels — a mix of concessions and, in urban pockets, possible titled exceptions. The remainder is unregistered public domain. Roughly 42% of the strip overlaps protected land, where restrictions are far stricter than the normal concession rules. Registered parcel geometry also overlaps the inalienable first 50 meters (0.223 km² measured) — lawful concessions, pre-1973 exceptions and mapping offsets that only a registry pull can tell apart.

• Identify the exact parcel on the cadastre and confirm whether it sits inside the 200m strip, touches the 50m public zone, or lies safely beyond.
• Concession or title? In the restricted band assume concession until the registry proves otherwise; verify the seller is the registered holder and the term, use and canon are current.
• Check the plan regulador with the municipality before believing any "you can build X" claim.
• Overlay the environment — protected areas, river setbacks and flood exposure change what is possible parcel by parcel.
• Foreign buyer? Remember the art. 47 rules (5-year residency, max 50% foreign capital in a concession-holding company).

Educational information, not legal advice. Full explanations, myths, comparison tables and legal references: the national study.