When buying property located on Costa Rica’s beaches, you should be aware of the following: building a home adjoining beach areas falls under a category known as the Maritime Zone Law, the first 200 meters of land measured from the high tide line.
The first 50 meters from the mean high tide mark cannot legally be built on by anybody, as it is public beach. From that point, the next 150 meters is subject to the Maritime Zone Law (Concession), unless the property is registered prior to 1973, in which case it has full title and can be transferred as such and called titled to the 50 meter line.