{"id":287,"date":"2022-09-23T20:04:56","date_gmt":"2022-09-23T20:04:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.libreverdad.com\/?page_id=287"},"modified":"2026-09-23T17:48:49","modified_gmt":"2026-09-23T17:48:49","slug":"environmental-law","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.libreverdad.com\/es\/environmental-law\/","title":{"rendered":"Derecho Ambiental y Animal en Guanacaste"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Environmental and Animal Law in Guanacaste<\/h1>\n

Water concessions, SETENA permits, protected zones, the maritime zone, and animal welfare cases.<\/p>\n

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Environmental law in Guanacaste<\/h2>\n

Guanacaste is dry, it is growing fast, and almost every development question here eventually becomes a water question. Environmental regulation is where a project either gets built or does not, and the rules are enforced more seriously than most new arrivals expect.<\/p>\n

Water and wells<\/h3>\n

Groundwater in Costa Rica belongs to the state. A well on your land does not give you the right to use the water in it; that right comes from a concession granted by the Direccion de Agua at MINAE, and concessions expire. Several Guanacaste aquifers now carry extraction restrictions, which means a permit that was routine a decade ago may not be renewable today. We have handled cases where an expired permit met a new aquifer restriction in the middle of a build.<\/p>\n

SETENA and environmental viability<\/h3>\n

Most construction and development requires environmental viability from SETENA, obtained through a D1 or D2 form depending on the scale and sensitivity of the project. Building without it, or outside the terms granted, exposes the owner to a stop order and to sanctions that survive a change of ownership.<\/p>\n

Protected zones and the maritime zone<\/h3>\n

Setbacks from rivers and springs, forest cover rules, and the zona maritimo terrestre all restrict what can be done with coastal and riverside land. The first 50 metres from the high tide line cannot be owned by anyone; the next 150 metres is concession land held from the municipality under conditions, and is not the same thing as titled property.<\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”LV Image” _builder_version=”4.27.0″ background_color=”#ffffff” custom_padding=”0px||35px||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.0″ max_width=”820px” custom_padding=”0px||0px|” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.0″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.libreverdad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/header-derecho-ambiental.png?fit=1024%2C597&ssl=1″ alt=”Environmental law in Costa Rica: the constitutional right to a healthy environment” title_text=”Environmental law in Costa Rica: the constitutional right to a healthy environment” align=”center” force_fullwidth=”on” _builder_version=”4.27.0″ border_radii=”on|6px|6px|6px|6px” box_shadow_style=”preset1″ box_shadow_blur=”24px” box_shadow_spread=”-6px” box_shadow_color=”rgba(49,62,71,0.25)” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”Body Section” _builder_version=”4.27.0″ background_color=”#ffffff” custom_padding=”30px||30px|” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.0″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.0″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.0″ text_font=”||||||||” text_font_size=”16px” text_line_height=”1.9em” header_2_font=”Prata||||||||” header_2_font_size=”34px” header_2_line_height=”1.35em” header_2_text_color=”#313e47″ header_3_font=”Prata||||||||” header_3_font_size=”21px” header_3_line_height=”1.45em” header_3_text_color=”#313e47″ max_width=”900px” module_alignment=”center” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n

Animal law<\/h2>\n

Costa Rica criminalised animal cruelty in 2017 through reforms to the Ley de Bienestar de los Animales. The law covers deliberate cruelty, abandonment, and neglect causing suffering, and it applies to domestic animals and wildlife alike. We bring and defend complaints under it, and advise on liability for animals that cause injury or damage, on veterinary disputes, and on the rules that apply to keeping wildlife, which are strict.<\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”We Advise You On” _builder_version=”4.27.0″ background_color=”#8abc1c” custom_padding=”60px||60px||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.0″ max_width=”1000px” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.0″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.0″ text_font=”||||||||” text_text_color=”#000000″ text_font_size=”16px” text_line_height=”2em” header_2_font=”Prata||||||||” header_2_font_size=”40px” header_2_line_height=”1.4em” header_2_text_color=”#000000″ header_2_text_align=”center” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n

We advise you on:<\/h2>\n