Construction Permits & Licenses in the Riviera Maya
We handle the entire permit process as part of our construction service. Our team has relationships with municipal offices across the Riviera Maya — you focus on your project, we handle the bureaucracy.
Permits We Handle
Land Use Permit (Uso de Suelo)
Municipal zoning verification and land use authorization. Required before any construction begins.
Timeline: 2–4 weeks · Cost: $10,000–$30,000 MXNNone
Construction License (Licencia de Construcción)
Official construction permit. Includes DRO (Director Responsable de Obra) sign-off and municipal registration.
Timeline: 4–8 weeks · Cost: $30,000–$80,000 MXNNone
Environmental Impact (MIA)
Manifestación de Impacto Ambiental for lots in ecological zones, near cenotes, or mangroves. SEMARNAT approval.
Timeline: 8–16 weeks · Cost: $60,000–$160,000 MXNNone
CONAGUA Water Permit
Required for wells, cenote proximity, or water discharge. Federal water authority process.
Timeline: 6–12 weeks · Cost: $40,000–$100,000 MXNNone
CFE Electrical Connection
Grid connection application, meter installation, and temporary construction power supply.
Timeline: 2–6 weeks · Cost: $6,000–$20,000 MXNNone
Habitability Certificate
Final municipal inspection certifying the building meets code. Required for occupancy and permanent utilities.
Timeline: 2–4 weeks · Cost: $10,000–$30,000 MXNNone
Alignment & Official Number
Alineamiento y número oficial — required before construction license. Confirms lot boundaries vs. street.
Timeline: 1–2 weeks · Cost: $200–$10,000 MXNNone
Civil Protection Permit
Protección civil approval for commercial buildings. Fire safety, evacuation plans, emergency equipment.
Timeline: 2–4 weeks · Cost: $10,000–$40,000 MXNNone
The Process
Site Assessment
We evaluate your lot, check zoning, identify required permits, and estimate costs and timelines.
Documentation
We prepare all technical documents, studies, and applications on your behalf.
Submission & Follow-up
We submit to all authorities and handle follow-ups, corrections, and inspections until approval.
Permits in Hand
You receive all approved permits. Construction begins immediately.
Municipalities We Work With
Permits-Only Service
Don't need construction? We also offer permits-only services — we handle all your paperwork while you build with your own team. Contact us for a quote.
Free: Construction Cost Guide 2026
Real prices per m², land costs, permits, hidden fees. PDF from 196+ projects in the Riviera Maya.
The correct order of the file
Land-use certificate first: if the lot does not permit what you want, no design fixes it and everything else is wasted. Then alignment and official number, services feasibility, the project signed by a DRO, and with those, the construction licence. In parallel where it applies, the environmental file — which is what actually sets the calendar in Tulum, Puerto Morelos and near protected areas.
Why files get returned
Rarely because the authority is slow — because the file arrives incomplete. Drawings that do not match the land-use certificate, density or height beyond what is permitted, wastewater unresolved, DRO documentation arriving after everything else, or a declared area that does not match the survey. Each return restarts the clock, and it is the difference between three weeks and three months.
What we control and what we do not
We assemble the file, engage the DRO, submit, follow up and answer requirements. We do not control resolution times or environmental criteria, and we tell you realistic ranges at the start rather than an optimistic date that becomes a construction problem three months later.