Costa Rica’s Constitutional Court has ordered the Municipality of Osa to do more to remove unapproved businesses and makeshift structures from public beachfront land at Playa Dominical. The court issued the order after receiving a complaint that the local government had not fully followed an earlier ruling from November 2025. The latest decision was issued a couple of days ago on the 18th.
The order applies to Osa Mayor Mainor Anchía Angulo and Daniela López Rivera, the acting head of the municipal department responsible for managing public coastal land. They must take the necessary steps to deal with the structures and businesses that remain in the protected beach area.
The judges warned that the case could be sent to prosecutors if municipal officials continue to fall short of the court’s order. The dispute involves makeshift homes, tents, canopies, sales stands and other structures set up on public land near the beach without permission. Residents and legally registered businesses say these activities block public space and create disorder along one of Dominical’s busiest beachfront areas.
The court first ruled on the case on November 14, 2025. It gave the municipality four months to inspect the area and take the steps needed to protect the public beach zone. That deadline passed on March 14, 2026 and Municipal officials say they have not ignored the problem. An inspection on February 20 found about 30 commercial stands along a 300-meter section of the beachfront.
On March 6, people operating businesses without permission reportedly left the area voluntarily. Municipal workers then removed makeshift structures and ropes, cleaned the beach and installed 19 signs explaining the rules for using public coastal land. The municipality carried out another operation on May 13 with help from the Tourist Police. Officials found tents, temporary structures and other unapproved uses of the beach area. Some of the people found there had already received warnings during an earlier operation.
Another operation took place on August 13. However, some people reportedly returned the following day. The Constitutional Court found that these operations had not solved the problem. Municipal officials also acknowledged that they had not found a lasting solution. The Municipality of Osa told the court that it is preparing a larger operation involving the Public Force, Immigration Police, the National System of Conservation Areas, environmental prosecutors and the Health Ministry.
The plan could include more inspections, removal operations and possible legal cases against people found using public beachfront land without permission. Costa Rican law limits private construction and business activity on protected beachfront land. Local governments are responsible for inspecting these areas, keeping them open to the public and acting when someone uses them without approval.
Playa Dominical is one of Costa Rica’s best-known surfing destinations and this case highlights the difficult balance between informal businesses, public beach access and the responsibility of local governments to manage popular coastal areas. The Municipality of Osa has not announced when its next operation will take place.
