Baja Property Insider · Building · Stage Worksheet

Planning the build

Last reviewed September 2026 · bajapropertyinsider.com

Drawings and budgets are taking shape. Decisions made now determine how much room you have later, when changes get expensive.

What usually happens next

1. 01 — Fix the scope in writing: rooms, areas, finish level, what is excluded.

   The scope document is what every budget and contract will be measured against. 'A three-bedroom house' is not a scope; a schedule of rooms, areas, finishes and explicit exclusions is. Whatever is left undefined now will be defined later by whoever is doing the work, at whatever it costs then.

2. 02 — Build a budget with a real contingency — 10–20% is normal here.

   Import logistics, material substitutions and site surprises are normal in Baja construction, not exceptional. A budget without contingency is a plan to renegotiate mid-build, from the weaker position. Hold the contingency separately and treat it as spent only when it is.

3. 03 — Establish the permit path and who is responsible for obtaining each approval.

   A build typically needs the municipal construction licence, and depending on the site, environmental or other sign-offs. The DRO (the licensed professional of record) usually manages the licence. Write down who obtains what, by when — permits obtained 'by someone' have a way of being obtained by no one.

4. 04 — Set a realistic schedule that accounts for permit and utility timelines.

   Permits take weeks to months and utility connections add their own queues. A schedule that starts construction the week after drawings finish is fiction. Build the approvals into the timeline explicitly, so a permit delay is visible early rather than discovered as a missed start date.

What to watch for

• Budgets quoted per square metre with no definition of what is included.
• 'Allowances' for finishes that get settled later at the owner's cost.
• A schedule that assumes permits arrive on the first attempt.

Papers and people

• Who is involved: Architect · DRO · Municipality · Cost estimator
• Documents that show up: Drawings and specification · Budget · Permit checklist

Notes

Gerardo Sánchez Aramburu

Independent Attorney Partner

Some steps on this sheet are judgment calls, not paperwork. When one of them turns out to matter for your transaction, an independent Mexican attorney is the right next reader — someone answerable to you, not to the deal. Gerardo works directly with foreign buyers and owners in Baja California Sur, in private 30-minute consultations.

Book directly: bajapropertyinsider.com/legal-guidance

Sources and last reviewed

Last reviewed September 2026. Laws, rates, and municipal requirements change. Treat this page as a starting point and confirm anything you intend to rely on with your notario or an independent Mexican attorney.

• Article 27, Constitución Política de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos — Foreign nationals cannot hold direct title inside the restricted zone; the bank trust exists because of this article.
• Municipal planning and land-use offices, Baja California Sur — Land use (uso de suelo), construction licensing, and permit requirements differ by municipality.
• Ley del Notariado para el Estado de Baja California Sur — Defines what a notario must verify, certify, calculate, and file for a property transfer.

A finished checklist is a well-prepared file, not a verified transaction. Baja Property Insider — bajapropertyinsider.com