Permitting a development requires a lot of work and expertise. For medium or large developments, you’ll almost certainly need to hire a one-stop-shop consulting company that has all necessary professionals on staff and has years of experience with permitting and environmental impact studies. This might cost a bit more, but you get what you pay for, and the company’s experience and comprehensiveness might actually save you money in the long run. Consulting companies like this vary in their makeup. Some specialize exclusively in environmental impact studies, while others offer the full package: Architectural design, survey, site plans, due diligence, construction permitting, and even the construction contracting itself.

A short list of such companies can be found in the resources section of this book. But as with nearly everything else in real estate and development in Costa Rica, the only sure-fire way to find good people is to talk to other people in the industry to seek recommendations. This holds true whether you’re hiring a consulting company or just a single civil engineer. The more experience the better, and local experience is preferable. The rules are different in every canton in the country, and it’s good if the consultants you hire know both the physical and the political terrain where you’re building. Following is a short list of professionals you might need to hire either individually or through a consulting company, together with a description of what they do.

Architect: Your building plans must be officially drawn up and signed by either an architect or a civil engineer registered with the CFIA. While your project could be designed by a foreign architect, it would still have to be officially under the name of a local architect or civil engineer.

Civil engineer: A variety of tasks can fall to this multi-faceted professional. The civil engineer can do everything from review the structural soundness of a building, to draw up building plans, to manage a project.

Topographer: This is the professional you will need to do your land survey. All topographers are registered in the Colegio de Ingenieros Topógrafos (http://www.colegiotopografoscr.com/), a division of the CFIA.

Environmental consultant: This individual can actually be any kind of engineer. The important thing is that he or she be registered with SETENA as a consultant. Corporations can register as environmental consultants as well. You need a registered environmental consultant to sign off on environmental impact studies presented to SETENA.

Biologist: Registered with the Colegio de Biólogos de Costa Rica. You might need one of these to complete a comprehensive study of area wildlife for a full environmental impact study for SETENA.

Archaeologist: Also for the SETENA review. The archaeologist is to examine the plot of land for any old cemeteries or burial grounds, or anything else that might be of archaeological interest, like fossils. On large tracts of land, they almost always find something, but usually nothing major that would halt construction.

Sociologist: Needed in the same context as a biologist. A sociologist would do a comprehensive study of the impact a large project will have on the surrounding communities, to be included in a full SETENA impact study.

Geologist: Needed to do a study if the slope of the land is greater than 15%.

Electrical engineer: Your building’s electrical plan must be designed and signed by an electrician registered with the CFIA.