Law Says Islands Are Property of the State
The Ley de Zona Marítimo Terrestre (Maritime Lands) enacted in 1960 that only now the Municipalities of the coastal areas are applying with more rigor and backed by the words of the Procuraduría General de la República (Attorney General's office), residents who live on the islands cannot own them.

The Defensoría de los Habitantes (Ombusdman) and Libertarion deputies have grouped together  to help the thousands of residents of the islands in the Golfo de Nicoya on the Pacific coast.

Many of the residents have orders to have their homes demolished, homes they have lived in for more than 30 years and not a word from the municipalities during all this time.

The law clearly sets out that the islands belong to the state and can only be lived on and developed by way of concessions granted to them by the state.