Land in Mexico

Broadly, there are three: urban land (within the city limits, with services, and deedable before a notary), rustic or rural land (outside the city, for farming or country use, privately owned) and ejido land (communal property under the agrarian regime). Ejido land is NOT full private property: it belongs to the agrarian community and cannot be deeded directly before a notary until it has been regularized, which makes it the riskiest option for a buyer.

Land use (uso de suelo) is the classification the municipality gives each plot: residential, commercial, industrial, mixed, agricultural or conservation. It defines what you can build and at what density. Before buying land you should request the land-use certificate (constancia or certificado de uso de suelo) from the municipality, because a plot zoned for agriculture or conservation may not allow housing, which would sink your project.

Privately owned land is deeded before a notary public: the title is verified, a lien-free certificate is requested from the Public Property Registry, taxes and fees are paid, and the notary registers the new deed in your name. Ejido land must first go through a regularization process (dominio pleno) before the National Agrarian Registry before it can be deeded as private property.

Confirm the ownership regime (private vs. ejido), request the lien-free certificate, check the land use, compare the boundaries and measurements against a topographic survey, confirm that water, electricity and drainage are available, check that property tax (predial) is paid up and rule out squatters or lawsuits. Ideally, hire a notary or real estate lawyer to carry out the due diligence.

It is the riskiest purchase. As long as the land remains ejido you cannot deed it or obtain a private property title, and "contracts" assigning ejido rights do not give you full legal certainty. It only makes sense if the ejido has already obtained full ownership (dominio pleno) and the land is in the process of, or ready for, being deeded as private property. If in doubt, consult the National Agrarian Registry and a lawyer before paying any deposit.