Legal Reform On Urban Development In Mexico City

On July 22, 2020, the Decree amending the Regulations for the Urban Development Law of Mexico City was enacted in the Official Gazette of Mexico City, reforming articles 37, 70 and 158.

The reform focuses on reducing repetitive steps regarding certain administrative procedures on urban development through the attribution of permanent validity (subject to the annual payment of the corresponding fees under the Mexico City Tax Code) to the following evaluations, registries, certificates and opinions:

  1. Evaluation on the Application of Regulations for the applicability of general and specific norms that are not directly applied;
  2. Technical Evaluation for Interventions indicated for construction works, modifications, extensions, installations, repairs, registration of work performed and/or demolition or its revalidation in properties or buildings subject to urban cultural heritage and/or located in a Heritage Conservation Area;
  3. Interventions registry for the assessment of Type A construction and the works that do not require a construction assessment, nor a special construction license in properties or buildings located in the Heritage Conservation Area;
  4. Technical Evaluation for interventions on the assessment of Type A construction and works that do not require a construction assessment, nor a special construction license or its revalidation in properties subject to urban cultural heritage;
  5. Certificate of restoration or rehabilitation of properties subject to urban cultural heritage for the tax reductions provided in article 273 of the Mexico City Tax Code;
  6. Technical Opinion on the exemption of original construction license of buildings properties subject to urban cultural heritage;
  7. Technical Opinion for the merger /subdivision/re-distribution of properties, patrimonial condition and feasibility of demolition and/or project, in properties subject to urban cultural heritage and/or in Heritage Conservation Areas;
  8. Technical Evaluation or Technical Opinion for the installation, modification, placement or removal of advertisements and/or outdoor advertising in properties subject to urban cultural heritage and/or in Heritage Conservation Areas;
  9. Unique Certificate of Land Use Zoning printed on security paper stating the specific provisions established by the urban development planning instruments for a specific building or property; and
  10. Unique Digital Certificate of Land Use Zoning stating the specific provisions established by the urban development planning instruments for a specific building or property.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, it is important to remark that the validity of the certificates indicated in paragraphs 9) and 10) above, will not be permanent in the case of unique zoning certificates that contemplate the application of General Regulation 26 "Standard to promote and facilitate construction of low-income and popular housing on urban land”.

Furthermore, such certificates will lose their validity if the use and surface requested for the property are modified, or if there are modifications to the applicable Partial or Municipal Urban Development Programs.