The pre-submittal map
Every agency, review, and sign-off your site and use actually trigger under the Reglamento Conjunto, laid out before a single form is filed.
permits · OGPe · Reglamento ConjuntoConstruction permits in Puerto Rico
Permits fail on sequence, not paperwork.
Most permit delays in Puerto Rico are not a hard form. They are the wrong order: a review or sign-off that should have happened before you ever submitted to OGPe.
Sequence. Submit. Move.
No-obligation project review. We reply within one business day, in writing.
How it works
Permitting and code compliance, sequenced before you submit.
- Scope. A short, no-obligation call to understand the project, the use you intend, and your deadline.
- Map. We map the agencies and reviews your site and use actually trigger: the Reglamento Conjunto track through OGPe, the Permiso de Uso, and any ICP heritage review.
- Sequence. We order the reviews so one approval does not reset another, and so a requirement does not surface after submittal and stall the clock.
- Coordinate. We coordinate the first phase and the OGPe submittal, so the permit moves on a real timeline with the engineering basis behind it.
Tell us the use you intend and the deadline you are working toward, and we will tell you straight what the permit track looks like.
What the sequence measures against
Reglamento Conjunto (Ley 161-2009)
Puerto Rico's unified permit code (Reglamento Conjunto). It governs how most construction and use permits are filed and reviewed, and what each one requires.
OGPe (Oficina de Gerencia de Permisos)
The permit management office most filings route through. Knowing what it needs, and in what order, is the difference between a moving file and a stalled one.
Permiso de Uso (occupancy)
The permit that authorizes how a property is legally used. A missing or wrong one is a common, inheritable gap on a purchase or a use change.
ICP heritage review (Ley 89-1955)
Work in or near a historic zone triggers an Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña (ICP) review that runs in parallel with the permit track and can reset it if found late.
Puerto Rico Building Code (2018)
The governing code, which adopts the International Building Code (IBC). The standard a compliant project is reviewed and built against.
The work we do
Four things we sequence before you submit.
A permit moves when the reviews are in the right order. These are the four pieces of the front end we map and sequence for you, before a single form is filed.
Heritage & agency sequencing
Where an ICP heritage review (Ley 89-1955) or another agency sign-off has to happen, we sequence it so it does not surface late and reset the clock.
ICP · heritage · secuenciaPermiso de Uso (occupancy)
The occupancy permit that authorizes how the property is used, checked and obtained for a purchase, a use change, or a new build.
use · ocupación · Permiso de UsoOpen-violation check
The OGPe record read against what is actually built, so inherited unpermitted work and open violations surface before they become yours.
violations · violaciones · recordWhat a permit read surfaces
Three failures that quietly reset a permit clock.
Where the grid above is the work we do, these are the specific conditions that work finds on Puerto Rico property, and why each one decides whether the timeline holds.
A review filed out of sequence
What this is: an agency sign-off or heritage review filed out of order. Why it matters: surfacing it after submittal resets the OGPe clock and the budget around it.
sequence · secuenciaAn occupancy the Permiso de Uso never covered
What this is: a building operated under no valid Permiso de Uso, or one that does not match the actual use. Why it matters: it is a common, inheritable gap that blocks a closing or a renovation.
use · ocupaciónBuilt work the OGPe record never reflected
What this is: construction the OGPe record does not reflect, or an open violation against the property. Why it matters: it transfers to the next owner and has to be cleared before the permit moves.
violations · violacionesBought a property with permit gaps?
Unpermitted work and open violations transfer to you.
When you buy, the seller's gaps become yours: work the OGPe record never reflected, a use that was never authorized, an open violation against the property. We read the record against what is actually built and tell you what it takes to clear it, before it blocks your next move. The title and tax side stay with your attorney or notary; we own the permit and code side.
Inherited a gap you did not create? Send us the address and we will tell you what the record shows.
Who stands behind it
One licensed read, signed.
Your permit path is not a clerk's checklist. It is the read of one accountable Puerto Rico engineer, the PE who signs it, who sequences within his scope so the document holds up where it counts.
The accountable engineer
Every sequencing call in your permit path is one I will put my seal to. That is the difference between a guess and accountable engineering.
Edgardo L. Santiago Martínez, PE Chief Engineering Officer · PE Lic. #12474, CIAPR FAQ
Questions before you submit.
Still deciding? Ask us directly, no obligation, and you hear back within one business day.
Why do permits stall in Puerto Rico?
Usually sequence, not paperwork. A review or sign-off that should have come first surfaces after submittal and resets the clock. Mapping the front end before you submit to OGPe is what keeps the timeline real.
What is OGPe?
The Oficina de Gerencia de Permisos, Puerto Rico's permit management office. It runs under the Reglamento Conjunto, the unified permit code (Ley 161-2009). Most construction and use permits route through it.
What is a Permiso de Uso and do I need one?
It is the occupancy permit that authorizes how a property is used. Buying or changing the use of a building without a valid one is a common, inheritable gap we check for.
I bought a house with unpermitted work. What now?
The gap transfers to you. We read the OGPe record against what is actually built, flag the violations, and tell you the path to clear them. The legal title side stays with your attorney or notary.
Do you handle the heritage review too?
We sequence it. Work in or near a historic zone triggers an ICP review under Ley 89-1955 that runs in parallel with your permit track. We map it so it does not surface late.
Is this only for new construction?
No. Renovations, additions, and use changes all touch the permit track. The earlier we sequence, the less likely an approval resets another.
Can you do this remotely?
Yes. The records and agency coordination happen on the ground here in Puerto Rico; we report and coordinate with you wherever you are.
The wrong order stalls the permit. The right one moves it.
Sequence it before you submit
Tell us about the project.
A few details, the use you intend, and your timeline. We reply within one business day, in writing, with next steps.
Direct channels
Other ways to reach us
One-business-day response standard. Reach us by any channel and you hear back within one business day, every time.
Not sure where in the track you are?
That is exactly the first call. Tell us the property and the plan, and we will tell you what the permit path looks like before you commit.