Mexico’s Chamber of Deputies on Wednesday, October 1, unanimously approved a legal reform guaranteeing open access to all the nation’s beaches and protected natural areas. The measure passed with 465 votes in favor and now moves to the Senate for discussion and a final vote.
Lawmakers from the ruling Morena party described the reform to end what they called decades of “silent privatization” of Mexico’s coastline. The amendments modify the General Law of National Assets and the General Law of Ecological Balance and Environmental Protection to make clear that access to maritime beaches and adjacent federal maritime-terrestrial zones must be free, permanent, and available to all people regardless of nationality or social status.
The decree explicitly prohibits fees, quotas, or restrictive conditions for entering beaches, except in cases tied to environmental protection, public safety, or other legal provisions. Federal, state, and municipal governments will be required to ensure safe, well-marked public access from roads to the shoreline. Concessions or permits granted in federal zones must also include provisions guaranteeing such access.
To support enforcement, the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, working with municipalities along the coast, will create a National Registry of Beach Access. Municipal and state governments must also record these access points in public registries to guarantee their permanence and recognition in cases such as property sales or boundary disputes.
The reform also reinforces existing guarantees under Article 56 of the General Law on Ecological Balance and Article 198 of the Federal Rights Law, which mandate free access to protected natural areas. Authorities must ensure that entry is consistent with biodiversity and ecosystem protections.
In practice, the reform reaffirms what Mexico’s Constitution already establishes: beaches are public property and cannot be privatized. While developers and hotels may obtain concessions to use beach areas, they do not have ownership and cannot block access. Violations could result in significant fines.
For years, beach access disputes have sparked controversy. In 2012, for example, security at the Riu Santa Fe Hotel in Los Cabos barred three Mexican citizens from crossing hotel grounds to reach the beach, forcing them to take a long detour. A public access path was later built, but cases like this fueled demands for stronger legal protections.
With this reform, hotels and resorts, from Pueblo Bonito Sunset to Rancho San Lucas, can no longer deny public entry to the shoreline. Once ratified by the Senate and signed by President Claudia Sheinbaum, the law will stand as a clear affirmation: in Mexico, all beaches belong to the people. Plain and simple.
