COS (Coeficiente de Ocupación del Suelo) and CUS (Coeficiente de Utilización del Suelo) are the two zoning coefficients that decide how much you can build on a lot in Mexico: COS caps the building footprint as a percentage of the lot, while CUS caps the total built area once every level is added together.
In practice
Municipal urban planning sets them, and inside a private community the development's own rulebook tightens them further. At Selvadentro the coefficients are COS 35% and CUS 70%, with a maximum of two levels plus a roof deck. On a 400 m² lot that works out as:
- Maximum ground footprint: 140 m² (35% of 400)
- Total buildable area: 280 m² (70% of 400)
- How it stacks: 140 m² on the ground floor, 140 m² above, plus the roof deck
The remaining 65% of the lot stays jungle. The same rule binds every owner, which is what holds the density down once the project is complete.
Before you buy, get both coefficients in writing along with permitted levels and setbacks. They are the difference between the house you picture and the house the rulebook allows. And because the cadastre values land and construction separately, those square meters also move your predial later on.
Watch out for
Projects that advertise "no building restrictions." It sounds like freedom until a neighbor puts four levels between you and the jungle you paid for. Coefficients are not an obstacle — they are the guarantee that what you bought is still there in ten years.
Related: Predial · Avalúo · Building rules in Tulum: COS, CUS and levels