Where We Work in Puerto Rico
We practise across all of Puerto Rico from our office in Santurce, San Juan, including Vieques and Culebra. These pages exist because two things change depending on where you are, and almost nobody explains them: where your property is recorded, and where your case is heard.
In short
- The Property Registry is divided into 29 sections operating out of 12 locations, covering the 78 municipalities.
- The Court of First Instance is divided into 13 judicial regions.
- The two divisions do not line up. The section that holds your deed and the court that will hear your case are often in different towns.
- Registry sections are drawn by barrio, not by municipality, which is why two neighbours can file in different places.
Two maps, not one
People assume that the town their property sits in determines everything. It does not. Puerto Rico runs two separate territorial divisions over the same island, and they were drawn for different purposes.
The Property Registry divides the island into sections, each with its own territorial demarcation. Those demarcations follow barrios rather than municipal lines, so a single municipality can be split across several sections, and a single section can reach across several municipalities. Your deed, your mortgage and anything affecting title go to the section that covers the specific barrio where the property sits.
The courts divide the island differently. The Court of First Instance has thirteen judicial regions, each headed by a judicial centre, and each made up of one or more municipalities. Where a dispute is heard depends on that division, not on the Registry one.
The result is a set of mismatches that cost people time. Guaynabo has its own Registry section but its cases go to Bayamón. Trujillo Alto records in San Juan IV but litigates in Carolina. Río Grande records in Carolina III but litigates in Fajardo. None of this is obvious, and getting it wrong means a document presented in the wrong place or a complaint filed in the wrong region.
The areas we are asked about most
San Juan
Five Registry sections split by barrio, and the only judicial region in Puerto Rico made up of a single municipality.
Guaynabo
Its own Registry section, but every case goes to the Bayamón judicial region.
Bayamón
Four Registry sections, two of which cover no part of Bayamón at all.
Carolina
Three Registry sections drawn by barrio, and a judicial region that reaches into San Juan territory.
Caguas
The cleanest alignment of the five, and the gateway to the eastern central municipalities.
If your matter is somewhere else
These five are the areas we are asked about most often. They are not the limit of where we work. We handle matters across the island, and the firm has represented clients in Vieques and Culebra, both of which record through the Fajardo Registry section and litigate in the Fajardo judicial region.
If you are not sure which section or region covers your property, tell us where it is and we will tell you, before you pay anyone for anything.
Common questions
Does it matter which Registry section my property is in?
Yes. A deed presented to the wrong section does not secure your priority. Each section keeps the records for its own demarcation, and only that section can record a document affecting a property inside it.
Why is my property in a section named after a different town?
Because the demarcations follow barrios, not municipal boundaries, and the section names reflect where the office sits rather than what it covers. Toa Baja, for example, records through Bayamón II.
Do I have to use a lawyer in my own town?
No. A Puerto Rico attorney and notary may act anywhere on the island. What matters is that the filings go to the right section and the right court, not that the office is nearby.
Can you tell me which section covers my property?
Yes, and it takes a few minutes. We need the municipality and the barrio, or the número de catastro if you have it.
Not sure where your matter belongs?
We practise in English and Spanish, across all of Puerto Rico.
