Hire the architect, licensed site engineer (DRO), permit runner (gestor) and contractors

Architect: designs the house. DRO (Director Responsable de Obra): a licensed professional who signs plans and takes legal responsibility for the work, plus co-responsible specialists where required (structural and others). Gestor: the permit runner. General contractor (GC).

Why it matters

The BCS construction regulations require a DRO's signature on licensed works above a small threshold.

Who helps

You hire this team yourself: the architect, the DRO, a gestor and a general contractor.

Documents

• Contracts with scope, fees, schedule, and who handles IMSS.

Owner's representative and remote supervision (box)

• Consider an independent supervisor (supervisor de obra) who works for you, not the builder, especially if you're abroad.
  • Agree a reporting cadence: weekly photos and video, a monthly cost report against the budget, and copies of the bitácora entries (step 4.25).
  • Release each payment only after the supervisor confirms the milestone, and hold back the retention (fondo de garantía) until final acceptance.
  • Visit at key milestones (foundation, structure, roof slab, before finishes).
  • Supervisor fees: no published figure; get quotes.

The construction contract (checklist)

• Type: a fixed-price contract (contrato de obra a precio alzado) or cost-plus (por administración, cost plus a % fee). Fixed price moves cost risk to the builder; cost-plus needs tight reporting.
  • Scope tied to the stamped plans and a line-item budget (presupuesto por partidas) with specifications for materials and finishes.
  • Payment schedule tied to milestones you can verify (foundation, structure, roof slab, etc.), never large advances. A common practice is a retention (fondo de garantía, e.g., 5–10% of each payment) released after final acceptance (market practice, not law).
  • Schedule and penalties for delay (penas convencionales).
  • Change orders in writing, with price and time impact, signed before the work.
  • IMSS registration (SIROC) and who pays contributions (step 4.22); who holds the license and the bitácora; insurance (builder's risk, third-party liability).
  • Warranty: the BCS Civil Code makes the builder liable after acceptance for defects from poor construction, bad materials or soil problems (art. 2548), but sets no specific warranty period, so write one into the contract (e.g., 1 year for finishes, longer for structure).
  • Invoices with CFDI for every payment. You need them to deduct construction cost when you sell (step 5.9).
  • Disputes: jurisdiction and language; a Spanish version usually prevails.

Costs Estimate

• No published fee schedule for gestores or DROs in La Paz or Todos Santos (Oct 2026). Ask for written quotes.
• A gestor's quote should list each permit, the fee for each, what's included and what you pay the offices directly.
• You can file the CFE and water (OOMSAPAS) requests yourself; La Paz accepts PDFs by email (confirm with the office).
• Over 500 m² of construction, a DRO and co-responsible engineers (corresponsables) are required (per a La Paz gestor's quote; confirm with the office). DROs usually charge per m² plus site visits.
• Design is a separate quote; gestor and DRO quotes don't include it. Ask for the final plans as DWG files too.
• Plan on about 6–8 months from the survey to the building permit. One La Paz gestor's plan was 145 business days; a SEMARNAT review runs separately (estimate).

Estimates only. Get written quotes.

Common mistakes

• A GC without its own IMSS employer registration (step 4.22).
• No written scope.
• Paying cash without CFDI invoices.
• Hiring an unlicensed DRO. Check the professional license (cédula profesional) on the federal registry (SEP – Registro Nacional de Profesionistas).

Say it in Spanish

• ¿Quién será el Director Responsable de Obra y firmará los planos?
  Who will act as the DRO and sign the plans?
• Quisiéramos un contrato a precio alzado con pagos por avance y una retención del 10%.
  We'd like a fixed-price contract with payments by milestone and a 10% retention.
• ¿Emitirá factura (CFDI) por cada pago?
  Will you issue CFDI invoices for every payment?

Terms

• CFDI / factura
• Contrato de obra a precio alzado
• DRO (Director Responsable de Obra)
• Fondo de garantía
• Gestor

Sources

• Código Civil de BCS, art. 2548 (checked 2026-10)
• SEP – Registro Nacional de Profesionistas

Confirm the details for your case with your notario or attorney.

Common questions

All questions

Related guides

• Building permit in Baja California Sur: La Paz, Todos Santos, El Pescadero, Los Cabos
• How to build a house in Baja California Sur, step by step