Profepa Confirms 30 Open Cases Against Coastal Construction in Puerto Vallarta but Won't Say Which Ones

Mexico's federal environmental enforcement agency, Profepa, has confirmed it has 30 open proceedings in the Puerto Vallarta area over alleged irregularities in coastal ecosystems. The cases involve construction, permits and real estate projects. The agency has not said which developments it is investigating or how far along each file is.

The number surfaced through a chain of information requests. According to Urrutia Comunica, the reporting began on September 2, 2026, with requests to both Semarnat and Profepa after officials floated the possible demolition of a Puerto Vallarta building for occupying a stretch of beach. Semarnat passed the matter to Profepa, which later confirmed the 30 proceedings. In its reply, Profepa said it has 30 open proceedings in the Puerto Vallarta area and that all are moving forward. VallartaDaily dates that response to October 7 and its public reporting to November 4.

Almost a month after that reply, the agency has not added detail, NNC reports. Neither Semarnat nor Profepa has said whether the building that prompted the original inquiry is among the 30. In an earlier appearance, Alicia Bárcena argued that urban development changes should not move forward without Semarnat's oversight. She added that the agency is working across the country's 17 coastal states to bring order to the federal maritime-terrestrial zone, the strip of public land along the shore.

This is not the first time Profepa has acted on the city's coastline. In March 2025 it shut down three developments after an inspection sweep that began February 25 of that year. Breeze Loft 185 received a temporary total closure because it did not present its federal environmental impact authorization. Milenio named the other two as the Xalli condominium and Marina Towers. According to Profepa's own release, those two had built beyond what their permits allowed and received temporary partial closures.

For buyers, the practical issue is what remains unknown. With 30 unnamed files, there is no public way to check whether a specific project is on the list. That puts the burden on the buyer and the buyer's attorney. Before signing a pre-sale or purchase contract, it makes sense to ask the developer for the federal environmental authorization where one applies, and to confirm that what has been built or is planned does not exceed what was approved. That was the failing in two of the three 2025 closures. Land use should also be verified and, for beachfront property, so should the status of the federal zone.

For sellers, an open file on a building can surface during an informed buyer's review and slow down or complicate a closing. Having the environmental and zoning paperwork in order before listing is cheaper than rebuilding it mid-sale.

It remains to be seen whether Profepa will publish the list of projects or whether cases will only become known one at a time, through closures or rulings. Until then, the figure of 30 signals that enforcement along Puerto Vallarta's coast is active, but it does not work as a list that lets anyone rule out risk.