Never let your building's Visto Bueno expire without a new sign-off

In Mexico City, the owner, possessor or legal representative of a newly built or existing installation or building with the uses listed in Articles 69 and 90 (high-risk buildings) and Article 139, sections I and II, item a), must file, together with the notice of completion of works and through the Digital Platform, the Safety and Operation Approval of Installations (Visto Bueno de Seguridad y Operación de las Instalaciones), signed off by a Responsible Works Director (DRO) and, where applicable, a Co-responsible for Installations, so that the borough (Alcaldía) or the Ministry can authorise use and occupancy (Building Regulations for the Federal District, Article 68, first paragraph).

The Visto Bueno contains the owner's and building's details, the name and registration number of the DRO and, where applicable, of the Co-responsible for Installations, their sworn declaration that the building has emergency installations and systems meeting the safety conditions of the Regulations, the results of the tests in Articles 185 and 186 where applicable, and a declaration that the safety equipment and systems comply with the technical standards and Mexican official standards (Article 68, sections I to VII). For industrial uses it must carry the sign-off of a Co-responsible for Installations (section V). Where the building belongs to Group A or Subgroup B1 of Article 139, the Visto Bueno must be accompanied by a current Structural Safety Verification Certificate (Article 68, third-to-last paragraph, amended 4 October 2024), which has its own page in this guide.

The Visto Bueno is renewed every three years, with the sign-off of the DRO and, where applicable, the Co-responsibles, except for cabarets, discotheques, music venues, bars, dance halls, party venues and similar, where renewal is annual; renewals do not require a new notice of completion of works (Article 68, second-to-last paragraph). If changes are made to the building or installations before that period ends, the Visto Bueno must be renewed within 60 working days of the change (Article 68, last paragraph). Fairs with mechanical rides, circuses and tents also renew it each time they change location (Article 69, section IV).

The following must register the Visto Bueno with the borough through the Digital Platform: schools; assembly venues such as cinemas, theatres, auditoriums, bars, restaurants, hotels, supermarkets and any other non-residential building with an occupancy above 50 people; commercially operated sports or recreation facilities for more than 50 people; fairs, circuses and tents; lifts, goods hoists and escalators; and industrial premises above 40 m2, hospitals and clinics, pools with underwater lighting, fuel stations and heliports, the latter group also signed by a Co-responsible for Installations (Article 69, sections I to VI). The Visto Bueno is also one of the documents required to change a building's use to those activities (Article 73, section I).