Colombia · Property · Rural land

Law 160 of 1994: agrarian reform and public vacant lands (baldíos)

The law that decides whether a farm can be bought safely: how public vacant land (baldíos) is granted, the Family Agricultural Unit, the ban on accumulating former public land above that unit, forfeiture of uncultivated land, peasant reserve zones and indigenous reserves. Full text in English with the Spanish original under every paragraph.

In force, as amended115 articles in three partsRural landOfficial text: Senado

Card

Official title: Ley 160 de 1994 (agosto 3) — Por la cual se crea el Sistema Nacional de Reforma Agraria y Desarrollo Rural Campesino, se establece un subsidio para la adquisición de tierras, se reforma el Instituto Colombiano de la Reforma Agraria y se dictan otras disposiciones
In English: Law 160 of 3 August 1994 creating the National System of Agrarian Reform and Rural Small-Farmer Development
Type: Law of the Congress of Colombia
Published: Diario Oficial No. 41.479 of 5 August 1994
Status: In force in part; many articles repealed by Decree-Law 902 of 2017; INCORA’s functions now with the National Land Agency (ANT)
Official text: secretariasenado.gov.co ↗

The text in 3 parts

Arts. 1–37The agrarian reform system and acquisition of land

Purpose, the National System of Agrarian Reform, the land institute (now the National Land Agency), subsidies, voluntary purchase and expropriation. Many articles repealed in 2017.

Arts. 38–78Family Agricultural Unit, forfeiture and public vacant lands

The Family Agricultural Unit and parcels, clarification of ownership, forfeiture of uncultivated land, grants of baldíos and the prohibitions and nullities of Art. 72.

Arts. 79–112Settlement, reserve zones and indigenous reserves

Settlement and business development zones, peasant reserve zones, indigenous reserves, the agrarian procurators, cooperatives and final provisions.

In short

Public vacant land (baldíos) becomes private only by a State grant; occupation alone gives no ownership (Art. 65).
As a rule, baldíos are granted in Family Agricultural Units (UAF), the area set for each region (Art. 66); an applicant who already owns rural land cannot receive a grant, save to complete a UAF (Art. 72).
No one may acquire land originally granted as baldío above the UAF, and contributions of such land to companies that consolidate more than a UAF are void (Art. 72).
Rural land left unworked for three continuous years, used in breach of environmental rules or for illicit crops can be forfeited to the Nation (Art. 52).
The land authority can designate peasant reserve zones, with caps on holdings, and business development zones on public land (Art. 80, Art. 82).
References to INCORA and INCODER are now to the National Land Agency (note to Art. 12).

Who it affects

Foreign and domestic investors buying farmland.
Agribusiness and forestry companies assembling large estates.
Lenders taking rural land as security.

Key dates

Date	Event
3 Aug 1994	Law enacted
2003	INCORA abolished; INCODER created
2011–2012	Law 1450 adds Arts. 72-A and 72-B; struck down by C-644-12
2015	INCODER abolished; National Land Agency (ANT) created (Decree-Law 2363)
2017	Decree-Law 902 of 2017 repeals many articles
2018	Law 1900 of 2018 amends Arts. 69 and 70 and adds Art. 65-A
2025	Law 2539 of 2025 amends Arts. 2, 4, 12 and 31

BCA commentary

Why baldíos matter to a buyer

Colombia does not restrict foreigners buying land. The restriction that matters applies to everyone: land that was originally granted by the State as public vacant land (baldío) cannot be accumulated above one Family Agricultural Unit, and acts that breach this are void (Art. 72). The rule has been at the centre of disputes over large agricultural projects. Before buying, trace the chain of title back to its origin in the registration record and check whether the land was ever a baldío.

The Family Agricultural Unit

The UAF is the area a family needs to make a decent living, set by region: over a thousand hectares in parts of the eastern plains, a few hectares in parts of the Andean region. It caps both grants and later acquisitions of former baldíos. For a grant, land held through companies in which the applicant is a member and by a spouse, permanent partner or minor children is counted; for later acquisitions, contributing such land to a company that thereby consolidates more than a UAF is void (Art. 72).

Alternatives for large projects

Where land cannot be acquired, investors use leases and other contracts that do not transfer ownership, association with small farmers, or projects within ZIDRES zones under Law 1776 of 2016.

Amendment history

Acts that have changed this Law and Constitutional Court rulings on it, as recorded by the Senate database, with the articles they concern.

Act	Articles
Judgment C-673-99	Art. 12
Law 731 of 2002	Art. 89
Decree 1300 of 2003	Arts. 5, 14, 15
Law 812 of 2003	Art. 8
Law 1151 of 2007	Art. 31
Judgment C-402-10	Art. 78
Law 1450 of 2011	Arts. 21, 83
Judgment C-255-12	Art. 72
Judgment C-644-12	Arts. 72-A, 72-B, 83
Judgment C-371-14	Arts. 79, 80, 81, 84
Law 1728 of 2014	Arts. 66, 67
Judgment C-623-15	Arts. 50, 53
Law 1753 of 2015	Art. 76
Judgment C-517-16	Art. 72
Law 902 of 2017	Arts. 20, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 34, 35, 36, 37, 49, 50, 51, 53, 57, 63, 64, 65, 69, 71, 74
Law 1900 of 2018	Arts. 69, 70
Law 1955 of 2019	Arts. 31, 76
Law 2294 of 2023	Arts. 2, 4

PropertyLaw 820 of 2003: residential leases

Rent caps, renewal, termination and landlord registration.

PropertyLaw 675 of 2001: horizontal property

Apartments and condominiums: by-laws, common charges, meetings.

PropertyLaw 1579 of 2012: land registration

The land registry, registration records and certificates of title.

PropertyLaw 1776 of 2016: ZIDRES

Large agricultural projects on state land under contract.

Foreign investmentRegistration of a real estate investment

Real estate bought by a non-resident is direct foreign investment (Decree 1068 of 2015, Art. 2.17.2.2.1.2).

How to cite

Cite the article and paragraph, and link to the paragraph anchor. For example:

Colombia, Law 160 of 3 August 1994, Art. 72 (unofficial English translation, BCA LatAm Law Library), https://bcaparaguay.com.py/law-library/colombia/law-160-1994-agrarian-reform-public-lands/arts-38-78-uaf-forfeiture-public-vacant-lands#art-72

Unofficial translation by BCA LatAm for information. Only the Spanish text published in the Diario Oficial is authentic. Article headings are editorial; chapter, section and marginal headings are the law’s own. Text checked against the text in the basic legislation database of the Secretaría General del Senado (secretariasenado.gov.co), with its notes on amendments and Constitutional Court rulings; struck-out words are omitted and marked […] on 27 October 2026. This page is not legal advice.

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