For purposes of this subchapter, the following terms and phrases shall have the meaning stated below, except where a different meaning clearly appears from the text:
(a) Office.— The Permit Management Office.
(b) Urban area.— Is synonymous with “urban zone” as heretofore customarily used in the legislation of Puerto Rico, except that the boundaries of such area shall be fixed by the “Planning Board”.
(c) Building.— Includes any kind of structure.
(d) Amendment.— Includes any modification or change in any statute, ordinance, regulation, map, plat or drawing.
(e) Repeal.— Implies setting aside any of the preceding documents.
(f) Operational phase.— That part of the function of reviewing projects which includes, among others, applying and seeing to the enforcement of the laws and regulations promulgated for the use, development and subdivision of land as well as for the construction of buildings and structures.
(g) Official and body.— Shall include the Government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico or any of its parts, offices, bureaus, departments, commissions, dependencies, government instrumentalities or corporations or municipalities, their agents, officers or employees.
(h) Governor.— The Governor of Puerto Rico.
(i) Board.— Means the Puerto Rico Planning Board as a collegiate body, inclusively when, pursuant to the provisions of this subchapter, it functions divided into Parts.
(j) Planning Act.— The Puerto Rico Planning Board Organic Act, this subchapter.
(k) Subdivision.— Is the division or subdivision of a lot, tract or parcel of land into two or more parts for sale, transfer, assignment, lease, donation, usufruct, use, census, trust, division of inheritance or community, or for any other transaction; the constitution of a community of property on a lot, tract or parcel of land where specific lots are assigned to the joint owners; as well as for the construction of one or more buildings; and includes also a development, as heretofore used in the legislation of Puerto Rico as well as a mere segregation.
(l) Simple subdivision.— Is that subdivision on which all development works are already constructed, or where said works are very simple and the subdivision does not exceed ten (10) lots, taking into consideration for the computation of the ten (10) lots the subdivision of the tracts originally formed as well as the subdivisions of the remainder of the original tract.
(m) Member.— Means an associate or alternate member of the Board.
(n) Works.— Buildings and structures, including the improvements and works carried out on the land to facilitate or complement the construction thereof as well as the improvements and installations necessary for the use, segregation, subdivision or development of lands.
(o) Government body.— Any department, bureau, office, instrumentality, public corporation, municipality, intermunicipal body, municipal consortium or political subdivision of the Government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
(p) Person.— Any natural or artificial, public or private person and any group thereof.
(q) Regulation.— Includes restriction and prohibition.
(r) Planning Regulation.— The regulations approved or promulgated by the “Puerto Rico Planning Board” pursuant to the authority conferred thereon by this subchapter or any other act.
(s) Treasury of Puerto Rico.— The Treasury of the Government of Puerto Rico.
(t) Lands.— Includes land as well as water, the space over same or the land underneath.
(u) Development.— Any segregation, division or subdivision of a tract of land which, because of the works to be carried out for the formation of lots, is not comprised within the term “simple subdivision”, as defined in this section, and it shall further include the development of any tract of land for the construction of any building or buildings of eleven (11) or more dwellings.
(v) Central Region.— This Region shall be composed of the rural and urban zones of the Municipalities of Adjuntas, Aibonito, Aguas Buenas, Barranquitas, Ciales, Comerío, Cidra, Corozal, Florida, Jayuya, Lares, Las Marías, Maricao, Morovis, Naranjito, Orocovis, San Sebastián, Utuado and Villalba.
(w) Information.— Means any data, document, feature, report, statistic or similar material that the Board deems necessary to comply with the purposes of this subchapter, whether required through forms and/or questionnaires or other means that the Board designs for such purposes.
History —June 24, 1975, No. 75, p. 183, § 3; Dec. 9, 1993, No. 114, § 3; Aug. 9, 1995, No. 123, § 1; Aug. 9, 2008, No. 213, § 1.