This research analyzes the legal regime of demolition as an urban planning institution. It is maintained that the regulatory architecture of demolition is consistent with the objectives pursued in each case; however, it is a legal framework that must be carefully analyzed, especially in those cases in which it is available as a measure to reestablish legality and prevention, since powers are duplicated and wide margins of discretion are given to the authority that exercises it, which can result in an arbitrary and/or disproportionate exercise of the institution.