The papers at a glance
Every piece of land in Karnataka sits in two sets of records. The revenue records (RTC, mutation, survey) say who holds the land and how it is classified. The registration records (sale deeds, EC) say which transactions have been registered against it. Once land is converted and laid out as plots, a third set begins: the local body's property record, the khata. A safe purchase means all three agree with each other and with what you see on the ground.
| Paper | Where it comes from | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| Title deeds and mother deed | Sub-registrar office, seller | How the seller came to own the land, going back decades |
| RTC (pahani) | Revenue department, Bhoomi | Who holds the land now, its area, type and any recorded liabilities |
| Mutation register (MR) | Revenue department, Bhoomi | How and when the name on the RTC changed |
| Encumbrance certificate (EC) | Sub-registrar, Kaveri | Registered sales, mortgages and other deeds for the period searched |
| Survey sketch (11E, tippan, podi) | Survey department | The exact shape, boundaries and sub-division of the survey number |
| DC conversion order | Deputy Commissioner or the planning authority | Permission to use the land for something other than farming |
| Layout approval and release | Planning authority or gram panchayat | That the plots, roads and parks were approved and your site is released for sale |
| Khata or e-khata | City corporation, town council or gram panchayat | The property's entry in the local body's tax register |
| Tax receipts | Local body | That property tax is paid up to date |
The rest of this guide takes each one in turn, then gives the order to check them in.
First, know what kind of land you are buying
The papers you need depend on what the land is today.
- Agricultural land still in farm use: title chain, RTC, mutation, EC and survey sketch. No khata from a local body. Read who can buy agricultural land in Karnataka before you go further.
- Converted land, not yet laid out: all of the above, plus the conversion order and a check that the RTC reflects it.
- A plot in an approved layout: all of the above, plus the layout approval, the release of your site, and an A-category e-khata in your seller's name.
- A site with only a B-khata or no approval: possible to buy, but with real limits on loans and building. See A-khata, B-khata and e-khata.
If you are an NRI, the rules on what you can buy are narrower; see buying property in Karnataka as an NRI.
The title chain
Title is the seller's legal right to sell. It is proved by the chain of deeds that brought the land to the seller: the mother deed (the earliest deed you can trace), and every sale, gift, partition, will or settlement after it.
Lawyers commonly trace the chain for 30 years or more, and banks set their own minimum period. Get copies of every deed in the chain, and certified copies from the sub-registrar where the seller's copies look altered or incomplete.
What to look for:
- Each deed's seller is the buyer in the deed before it. No gaps.
- The survey number, hissa (sub-division) number and area match across deeds, the RTC and the sketch.
- For inherited land, a family tree (vamshavruksha) and the consent of every legal heir. One missing heir can challenge the sale years later.
- Where someone signs under a power of attorney, the original power of attorney, that it covers this sale, and that the person who gave it is alive and has not cancelled it.
- Every co-owner named on the RTC signs the sale deed.
RTC and mutation
The RTC (Record of Rights, Tenancy and Crops), also called the pahani, is the revenue record for a survey number. It shows the holder's name, the area in acres and guntas, the land type, any kharab (unusable or public) portion, and liabilities such as crop loans recorded against it. The mutation register shows how the name on the RTC came to be there.
Check that the seller's name is on the current RTC, and that the mutation entry that put it there matches a registered deed or a lawful inheritance. A name on the RTC without a matching deed is a warning sign. You can view the RTC and mutation entries on the state's Bhoomi land records site. Our guide to RTC and mutation shows how to read each field.
Encumbrance certificate
The EC lists registered transactions on the property for the years you ask for: sales, mortgages, gifts, leases and releases. A Form 16 EC means nothing was found; a Form 15 EC lists what was found. Ask for the longest period you can, and read every entry, not just the last one.
An EC only shows registered documents. It will not show an unregistered agreement, a pending court case or a revenue dispute, which is why it is one check among several. See encumbrance certificate in Karnataka for how to get one online and what it misses.
Survey sketch and boundaries
The survey sketch shows the shape and measurements of the survey number and any sub-division of it. If you are buying part of a survey number, the part must be measured and sketched before it can be sold on its own. Compare the sketch with the land on the ground: boundary stones, neighbours, road access, and any stream, path or public land running through it. Our article on 11E sketch, podi and survey numbers covers this step.
Conversion and layout approval
Farm land cannot be built on until its use is changed. That is DC conversion, named after the Deputy Commissioner who traditionally grants it. The rules changed in 2025: inside approved master plan areas, conversion is increasingly handled as part of plan approval rather than as a separate order. Either way, ask for the order or certificate and check it is genuine on the state's land records site. DC conversion in Karnataka explains the process.
Converted land is not yet a plot. Plots come from a layout plan approved by the planning authority for that area, and sites are usually released for sale in stages as roads, drains and other works are completed. Check that the approval exists, that your site number is on the approved plan with the same size, and that your site has been released. Layout approvals in Karnataka lists who approves what.
For plotted layouts above the threshold in the RERA Act, also check the project's registration with K-RERA. See RERA for plotted layouts.
Khata and e-khata
The khata is the property's entry in the local body's register. Since late 2024, an e-khata (the digital property record) has been required to register the sale of most non-agricultural property in Karnataka. In Bengaluru it comes from the city corporations under the Greater Bengaluru Authority, in other towns through the e-Aasthi system, and in villages through e-Swathu.
Check whether it is an A-category record (property formed with approvals) or a B-category one (recorded for tax, but formed without full approvals). Banks generally lend more readily against A-khata property. The state has been running schemes during 2025 and 2026 to move eligible B-khata properties to A-khata; whether a site qualifies depends on its size, location and history.
Restrictions the papers may not show
Some problems sit outside the usual documents. Ask about each one directly and have your lawyer check them.
- Granted land. Land granted by the government, especially to Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe families, can carry a bar on sale without government permission. Under the PTCL Act, as amended in 2023, a sale made without that permission can be challenged without a time limit. Check the grant history in the old revenue records.
- Government and public land. B-kharab land (roads, tanks, streams, grazing land) belongs to the government even when it sits inside a survey number. It cannot be bought.
- Acquisition. Land notified for acquisition for a road, layout or project can be taken. Check with the planning authority and the taluk office.
- Disputes. Bhoomi publishes dispute case reports. A pending revenue case or civil suit on the survey number is a reason to stop.
- Tenancy and old claims. Land that was under tenancy or inam (old grant) tenure may have had its ownership settled by an order. Ask for that order.
The order to check things in
Do the cheap, quick checks first, and pay only after the slow ones are clear.
- Get the survey number, hissa number and the seller's details. View the RTC and mutation history online.
- Get the EC for the longest period available and compare it with the deeds the seller gives you.
- Collect the full title chain and have a property lawyer read it.
- Visit the land with the sketch. Walk the boundaries and check the road and neighbours. Our site visit checklist helps.
- For a plot, check the conversion order, the layout approval, the release of your site and the e-khata.
- Check the guidance value for the area on the Kaveri portal. Stamp duty and registration fees are worked out on the higher of the guidance value and the price.
- Sign a sale agreement that ties the balance payment to the seller handing over clean papers. Pay through the bank, never in cash.
- Register the sale deed at the sub-registrar office, then follow up until the RTC or khata shows your name.
For the cost of step 6, read stamp duty and registration in Karnataka and guidance value and market price.
Never pay a large advance before your lawyer has read the title chain and the EC. Most losses in land deals happen at the advance stage, when the buyer has paid and the papers are still unchecked.
Red flags worth stopping for
- The seller offers photocopies only, or cannot produce the mother deed.
- The name on the RTC does not match the seller, or the mutation entry has no matching deed.
- The area on the RTC, the deed and the sketch do not agree.
- The plot is in a layout with no approval number, or the site number on the deed is not on the approved plan.
- The price is far below what nearby land sells for, with pressure to pay today.
- Some of the money must be paid in cash, or to someone other than the seller.
How we help
We check land and plots for buyers in Hassan, Chikkamagaluru, Mudigere, Mysuru, Bengaluru and Mangaluru: title, RTC, mutation, EC, conversion, layout approval and khata, before you pay. See our documentation service or send us the survey number and we will tell you what to check. If you want a plot with the papers already in order, our Kempegowda Layout in Mudigere shares every document with buyers to check with their own lawyer.
