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State edition · regulatory reference

Karnataka — कर्नाटक

The State that has moved furthest on liberalising both purchase and conversion — and the clearest example of why stale secondary sources are dangerous.

Edition v1.0 Written 29 July 2026 Not reviewed by local counsel Not legal advice
Read this before using anything on this page. Land is a State subject. Every statute, provision, charge basis, restriction and portal named here is set by a State and is amended regularly, sometimes annually. This page is an orientation written from published sources on the date shown — it is not legal advice, it is not a statement of the current operative law, and it has not been reviewed by an advocate practising in this State. Secondary sources on state land law go stale badly and frequently repeat positions that were repealed years ago. Confirm every point with that State's own revenue or planning authority on official gov.in / nic.in sources and with a local advocate before you act or advise. AgriZameen is an independent private platform and is not a government body.
Tenure & records law
Karnataka Land Reforms Act, 1961 and the Karnataka Land Revenue Act, 1964. The record of rights is the RTC (Record of Rights, Tenancy and Crops), commonly called the pahani.
Ceiling
Ceiling limits under the Land Reforms Act; the ceiling was also revised at the time of the 2020 amendments.
Conversion route
Conversion under the Land Revenue Act. Reported reforms include moving the process online, deemed provisional approval where a Deputy Commissioner does not issue an order within a set period, exemption for small industrial use on limited areas, exemption for certain renewable energy projects, and removal of the separate conversion step for agricultural land already inside a master plan zone.
Conversion charge basis
Reported as a government fee basis rather than a percentage of market value, and generally modest by comparison with Maharashtra. Confirm current rates.
Who may buy agricultural land
Liberalised. The Karnataka Land Reforms (Second Amendment) Act, 2020 omitted sections 79A, 79B and 79C, which had barred purchase by non-agriculturists and by those whose non-agricultural income exceeded a prescribed limit. Many secondary sources still describe the pre-2020 position as current — check the statute, not a blog.
Official portals
Bhoomi (RTC / pahani) · Dishaank and Bhoomi maps · Kaveri (registration)
Revenue & planning hierarchy
Village Accountant → Revenue Inspector → Tahsildar → Assistant Commissioner → Deputy Commissioner.
What differs most from Rajasthan. Wet or assessed paddy land is reported to attract heavier restriction and scrutiny on conversion. Where records classify a parcel as wet, plan for agricultural use.

Before you act on any of this

Run the six checks from Level 3, Lesson 8: which statute governs, whether your buyer is eligible to purchase at all, the conversion charge basis and what else is levied, the realistic timeline from someone who has done it recently, the land's classification in that State's records, and a local advocate. Confidence transfers across a state line; competence does not.

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Before you rely on anything here

Curriculum verified July 2026 · Rajasthan