Turning a field inside a city’s limits into a house, a shop or a colony has meant an application under Section 90-A of the Rajasthan Land Revenue Act, 1956, filed with the development authority, the urban improvement trust or the municipal body, and then a wait. ETV Bharat reports that the wait was often four months to a year. Two reports this week describe a different route.
What the reports say has changed
- New rules. ETV Bharat names them as the Rajasthan Urban Area (Use of Agriculture Land for Non-Agricultural Purpose and Allotment) Rules, 2026, and reports that the Urban Development and Housing minister explained them. Patrika describes the same notification by the Urban Development Department.
- One portal for every urban body. Development authorities, urban improvement trusts, municipal corporations, municipal councils and municipal boards all work through one integrated online portal, the reports say.
- Check before you apply. The portal is reported to tell an applicant whether the land is eligible for conversion and to calculate the premium, and to show the application’s status at every step.
- Apply, pay and receive online. The applicant uploads the papers and pays the fees; the 90-A certificate is then issued from the portal, according to Patrika.
- 30 days, then mutation opens. Both reports say that if the officer concerned does not complete the steps within 30 days, the system opens the mutation by itself.
- Layout plan in parallel. An applicant can ask for layout plan approval at the same time; ETV Bharat reports that the file then goes to two officers together — one for the conversion, one for the layout.
रिपोर्टों के अनुसार (ईटीवी भारत, 13 नवंबर 2026; राजस्थान पत्रिका, 14 नवंबर 2026): नगरीय विकास विभाग ने शहरी क्षेत्र में कृषि भूमि के गैर-कृषि उपयोग के नए नियम 2026 अधिसूचित किए हैं। सभी नगरीय निकायों के लिए एक ऑनलाइन पोर्टल — पात्रता जाँच, प्रीमियम की गणना, आवेदन की स्थिति। 30 दिन में अधिकारी ने प्रक्रिया पूरी नहीं की तो नामांतरण अपने आप खुलेगा। ले-आउट प्लान की मंज़ूरी साथ-साथ। अधिसूचना का मूल पाठ हमने नहीं देखा है।
A condition on freehold pattas
The reports also describe a construction condition. If a holder of a freehold patta has not built within the time allowed, a penalty can apply: ETV Bharat and Patrika report up to 2% a year of the residential land’s value for the twentieth to the twenty-second year, and cancellation of the patta if nothing has been built by the end of the twenty-second year. Neither report says how the land’s value is fixed for this, or whether the same applies to land converted for other uses.
Land the reports say cannot be converted
- Reserved forest land, and land in a protected wildlife sanctuary.
- Rivers, drains, ponds, lakes and reservoirs.
- Land within 200 metres of a historical monument.
- Land the government proposes to acquire.
- Land recorded in the name of a government department.
- Land or plots restricted by a court order.
- Highway and railway land within the prescribed limits.
- Graveyards and cremation grounds.
A conversion must also follow the master plan. The Rajasthan High Court has held that conversion against a notified master plan is not allowed — see 90-A and the master plan.
Town or village: two sets of rules
| Where the land is | Rules, as reported | Who you deal with |
|---|---|---|
| Inside a development authority, urban improvement trust or municipal area | The 2026 urban rules described above (reported 13–14 November 2026) | That urban body, through the single online portal |
| In a rural area | The Rajasthan Land Revenue rules for rural areas, 2026, in force from 2 November 2026 as reported | The Sub-Divisional Officer, online — see the rural rules, 2026 |
Which side of the line a village falls on is the first question, not the last. Peripheral villages can sit inside a development authority’s area. For Jaipur, see JDA jurisdiction.
What it means around Jaipur
The JDA is a development authority, so by the reports’ description its area is covered. Neither report names the JDA, and neither says from what date the portal accepts applications for a given body. Until the JDA or the Urban Development Department names the portal, ask the JDA zone office which rules and which route apply to your land, in writing.
What the reports do not say
- The notification’s number and date, and when it appears in the Rajasthan Gazette.
- The portal’s name and address. Do not apply through a link someone sends you; use only an address named by the Urban Development Department or the urban body.
- How the premium is worked out, and the fee amounts.
- How the 30 days are counted, what “opens the mutation” means in the record, and what an applicant can do after a refusal.
- What happens to applications already pending under the older urban rules.
Before you apply, or before you buy converted land
- Find out which body’s limits the land is in — urban body, development authority, or rural.
- Read the master plan or zonal plan use for the land. A conversion against it is the commonest reason a patta is later questioned.
- Read the jamabandi: khatedari, the class of land, mortgages and any court entry. Our free quick check shows what to look for.
- Check the list above. Water bodies, monument buffers and road or rail land are excluded whatever the record says about ownership.
- Pay only through the portal or an official challan, keep every receipt, and print the certificate.
- After the certificate, check the record again to see that the mutation and the change of class actually appear.
- Buying a converted plot? Read the purpose written in the 90-A order and the patta, and buy for that use. A different use needs its own land-use change — see the news desk entry of 5 November 2026.
Questions
Has 90-A conversion in Rajasthan's towns and cities moved online?
News reports of 13 and 14 November 2026 say the Urban Development Department has notified new urban rules for 2026 and set up one online portal for all urban bodies, where an applicant checks eligibility, sees the premium, uploads papers, pays and tracks the application. We have not read the notified text.
What happens if the officer does not act within 30 days?
The reports say that if the officer concerned does not complete the steps within 30 days, the system opens the mutation automatically. They do not say how the 30 days are counted, or what an applicant can do if an application is refused.
Does this cover land in the JDA area?
The reports say the portal covers development authorities, urban improvement trusts and municipal bodies. The JDA is a development authority, but neither report names it. Ask the JDA which rules and which portal apply to your land before you apply.
Which land cannot be converted under the urban rules?
The reports list forest and protected wildlife land, rivers, drains, ponds, lakes and reservoirs, land within 200 metres of historical monuments, land the government plans to acquire, land recorded in a government department's name, land under a court restriction, highway and railway land within the set limits, and graveyards and cremation grounds.
How much does urban 90-A conversion cost under the 2026 rules?
The reports say the portal calculates the premium, but they do not give the amounts or the formula. Take the figure from the portal or the authority's demand, and pay only through the official challan.
Sources
- Rajasthan Patrika, “राजस्थान में भू-रूपांतरण के नियमों में बड़ा बदलाव, अब नहीं अटकेंगी 90A की फाइलें”, 14 November 2026 (read 14 November 2026): patrika.com
- ETV Bharat Rajasthan, “अब कृषि जमीन पर मकान-दुकान बनाना होगा आसान, 30 दिन में मिलेगा 90ए प्रमाण-पत्र”, 13 November 2026 (read 14 November 2026): etvbharat.com