A plot outside Vizag. Revenue records say “dry land.” The seller says it has been converted. A planning map that most buyers never see shows the site sits inside the Coastal Regulation Zone.
This is not unusual. Prohibited land in India does not come labelled. Different restrictions come from different laws, are recorded in different registers, and are checked through different portals. Knowing that agricultural land is off-limits under FEMA is only the beginning. There are four other categories that can restrict or void a purchase, and none of them show up in a standard title search.
This guide covers all five, and how to check each one before you sign.
Category 1: FEMA-Prohibited Categories (Agricultural Land, Plantation, Farmhouse)
Under FEMA, NRIs and OCIs cannot purchase agricultural land, plantation property, or farmhouses in India. The penalty for getting this wrong is up to three times the purchase price. A 2024 Delhi High Court ruling upheld this 3x figure even for a buyer who cooperated fully and sold the land when directed.
The full rules, the case history, and what to do with inherited agricultural land are covered separately. The practical point here is that “agricultural” refers to the land’s classification in the government’s revenue records, not what the land looks like or what the seller claims about a conversion being “in process.”
How to check:
Each state maintains a digital land records system. Look up the survey number and read the nature of land or land classification column:
| State | Portal | What to look at |
|---|---|---|
| Telangana | bhubharati.telangana.gov.in | Pahani - nature of land column |
| Andhra Pradesh | meebhoomi.ap.gov.in | 1B register - land use type |
| Karnataka | landrecords.karnataka.gov.in | RTC - land classification |
| Maharashtra | bhulekh.mahabhumi.gov.in | 7/12 extract - land type |
| Tamil Nadu | eservices.tn.gov.in | Patta Chitta - land type |
| Punjab / Haryana | jamabandi.punjab.gov.in | Jamabandi - type of land |
If the entry reads agricultural, dry land, wet land, paddy land, plantation, or a regional equivalent, the land is restricted for NRI purchase. The only safe status is non-agricultural, converted, residential, or commercial, reflected in the official records, not in a developer’s brochure.
What to do with any land classification you cannot read or interpret: request a certified copy of the Pahani or 1B from the Tahsildar’s office in the relevant mandal or taluk. The Tahsildar’s copy is legally reliable in a way that a screenshot is not.
Category 2: Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ)
The Coastal Regulation Zone Notification, 2019, issued by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, designates a protected belt along India’s entire coastline. Within this belt, construction, land reclamation, and development are restricted or prohibited depending on the sub-zone:
- CRZ-I: Ecologically sensitive areas and the inter-tidal zone. No new construction.
- CRZ-II: Developed coastal land. Limited construction on existing built-up plots.
- CRZ-III: Rural and undeveloped coastal areas. The 2019 notification splits this into two sub-zones: CRZ-IIIA (population density above 2,161 per sq km) has a No Development Zone of 50 metres from the high-tide line; CRZ-IIIB (less densely populated areas) retains the 200-metre NDZ.
- CRZ-IV: Aquatic zones including tidal water bodies. No construction.
Title to CRZ land is not automatically void. An NRI can own a CRZ plot if it is not agriculturally classified. But construction approvals within CRZ-I or close to the high-tide line in CRZ-III are typically impossible, and structures built in violation have been demolished by court order in several cases across Kerala, Karnataka, and Maharashtra.
How to check:
State Coastal Zone Management Authority (CZMA) maps show the CRZ boundary for each district. These maps are held by the State Pollution Control Board and the District Collectorate. There is no single national portal that consolidates all CRZ boundaries at parcel level, so a physical or written inquiry to the local planning authority is necessary for coastal properties.
Practically: any property within approximately 500 metres of the sea, a backwater, tidal estuary, or creek should be assumed to require a CRZ check. Ask the solicitor handling the purchase to obtain written CRZ status confirmation from the local urban local body or the District Collectorate before proceeding.
Category 3: Forest Land
Land classified under the Forest Conservation Act, 1980 or the Indian Forest Act, 1927, cannot be diverted to non-forest use without prior approval from the Central Government. Purchasing land classified as forest is typically not possible as private property, but the problem in practice is that forest boundaries are poorly demarcated and frequently encroached upon.
How to check:
State forest departments maintain records of reserved forests, protected forests, and village forests. The Forest Survey of India publishes national forest cover maps, though these are not parcel-level.
In Telangana, forest land is typically recorded in Bhu Bharati with the pattadar listed as “Government” or “Forest Department.” Any Pahani showing government as the occupant should be investigated further before treating the land as privately purchasable.
In Andhra Pradesh, the Forest Department’s district offices hold village-level forest maps. The sub-registrar in the relevant district can also confirm whether a survey number falls within a notified forest block.
For properties near forest fringes, particularly in Hyderabad’s outer ring road periphery (Vikarabad, Chevella, Moinabad), hill districts in AP (Araku, Paderu, Visakhapatnam Agency), and coastal districts, always obtain a Forest Department clearance certificate before completing purchase.
Category 4: Eco-Sensitive Zones
The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change notifies Eco-Sensitive Zones (ESZs) around national parks and wildlife sanctuaries. ESZ boundaries can extend up to 10 km beyond a protected area, though each notification specifies the exact extent for the park concerned.
Within an ESZ, commercial mining, large hotels, and major construction are prohibited. Smaller residential construction may be regulated rather than prohibited outright, but land-use change from agricultural to residential requires ESZ compliance.
How to check:
ESZ notifications are published in the Official Gazette of India at egazette.gov.in. Searching the name of the nearest national park or wildlife sanctuary will return the notification, which lists affected villages or GPS coordinates.
If the property is within 10 km of a national park or sanctuary boundary, contact the District Forest Officer’s office for written confirmation of whether the survey number falls within the ESZ. This is a single written inquiry that can prevent a significant legal complication later.
Examples of heavily ESZ-affected areas in south India include lands near Nehru Zoological Park and Mrugavani in Hyderabad, Nagarhole and Bandipur (Karnataka), and Anamalai Tiger Reserve (Tamil Nadu). Buyers in peri-urban areas near these parks should check ESZ status as a routine step.
Category 5: Cantonment Land
Cantonment Board areas are administered under the Cantonments Act, 2006 and fall under the Ministry of Defence. Private land within a cantonment can generally be sold, but there are restrictions on construction, permitted uses, and in some cases on ownership transfer to certain categories of buyers.
In practice, cantonment properties require Cantonment Board approval for renovation, change of use, and sometimes resale. For NRIs, the sensitivity is higher: some cantonment boards have informal policies or procedural requirements for transfers to non-resident buyers, and the board’s NOC is typically required as part of the registration process.
How to check:
Each Cantonment Board publishes or maintains a jurisdiction map. Major cantonment boards (Secunderabad, Pune, Meerut, Kirkee, Ambala) have their own websites. The Cantonment Board CEO’s office can confirm whether a specific survey number or property falls within the cantonment limits.
If the property address references a cantonment or the property is in a city with a large military presence, confirm the cantonment status before instructing a solicitor to proceed.
If You Already Own Prohibited Land
For FEMA-prohibited categories, the safest route is to approach the RBI for compounding before the Enforcement Directorate initiates proceedings. Compounding is voluntary admission plus penalty payment. It costs Rs 10,000 plus GST to file, and the RBI processes applications within 180 days. The penalty is typically 3x the acquisition value, but compounding generally results in a lower amount than what the ED might impose through formal adjudication.
For CRZ, forest, ESZ, or cantonment violations, the remedies are through the relevant authority: State CZMA, State Forest Department, District Forest Officer, or Cantonment Board. In some cases, regularisation is possible for older structures. In others, particularly forest land and CRZ-I, it is not.
A Verification Checklist Before Buying Land in India
- Pull the Pahani or RTC for the survey number from the state revenue portal. Confirm the land classification is not agricultural, plantation, or farmhouse.
- For coastal states (AP, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Goa, Odisha, West Bengal), obtain CRZ status confirmation from the local planning authority.
- Request confirmation from the District Forest Officer if the parcel is near a forest fringe.
- If within 10 km of a national park or wildlife sanctuary, check the relevant ESZ notification on egazette.gov.in.
- If in a city with a cantonment, confirm the jurisdiction boundary with the Cantonment Board CEO’s office.
Assetly’s title check covers revenue classification, encumbrance history, and prohibited category flags as part of its pre-purchase verification report. If you are buying land in India from abroad, request a title check before exchange.
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