A plot is only as good as its paperwork. Before you pay anything, you need to verify plot approval yourself, not take the seller’s word for it. This guide covers the seven documents that matter for a plot in and around Bengaluru: who issues each one, what it should say, and the warning signs. We also explain the A-khata, B-khata and e-khata labels that confuse most first-time buyers.

The examples come from the airport region, where much of the city’s new plotted supply is being built. The checks apply anywhere in Karnataka.

Why You Must Verify Plot Approval Yourself

With a finished apartment, you can at least see the building. With a plot you’re buying a piece of land and a set of promises. Most plot disputes in Bengaluru come down to one of four problems:

• The land was never converted from agricultural use.
• The layout was never sanctioned, or the sanctioned plan doesn’t match what was sold.
• The khata is wrong, missing, or a lower category than promised.
• The title has an old claim, a mortgage or a family dispute attached.

All four can be found on paper before you buy, if you verify plot approval document by document. Trying to fix any of them afterwards takes years. That’s why the habit to build is simple: verify plot approval from the source document every time.

Who Approves What: The Authorities

Different authorities approve layouts in different parts of the Bengaluru region. Know which one applies to your plot before you try to verify plot approval.

A useful first test: does the authority on the seller’s papers match where the plot actually is? A Devanahalli plot sold as “BDA approved” should make you look harder. On public pages for Sumadhura Panorama in Devanahalli, for example, one FAQ says “BDA” while the rest of the developer’s material says BIAAPA. A copy error like that is usually harmless, but it shows why you should ask for the original sanction letter.

Document 1: RTC and Land Records

The first step to verify plot approval is the land record. The RTC (Record of Rights, Tenancy and Crops), also called the pahani, is the basic land record for a survey number. It shows the owner, the extent of land, and how the land is classed and used. Karnataka’s land records are online through the Bhoomi system.

What to check:

• The survey and hissa numbers of the layout match every other document.
• The owner on the RTC is the person or company selling, or there’s a clear registered agreement (such as a joint development agreement) linking them.
• The land extent covers the whole layout.
• Mutation records (MR) show how ownership passed down. Gaps or unexplained jumps are a warning.

Once land is converted and a layout is formed, the RTC is usually updated to show non-agricultural use. Older RTCs that still show crops aren’t necessarily a problem, but your lawyer should explain why.

Document 2: Conversion Order

Agricultural land can’t be used for a housing layout until it has been converted to non-agricultural (residential) use. The order is issued by the Deputy Commissioner’s office under the Karnataka Land Revenue Act, which is why buyers often call it the “DC conversion”.

What to check:

• The order covers the same survey numbers as the layout.
• The use converted to is residential, not industrial or commercial.
• The converted extent is at least the layout area.
• The order is in the landowner’s name or the developer’s.

You can’t verify plot approval without this order. If a seller says conversion is “in process”, you’re being asked to buy agricultural land. Don’t.

Also check the date. Conversion has to come before the layout sanction, because the planning authority can’t sanction a residential layout on agricultural land. If the sanction is dated before the conversion order, ask your lawyer to explain why.

Document 3: Layout Sanction

This is the core of any attempt to verify plot approval. The planning authority (BDA, BIAAPA or the relevant local planning authority) approves the layout plan: plot sizes, roads, parks, civic amenity sites and services.

What to check:

• Plan number and date. A real sanction has both, for example in the format “BIAAPA/TP/LAO/…/…”. Note them down.
• Your plot is on it. Find your plot number on the sanctioned plan and check that its dimensions match the ones in your agreement.
• Roads and parks match. If the brochure shows a park where the sanctioned plan shows plots, the sanctioned plan wins.
• Conditions. Many sanctions are released in stages, and only some plots may be released for sale at first (see Document 7).

Approval as a layout is different from approval for a building. Once you own the plot, you’ll still need building plan approval from the relevant authority before you build.

Document 4: K-RERA Registration

Under the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, a plotted project above the size threshold has to be registered with the state RERA before it’s advertised or sold. In Karnataka, that’s K-RERA.

How to verify plot approval on K-RERA:

1. Go to the Karnataka RERA portal and search the registration number or project name.
2. Open the project details. Check the promoter’s name, land area, number of plots, proposed completion date and the documents uploaded.
3. Download the sanctioned layout and the approvals on file, and compare them with what the seller gave you.
4. Read the quarterly progress updates and look for any complaints.

A RERA number gives you a legal route to complain if the developer misses its commitments. It doesn’t mean the title is clean, and it doesn’t cover anything that isn’t in the registration. Check which development works are listed. Plotted projects often register roads, drains, water, power and an STP but not the clubhouse.

You’ll see how to verify plot approval through RERA for a real project in the worked example below.

Document 5: Khata

The khata is the local body’s record of a property for tax purposes. Without the right khata, building plan approval, bank loans and resale all get harder.

A-khata, B-khata and e-khata in plain terms

• A-khata. In BBMP areas, this is the record for properties that meet building and layout rules. Banks and plan approvals generally need it.
• B-khata. A separate register for properties with irregularities, such as unauthorised layouts or missing approvals. It lets the property be taxed but doesn’t make it legal. Buyers should be wary of it.
• e-khata. The digitised khata now used across Bengaluru and Karnataka. In gram panchayat areas, records are generated through the e-Swathu system and show up as forms such as Form 9 and Form 11B.

Outside BBMP, the A/B labels aren’t always used the same way. The question that matters is: which local body will issue my khata, and does this layout qualify for the regular register? In the BIAAPA region, that’s usually a gram panchayat, town panchayat or town municipal council.

What to ask the developer, in writing:

• Which local body will issue the khata?
• Has the layout been handed over to that body, or when will it be?
• Is the khata issued as part of the sale, or do you apply for it after registration?

Treat a vague answer to these three questions as a no. You haven’t really managed to verify plot approval until the khata question is settled.

Document 6: Encumbrance Certificate

An encumbrance certificate (EC) from the Sub-Registrar’s office lists the registered transactions on a property over a period, including sales, mortgages and releases.

What to check:

• Ask for at least 30 years of EC for the parent survey numbers.
• Look for open mortgages. If the developer took a project loan, the lender needs to release your plot before or when it’s sold to you.
• Look for sales of the same land to other people.

The EC is how you verify plot approval hasn’t been undermined by a loan. A “nil” EC is good, but it only shows registered transactions. An unregistered family claim won’t appear, which is why the title search below still matters.

Ask for a fresh EC close to your registration date as well. A project loan can be taken out after you first checked, and you want to see it before you pay the balance.

Document 7: Release of Sites and Title Chain

Planning authorities often release plots for sale in stages, for example a share at sanction and the rest once roads and services are done. Ask for the release order and check that your plot number is on it.

Then have a lawyer trace the title chain: every sale deed, gift deed, partition deed and joint development agreement from at least 30 years back to today. They should also check for court cases on the survey numbers.

What the lawyer’s report should give you:

• A list of every document reviewed, with dates
• The chain of title in one table, from the oldest deed to the seller
• Any gaps, open mortgages or court cases, and what would fix them
• A clear opinion on whether the title is marketable

Only after these seven documents line up should you sign an agreement for sale. That’s what it means to verify plot approval properly.

A Worked Example: How to Verify Plot Approval for Sumadhura Panorama

Here’s how the first four checks look for a project with public filings, using what’s on record for Sumadhura Panorama in October 2026:

That last row is typical. Even a branded, RERA-registered project can leave the khata question unanswered online. You’ll need to ask.

Once the documents are in order, work out the full cost. Our guide to plot registration charges in Karnataka explains stamp duty, the registration fee and the developer charges. If you haven’t settled on a location yet, start with buying plots in Devanahalli, and if you’re still deciding on the format, read villa plots vs apartments near Kempegowda Airport.

Red Flags at a Glance

• “Conversion is in progress.”
• “Approval is coming, book now at the pre-launch price.”
• The seller won’t share the sanction plan or RERA number.
• The authority on the papers doesn’t match the plot’s location.
• Your plot isn’t on the sanctioned plan or the release order.
• An open mortgage shows on the EC, with no release letter.
• “B-khata now, A-khata later.”

Any one of these is a reason to stop and verify plot approval more thoroughly before you go ahead. None of them means the seller is lying. But each one is a gap that you, not the seller, will be left with if it isn’t closed before registration. Ask for the missing document, give it a deadline, and walk away if it doesn’t come.

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