Who approves what, where
Karnataka's planning jurisdictions are geographic. Which body sanctions a layout depends on where the land physically sits, not on who is selling it.
| Where the land sits | Sanction generally runs through |
|---|---|
| Within the city development authority's limits | The city development authority |
| Outside city limits, within the wider metropolitan region | The regional development authority framework, usually via the local planning authority for that area |
| Within the airport planning region, around Devanahalli | The planning authority constituted for the airport area |
| Within an industrial area | The relevant industrial area development board |
Authority names, boundaries and jurisdictions in Karnataka have changed over the years and continue to. This table describes the general shape of the system, not the current position for any specific survey number.
Ask the seller which authority sanctioned the layout, ask for the sanction order, and verify it with that authority. A property lawyer does this as a matter of routine.
The useful reframing: the question is not "is this plot approved". Every seller says yes. The question is "approved by whom, and is that the correct authority for this land", which has a documentary answer.
What an approved layout gives you
A sanctioned layout is not a formality. It is what makes the ordinary things possible.
- Building plan sanction. You cannot lawfully build a house without it, and obtaining it on an unapproved layout is obstructed.
- Khata. An approved layout is the normal route to an A khata, and that classification decides whether a bank will lend.
- Services. Water, power and drainage connections follow from lawful development.
- Defined civic amenity and open space. Sanctioned layouts reserve land for roads, parks and civic amenities, which is why an approved layout has usable roads and an unapproved one often does not.
- A wider resale pool, because your buyer can borrow.
Each of those is a thing you will need. None is optional, and all of them are harder or impossible without the sanction.
DC conversion explained
Most land around Bengaluru started as agricultural land. Agricultural land cannot lawfully be developed as residential plots. Converting it to non agricultural use is a separate process from layout sanction, and it comes first.
The sequence, in outline:
Conversion
The revenue authority orders conversion of the land from agricultural to non agricultural residential use. This is commonly referred to as DC conversion.
Layout sanction
The planning authority with jurisdiction sanctions the layout plan: plot boundaries, road widths, reserved open space and civic amenity sites.
Infrastructure
Roads, water, drainage, power and lighting are laid as per the sanctioned plan, and released as the authority requires.
Khata and registration
Individual plots are recorded, and sales are registered.
A plot being sold where any step is incomplete is being sold ahead of its paperwork. That is sometimes resolved later and sometimes not, and the discount reflects the difference.
Revenue sites and the classic trap
A revenue site is a plot carved out of agricultural or unconverted land and sold without planning sanction. The transaction can be registered, which is why buyers assume it must be fine.
A registered sale deed records that a transfer took place. It does not certify that the land was lawfully converted, that the layout was sanctioned, or that you may build on it. These are different questions answered by different documents, and conflating them is the single most expensive mistake in land buying around Bengaluru.
What tends to follow a revenue site purchase:
- Building plan sanction is obstructed, so you own land you cannot lawfully build on.
- The plot ends up on the B register rather than the A register.
- Mainstream lenders decline, so you fund it yourself and so must your buyer.
- Roads and drainage may never be adopted, leaving upkeep to residents indefinitely.
- If the layout is acted against, your position is weak.
The price gap between a revenue site and an approved plot is not an inefficiency somebody has overlooked. It is the market pricing all of the above.
Looking at a plotted development?
Ask for the layout sanction, the conversion order, the RERA registration for the phase and the infrastructure schedule. The project team can share the document set.
RERA applies to plots as well
Plotted developments above the applicable threshold require RERA registration, and like apartment projects they are registered phase by phase. That gives you a second, independent set of checks on top of the layout sanction.
What registration adds for a plot buyer:
- A declared completion position for the infrastructure, which is what you are actually waiting for on a plot.
- Quarterly progress filings, so you can read whether roads, water lines and drainage are progressing.
- The approved layout plan in the public record, against which you can check what you were shown.
- A complaints route to the state authority.
Among the projects on this site, Sumadhura Panorama in Devanahalli publishes two RERA registered phases covering 539 plots in a 100 plus acre gated township on NH 44, with plot sizes from 1,200 to 2,400 sq ft and infrastructure including wide roads, underground water and rainwater systems, full power backup and 24/7 security.
The published material gives the RERA registrations for the two phases, but does not state which planning authority sanctioned the layout. We will not guess at it. Ask the project team which authority issued the layout sanction, ask for the sanction order and the conversion order, and verify both with that authority.
That is the right question to ask of any plotted development, including a well documented one.
Plot sizes, phase counts, township area and infrastructure are as published by the developer. Prices are indicative and change with inventory. Verify registrations on rera.karnataka.gov.in.
The document set to insist on
For a plot, the documents are the product. Ask for all of these and have a property lawyer read them.
- Conversion order, showing the land was converted from agricultural to non agricultural residential use.
- Layout sanction from the planning authority with jurisdiction, with the approved layout plan showing your plot number.
- RERA registration for the phase your plot sits in, with the declared completion position.
- Mother deed and the title chain, tracing ownership back over a meaningful period.
- Encumbrance certificate, covering a period your lawyer considers adequate, showing registered transactions against the property.
- Khata for the land, and what will be issued for your individual plot.
- Latest tax paid receipts.
- Release or no objection certificates where any earlier mortgage or charge existed.
- Infrastructure schedule: what is laid, what is pending, and by when.
- Construction rules for the layout: setbacks, permitted floors, any time limit to begin building, and design controls.
What to ask
- Which authority sanctioned this layout, and can I see the sanction order?
- Has the land been converted to non agricultural use, and can I see the conversion order?
- Is this phase RERA registered, and what is the registration number?
- Does my plot number appear on the approved layout plan?
- What infrastructure is complete today, and what remains?
- What khata will be issued for my plot, and when?
- Will my lender fund this specific plot? Get it in writing.
- Is there a time limit within which I must begin construction?
- What is the maintenance charge, when does it start, and does it apply before I build?
Question seven is the fastest proxy for all the others. A lender runs its own legal and technical appraisal before lending, so a mainstream lender's willingness to fund a specific plot is an independent second opinion on the paperwork. It is not a substitute for your own lawyer, but a refusal is always worth understanding in full.
If you are still deciding between land and a finished home, the cost and effort comparison sets out what each one asks of you.
This is a general explanation of how layout approvals and land conversion work around Bengaluru. Authority names, jurisdictions, thresholds and procedures change. It is not legal advice and it is not a substitute for a property lawyer examining the specific documents for the specific survey number. Engage one before you pay anything.
What does a BMRDA approved plot mean?
It means the layout was sanctioned through the planning framework for the Bengaluru metropolitan region rather than by the city development authority, because the land sits outside city limits but within the wider region. In practice sanction is usually issued through the local planning authority for that area under the regional framework. The important check is that the approving body is the correct one for where the land actually is.
What is DC conversion?
Converting land from agricultural to non agricultural use, so it can lawfully be used for residential or other development. It is ordered by the revenue authority, commonly the Deputy Commissioner, which is where the shorthand comes from. Land that has not been converted cannot lawfully be developed as residential plots, so the conversion order is a document to see rather than be told about.
What is a revenue site and why is it risky?
A plot carved out of agricultural or unconverted land and sold without the layout being sanctioned by the planning authority. It is cheaper, and the reasons it is cheaper tend to persist: difficulty obtaining building plan sanction, difficulty getting an A khata, bank reluctance to lend, and exposure if the layout is later acted against. Treat a large discount on land as a question rather than a bargain.
Which authority approves plots near Bangalore airport?
Land in the airport planning region around Devanahalli falls under the planning authority constituted for that area rather than the city development authority. Jurisdictions and authority names have changed over time in Karnataka, so rather than relying on a general answer, ask the seller which authority sanctioned the specific layout and verify it with that authority.
Does RERA apply to plotted developments?
Yes. Plotted developments above the applicable threshold require registration, and they are registered phase by phase in the same way apartment projects are. That gives you a declared completion position for the infrastructure and public filings to read, on top of the layout sanction, which is a separate matter.
Can I get a loan on an unapproved layout plot?
Usually not from mainstream lenders, because the irregularity affects the security. This is the practical consequence that catches buyers: you fund it yourself, and so must the person you eventually sell to, which narrows your exit considerably. Settle the lender's position in writing before committing.