Buying Agricultural Land in Karnataka: Who Can Buy and the Rules That Remain

Farmland on the edges of Bangalore draws buyers who want a weekend farm, a long-term land holding or a future home site. Karnataka opened agricultural land to non-farmers in 2020, but several rules on how much land a family may hold and how the land may be used still apply. This guide sets out who is eligible to purchase farmland in Karnataka in October 2026, which uses are allowed and the checks to run before paying.

The 2020 Amendment

For decades, Karnataka's 1961 land reforms law kept farmland largely in the hands of farming families. Section 79A barred people whose income from sources other than farming crossed a set limit, and Section 79B barred most companies, trusts and institutions. Section 79C dealt with false declarations made to get around those limits.

A 2020 amendment to the Act removed all three sections. Since then, a buyer's job or non-farm income plays no part in eligibility for farmland in Karnataka. On eligibility, a salaried professional in Bangalore and a farmer are now treated alike.

Who Can Buy Now

Any Indian citizen resident in India may buy agricultural land in Karnataka, whatever the profession or income. Purchases through a company, trust, society or partnership raise separate questions about the ceiling and the use of the land, so they need specific legal advice before any agreement.

Non-resident Indians (NRIs) and Overseas Citizens of India (OCIs) are governed by central foreign exchange rules, not by the state law. Those rules do not allow them to buy agricultural land, plantation property or a farmhouse in India, though they may inherit such land. An NRI wanting land near Bangalore usually looks at a converted, approved residential plot instead.

Limits That Still Apply

The 2020 change dealt with who may buy, and it left the other controls on farmland in place. These are the rules most likely to affect a buyer:

• The land ceiling under Section 63, which caps the total farmland held by a family
• Conversion, which is required before the land is used for a house, a layout or any other non-farm purpose
• Granted land covered by the Karnataka Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prohibition of Transfer of Certain Lands) Act, 1978
• Government land such as gomala (grazing land), forest land, tank beds and B-kharab land, which private owners cannot sell

The ceiling is counted for the whole family, so land already held by a spouse or minor children is added to the new purchase. A buyer who already owns farmland elsewhere in Karnataka should work out the total holding before signing.

Building on Agricultural Land

Owning farmland gives no automatic permission for a house. As long as the classification stays agricultural, structures are limited to those that support farming, such as a pump house, a shed or a farm store. A house, a villa layout or a commercial building needs a conversion order first.

Conversion is applied for under Section 95 of the Karnataka Land Revenue Act, 1964, and the proposed use must match the zoning in the local master plan. After conversion, a plan approval from the planning authority is still needed before building. A layout sold as residential plots should show both the conversion order and the approved layout plan.

Granted and Protected Land

Some farmland carries restrictions that no buyer can remove. Land the state gave to Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe families needs government permission before any sale. A sale made without it can be declared void and the land restored, even years later.

The RTC (pahani) and the mutation register usually show whether land was granted, and on what terms. The grant order, the survey records and an endorsement from the Tahsildar complete the picture for any parcel with a doubtful history.

Could the Old Rules Return?

The 2020 repeal has been politically contested, and restoring the old limits has been discussed in public since then. As of October 2026, Sections 79A, 79B and 79C remain omitted from the Act, so the open rule stands.

Any change would need a new amendment passed by the legislature. Because these rules have shifted before, ask a lawyer to confirm the position close to the purchase date and keep a record of it with the sale papers.

Checks Before Buying Farmland

Agricultural land rewards careful paperwork more than almost any other property. These are the checks to run on any parcel:

1. Read the RTC and mutation entries for at least 30 years to trace ownership and classification.
2. Check the records for a government grant, and obtain the grant order where there is one.
3. Rule out gomala, forest, tank bed and B-kharab classification for the survey number.
4. Confirm the survey sketch and boundaries with a licensed surveyor.
5. Work out the family's total holding against the land ceiling.
6. Check the master plan zoning if a house or layout is planned later.
7. Obtain encumbrance certificates and a written title opinion from a lawyer.

Buyers who mainly want a home site often find a converted plot in an approved layout simpler, since the conversion and plan approvals are already done. The plots for sale in Devanahalli are one example of approved layouts on the airport side of the city.