Buying land in Uttarakhand: a plain guide

1. 1

   Look up the land online

   On bhulekh.uk.gov.in, open "Public ROR", choose district, tehsil and village, and search by khasra or owner name. Check that the seller’s name appears. The online copy is for information only – it is not a certified copy.

2. 2

   Get a certified Khatauni from the tehsil

   Ask for a certified copy (nakal) for the current Fasli year. Read the Kaifiyat (remarks) column line by line – loans, court stays and attachments are written there.

3. 3

   Visit the site with the Patwari

   Check who is actually in possession, and match the boundaries with the shajra (village map). For a part of a plot, ask for measurement (paimaish) and marked boundaries.

4. 4

   Check the papers here

   Upload the Khatauni and the draft sale deed to PakkaKagaz. It compares owner, khasra and area, reads the Kaifiyat, and applies the purchase rules for your situation.

5. 5

   Get a revenue advocate to review

   Show them the full title chain: previous deeds, varasat (inheritance) and mutation orders. A small fee here can save your entire investment.

6. 6

   Pay token money only with a written agreement

   Write down the conditions: loans cleared, all co-owners signing, refund if any defect is found. Pay by bank transfer or cheque, never cash.

7. 7

   Register the sale deed

   Pay stamp duty (e-stamp) and the registration fee, then sign before the Sub-Registrar with every seller present. Keep the registered original safely.

8. 8

   Apply for mutation (dakhil-kharij)

   Registration alone does not put your name in the Khatauni. Apply for mutation at the tehsil and follow it up until the order is passed.

9. 9

   Confirm your name in the new Khatauni

   Once mutation is ordered, take a fresh certified Khatauni and check that you are recorded as owner and the Kaifiyat is clean.

• One co-owner sells the whole plot

  In a joint Khata, one brother cannot sell the others’ share. Without everyone’s signature or a partition order, you get an undivided share and a family dispute.

• Land with a hidden bank loan

  Kisan credit card and crop loans are often charged on the land and written in the Kaifiyat. The bank can recover from the land even after you buy it.

• The same plot sold twice

  If an earlier sale is not yet mutated, the old owner’s name may still appear. Search past registrations at the Sub-Registrar office for the last 12+ years.

• Sale through a power of attorney

  Dealers often sell using a GPA. Check that it is registered, still valid, and that the owner is alive – a power of attorney ends on death.

• Forest, Gram Sabha or government land

  Common in hill villages. Such land cannot be privately sold. Check the class (shreni) in the Khatauni and ask the Patwari directly.

• "Residential plot" that is still farm land

  A dealer’s brochure or the deed may say "residential", but if the Khatauni says agricultural and there is no Section 143 order, you may not be able to build.

• Plot on the ground differs from the record

  You are shown one plot but the deed names another khasra. Always match the khasra number on the ground with the Patwari and the shajra.

• Pressure to pay quickly, in cash

  "Another buyer is ready" is the oldest trick. Never pay token money in cash, and never before the checks are done.

• Deed value written below the circle rate

  Undervaluing to save stamp duty can lead to a deficiency notice and penalty against you, the buyer.

• Farm land: not allowed in 11 districts

  Since the 2025 amendment, people from outside Uttarakhand cannot buy agricultural or horticultural land in any district except Haridwar and Udham Singh Nagar.

• A house: up to 250 sq m, once per family

  Outside municipal limits, you may buy up to 250 sq m (about 1 Nali 4 Mutthi) for a home, with an affidavit that your family has not bought such land before. A false affidavit means the land goes to the State.

• No DM permission for more

  Anyone who says "the DM will give permission for a bigger plot" is out of date – District Magistrates no longer have that power.

• Inside a town: different rules – confirm the boundary

  These limits apply differently inside Nagar Nigam / Nagar Palika limits. Get written proof from the tehsil that the khasra is inside the notified boundary.

1. 1

   Check first, pay later

   No token money until the papers, Bhulekh and the site visit are checked.

2. 2

   Keep the token small

   The token only fixes the deal. The smaller it is, the less you can lose.

3. 3

   Only into the seller’s own account

   Never to a dealer or relative. Your bank app shows the account holder’s name before you send – match it with the Khatauni. If there are several sellers, pay each one.

4. 4

   No cash, ever

   Bank transfer or cheque only. Keep the transaction number (UTR).

5. 5

   A signed receipt for every payment

   With amount, date, UTR, khasra number and the seller’s signature.

6. 6

   The balance at the registry

   Pay the rest on registry day by bank, and write the payment details in the sale deed.

Per the official schedule: stamp duty on a sale deed is 5%, or 3.75% for a woman buyer (on value up to ₹25 lakh, 5% above that). The registration fee is 2%, up to a maximum of ₹25,000. Duty is charged on the deed price or the circle-rate value, whichever is higher.

Rates change. Confirm with the Sub-Registrar or registration.uk.gov.in before you buy e-stamps. For joint buyers, ask how the rate is split.

Khatauni खतौनी

Record of rights: owners, khasra numbers, area and remarks for a Khata. The most important document.

Khata खाता

An account number grouping all plots held by the same owner(s) in a village.

Khasra / Gata खसरा / गाटा

The plot number on the village map. Every plot has one.

Khatedar खातेदार

The person recorded as owner in the Khatauni.

Kaifiyat कैफियत

Remarks column of the Khatauni. Loans, court stays and attachments are written here – always read it.

Fasli year फसली वर्ष

Revenue year starting in July. Fasli 1434 is roughly July 2026 – June 2027.

Shajra / Bhu-Naksha शजरा / भू-नक्शा

The village cadastral map showing every khasra and its boundaries.

Dakhil-kharij (mutation) दाखिल-खारिज

Changing the name in the Khatauni after a sale or inheritance. Registration alone does not do this.

Varasat वरासत

Inheritance entry – the legal heirs’ names recorded after an owner dies.

Minjumla मिन्जुमला (मि०)

Only part of a khasra belongs to this Khata. The exact portion must be measured.

Transferable bhumidhar संक्रमणीय भूमिधर

Owner with the right to sell. Non-transferable (asankramaniya) bhumidhars and asamis generally cannot sell.

Section 143 धारा 143

Order declaring land non-agricultural, needed before building on farm land.

Section 154 धारा 154

The section limiting how much land people from outside the state can buy.

Section 176 (batwara) धारा 176 (बंटवारा)

Legal partition of a joint Khata so each co-owner gets a defined plot.

Banjar बंजर

Barren land; often belongs to the Gram Sabha – check before buying.

Nali / Mutthi नाली / मुट्ठी

Hill land units. 1 Nali = 16 Mutthi = 2,160 sq ft ≈ 200.67 sq m.

Paimaish पैमाइश

Official measurement of a plot on site by revenue staff.

Bayana (token money) बयाना

Advance paid to fix the deal. Pay it only after checks, by bank, with a written agreement.

Circle rate सर्किल रेट

Minimum government value per area. Stamp duty is charged on the higher of this and the deed price.

• Bhulekh Uttarakhand (Devbhoomi)

  View Khatauni, khasra and village maps online (not a certified copy).

• Stamp & Registration Department

  Official stamp duty schedule, circle rates and registration information.

1. 1

   Stop all further payments

   Do not pay anything more, whatever promises are made.

2. 2

   Collect every proof now

   Receipts, bank statements and UTR numbers, the agreement, copies of every paper shown to you, WhatsApp chats, call records, and names and numbers of the seller, dealer and witnesses. Do not delete anything.

3. 3

   Object at the tehsil quickly

   If the same land is being mutated in someone else’s name, file a written objection in that mutation case at the tehsil, and keep the receipt.

4. 4

   Police complaint for cheating or forgery

   Give a written complaint at the police station with copies of your proofs, and ask for the FIR copy. If the police do not act, an advocate can help you approach the magistrate.

5. 5

   Civil case to get money back or cancel a deed

   Refunds, cancelling a fraudulent deed and stopping a sale need a civil case. These have time limits – see an advocate as soon as possible.

6. 6

   Online money fraud: call 1930

   If money was taken through UPI or online transfer by a fake person, call the national cyber crime helpline 1930 at once, or report on cybercrime.gov.in – the faster, the better the chance to freeze it.