Land Needed for a Petrol Pump in Bihar: Size in Kattha & Decimal

How much land a petrol pump needs: kattha, decimal and sq ft

The Bihar Building Byelaws fix a minimum plot size for petrol pumps. The building plan is passed on this basis.

• Frontage matters most. At least 20 m for a filling station, 30 m for a service station. A long, narrow plot fails even if the area is enough.
• The rule got easier in August 2025. Earlier, even a filling station needed 30 m × 20 m. The notification of 6 August 2025 cut it to 20 × 20 m.
• Kattha maths: we use the Patna kattha of 1,361.25 sq ft. Your area's kattha can differ a little. Go by the area in your deed. Work it out: kattha converter.

The byelaws also set conditions such as road width, distance from junctions and NOCs like fire. Get the ones that apply to your plot from an architect, in writing. How plans are passed: naksha pass in Patna.

Source: Urban Development and Housing Department, notification no. 8600, 06.08.2025.

How does the oil company check the land?

Dealers for new petrol pumps are chosen by the oil companies (IOCL, BPCL, HPCL). Each location is advertised. The advertisement states the minimum frontage, depth and area.

For the provisionally selected applicant, a company committee inspects the land on site. It must pass every one of these:

• Full size after the road's land. The advertised size must remain after leaving the road's Right of Way.
• Touching the road. No other private or government land in between. Your possession must start at the Right of Way line.
• Depth. Measured straight back from the frontage, in full at least at one point.
• No power line. No high-tension line above 11 KV crossing the plot.
• Not under acquisition. The land must not be notified for government acquisition.
• Right area. Inside the advertised location or stretch. On a national highway, NHAI norms apply too.

If even one condition fails, the land is rejected. Usually the application goes with it.

Source: oil companies' dealer selection brochure, June 2023.

What if the land isn't yours, or is jointly owned?

• Own land: in your or your family's name through a registered sale deed or gift deed. Or a registered long lease.
• Lease: at least 19 years 11 months. Or a firm offer from the landowner.
• Joint land: a consent letter from the other co-owners, as an affidavit or power of attorney.

The brochure itself advises getting your land's category checked by an advocate before applying. Declare the wrong category and the application can be rejected. So clear the jamabandi, mutation and partition first. See jamabandi, khatiyan and LPC online.

From advertisement to petrol pump: where your land comes in

1. Advertisement: in newspapers, with full details on the portal. It gives the location, district, category and land size.
2. Application: online only, by the last date. You need a PAN and must be 21 to 60 (freedom fighter category excepted).
3. Selection: by draw of lots or bidding. Dealer-owned land sites go by draw. Company sites go by bidding, except Corpus Fund sites.
4. Land check: a company committee measures the selected applicant's land on site. Then the documents are verified.
5. LOI (letter of intent): if all is in order, you get an LOI. Then the land must be handed over developed, with all papers.
6. Deadline: 2 months if it's your own land, 4 months for land on a firm offer. Miss it and the LOI can be withdrawn.

Who keeps the land? On a dealer-owned site, the dealer develops the land and building. The company provides pumps, tanks and similar equipment. On a company site, the company takes the land on lease or buys it.

The oil company prepares the applications for statutory NOCs and licences. Supplying the land papers and following up with departments is the LOI holder's job.

Source: dealer selection brochure, June 2023 (selection procedure, LOI).

Regular vs rural petrol pump: what's the difference?

For both, the land size comes from that location's advertisement. In Patna's city or planning area, the byelaw minimum above must also be met.

Where can a petrol pump come up under the Patna master plan?

In the Patna planning area, land use is decided by the zones of Master Plan 2031.

• Conservation zone (the largest rural part of the planning area): petrol and other fuel stations are permitted.
• Commercial zones (C-1, C-2): only with the authority's special permission.
• Other zones: the rules differ. Check your land's zone first: what you can build in the green belt.

The new rules for using farmland commercially: land conversion law repealed, what now.

Source: Patna Master Plan 2031, Development Control Regulations (pp. 264, 274–275).

What should you do?

• Measure the frontage with a tape first, leaving out the road's official width. It fails before the area does.
• Look up for power lines. If a line above 11 KV crosses the plot, don't offer that land.
• Clean up the papers first: jamabandi, mutation, partition and written consent of co-owners.
• Check the master plan zone if the land is in the Patna planning area.
• Pay only on petrolpumpdealerchayan.in. Never to an agent, on WhatsApp or after an "approval" message.

Petrol pump land: FAQs

1. Is 1 bigha or 1 acre enough for a petrol pump?

   By area, yes, for either type. In Patna, 1 bigha (20 kattha) is about 2,529 sq m and 1 acre about 4,047 sq m. But you also need 20 or 30 m of frontage on the road and the full depth.

2. Where do I apply for a petrol pump dealership?

   Online, on the oil companies' portal petrolpumpdealerchayan.in. At the application stage you upload only a photo and signature. No paper copy goes to any office.

3. I got a message: "Your petrol pump is approved, send the registration fee." What now?

   Don't send money. The oil companies say they have appointed no agency or person to select dealers. Their officials don't use Gmail, Yahoo or WhatsApp. Report such a message at your local police station.

4. How much land does a rural petrol pump in a village need?

   A rural location's size is also stated in its own advertisement. See "View Advertisement details" on the portal. If the land is in the Patna planning area, the byelaw's 20 × 20 m must also be met.