How to Buy Land or a Plot in Patna: Complete Guide for First-Time Buyers (2026)

Legal checks before buying a plot in Patna

A good-looking plot with weak papers is a problem you have paid for. Check these, in this order:

1. Khatiyan (record of rights): the survey record: khata, plot (khesra), area, land type and the original raiyat. Match khata, khesra and area with what is offered. More area being sold than recorded? Stop and ask why.
2. Jamabandi (today's owner): the seller's name must appear here. Check it free on Bihar Bhumi with Patna, circle, mauza and khata, then match it with the original papers. How: jamabandi, khatiyan and LPC online.
3. Lagan rasid: a recent rent receipt in the seller's name. An old or missing rasid is a warning sign.
4. Dakhil-kharij: if the seller bought this land, check that their mutation was completed at the circle office. A seller with only a kewala and no mutation is not yet fully recorded as owner. Guide: dakhil-kharij in Patna.
5. Chain of sale deeds (kewala): every previous registered deed, ideally 30 years back. The buyer in one deed must be the seller in the next. Most disputes around Patna start in a gap here.
6. Family land: much land around Patna is ancestral (pushtaini). Ask for the vanshavali; every co-sharer must sign the deed or have given up their share by a registered document. One missing heir can challenge the sale years later. More: ancestral land partition.
7. Power of attorney sales: the POA must be registered, must allow selling, and the owner must be alive and not have cancelled it. Buy from the recorded owner where you can. Checks: power of attorney in Bihar.
8. LPC: the circle officer's possession certificate. Banks usually ask for it for a loan against land, so check early that one can be had.
9. Loans and cases: the plot must not be mortgaged or in a court case. Search registration records for any deed on it after the seller's purchase: encumbrance certificate. For a high-value plot, a lawyer's title report costs a small fraction of the price.

Farmland, zone and approvals

• Agricultural land: Bihar's 2010 land conversion law was repealed from 7 July 2026. So there is no SDO conversion with a 10% fee any more. Whether you can build now depends on the master plan zone (the Urban Agriculture zone, for example, caps coverage at 20% and height at 7 m) and building plan approval. Changing the classification to commercial is done by a registered Conversion Deed (7% + 2% of the MVR difference). Details: land conversion repealed.
• Master plan and road widening: check the zone in the Patna Master Plan 2031, and ask at the circle office if any part is marked for a road, drain or acquisition.
• Building plan: your house needs plan approval, from Patna Municipal Corporation in the city or the local body outside it. Ask how many floors and what setback are allowed.
• Developer colonies: the project must be registered with RERA Bihar and your plot must be in the registered layout. How: RERA project check.

Site visit in Patna: what to check on the ground

Papers tell you who owns the land; the visit tells you if you'd want to live there. Go twice: once on a weekday, and once during or right after heavy rain.

• Measurement: have a licensed amin measure the plot and match length, width and area with the deed and the map. Neighbours should agree with the boundary marks. A regular rectangle wastes less space.
• Road access: is there a legal, public road, or do you cross someone's land? A rasta that exists by goodwill can be closed. Check the width and whether it stays usable in the monsoon.
• Waterlogging: the most important physical check in Patna. In 2019, areas like Rajendra Nagar and Kankarbagh stayed under water for days. Is the plot higher or lower than the road? Ask neighbours how high the water came and for how long. Look for wall stains, freshly filled land and blocked drains. Master plan flood areas and river buffers: Patna flood-prone areas.

Soil, utilities, environment and the neighbourhood: see the collapsed box at the bottom.

Land measurement in Patna: kattha, dhur and decimal

Plots are discussed in kattha and dhur, while deeds and records often show decimal:

Kattha size can differ slightly by local practice, so the area in the deed and records is what counts. Any area: kattha to sq ft converter.

Total cost of buying a plot in Patna

Price: compare with recent sales on the same road, not a broker's "rate". A very cheap plot in a good part of Patna usually has a reason; find it.

How to close a plot deal in Patna safely

1. Collect copies of all documents before any payment.
2. Verify: Bihar Bhumi records, the circle office, a lawyer's title check, amin measurement and site visits.
3. Pay a small token only, by bank transfer or cheque, with a written receipt.
4. Sign a sale agreement with the price, payment schedule and registry date. It must say the token is refundable if the papers turn out defective.
5. Register the sale deed. Every owner and co-sharer must sign. Pay the balance through the bank, not in cash. Steps: registry process.
6. Apply for dakhil-kharij right after registry, and pay land rent so the rasid comes in your name.
7. Take possession: fix boundary marks and keep all originals safely.

What should you do? (our advice)

• Papers first, then the site, then the money. If any one of these doesn't add up, walking away is cheaper than fixing it later.
• Walk away if the seller's name isn't in the jamabandi, some family members are "not available" to sign, the originals are "with a relative", or a large cash advance is wanted "today only".
• Walk away too if there is no public road, only a promise; water stands on the plot every monsoon; or a developer colony has no RERA registration.
• Treat "upcoming" projects as a bonus, not the reason to buy. The plot must make sense even if the road or metro is years late.
• The 8 most common land frauds and the checks that catch them: how to avoid land fraud in Patna.

FAQs about buying a plot in Patna

1. Should I buy a plot in the city or on the outskirts of Patna?

   Decide first if you will build in 1–3 years or hold for 5–10. To build soon, you need a livable plot: road, power, water, drainage, schools and markets nearby, usually in or close to built-up Patna. To hold, the edges (Danapur–Bihta, Saguna More and Khagaul, Naubatpur, Phulwari Sharif, Sampatchak, Fatuha) cost less. But there you must be stricter about papers, road access and the area's plans.

2. How do I compare plot prices quoted per kattha?

   Convert to a per sq ft rate. A plot at ₹10 lakh per kattha works out to roughly ₹735 per sq ft. (1 kattha ≈ 1,361 sq ft.) Then compare with recent sales on the same road.

3. Can I get a bank loan for a plot?

   Usually for a smaller share of the price than for a ready house. Some plot loans also need construction to start within a fixed time. Talk to your bank before you pay any advance, and check that it will accept the plot's papers and LPC.

4. Are there height limits near Patna airport?

   Plots around the airport can have building-height limits. If you plan more than two or three floors, check this before you buy.