If you are buying, selling, inheriting, or simply holding on to a piece of land anywhere in Tamil Nadu, two words will appear repeatedly in any serious conversation: patta and chitta. Both are records maintained by the state's Revenue Department. Both carry legal weight. And both are misunderstood by a surprising number of first-time buyers.
What is a Patta?
A patta is a government record that identifies the legal owner of a parcel of land. It is issued at the village level by the Tahsildar's office and contains:
- The district, taluk, and village name
- The patta number
- The owner's name
- The survey number and subdivision number
- The extent (area) in hectares and the wet/dry classification
- The local tax (kist) paid
A patta is the closest thing to a "title document" in the village land system. It does not, by itself, override a sale deed, but it is the record that the government consults to decide who may legally deal with the property (pay tax, apply for building plan approval, raise a loan, file a civil suit).
What is a Chitta?
A chitta is the document that classifies the land by type. In Tamil Nadu, the two main classifications are:
- Nanjai — wetland (irrigated, suitable for paddy and water-intensive cultivation)
- Punjai — dryland (non-irrigated, suitable for dryland crops or other uses)
This distinction matters for two reasons. First, it affects how the land is taxed and what you can legally do with it. Second, converting wetland to residential use is harder and more expensive than converting dryland, so buyers should know which category they are dealing with before they negotiate a price.
Patta Chitta — the unified record
In 2015, the Tamil Nadu government merged the two records into a single online document called "Patta Chitta". If you request a land record today, you typically receive a consolidated extract that shows both ownership and land classification in one view. It is sometimes also called the "A-Register extract" or "Town Survey Land Register (TSLR) extract" in urban areas.
How to check or apply online
The Revenue Department runs an e-services portal where any member of the public can look up land records by district and survey number. The process is:
- Visit the Tamil Nadu eServices land records portal maintained by the Commissionerate of Revenue Administration.
- Select "View Patta / Chitta / TSLR Extract".
- Enter the district, taluk, village name, and survey number.
- For rural land, you typically also need the subdivision number; for urban properties, the ward and block.
- The system returns a digitally signed PDF extract you can download or print.
The extract carries a unique reference number and QR code. Anyone (including your buyer, your bank, or the sub-registrar's office) can scan it to confirm it is genuine.
Patta transfer (Name Transfer) after sale
Registering a sale deed at the sub-registrar's office does not automatically update the patta. Many buyers assume it does, and discover months later that the seller's name is still on the government record. The process you actually need to follow is:
- Complete the sale deed registration at the sub-registrar's office.
- Collect a certified copy of the deed and an Encumbrance Certificate (EC) showing the transfer.
- Apply for "Patta Name Transfer" at the Taluk office or through the online portal, attaching the sale deed, EC, previous patta, and identity proof.
- The Tahsildar issues a notice to neighbours and conducts a field inspection.
- On approval (typically 30–60 days), the new patta is issued in your name.
Until this is complete, you may face problems paying property tax, applying for a building plan, or raising a loan against the land.
Related records you may encounter
- FMB sketch (Field Measurement Book) — the official geometric drawing of the plot, showing boundaries and adjacent survey numbers. Essential for boundary disputes.
- Adangal — a village-level record of cultivation and land use, updated seasonally.
- A-Register extract — a consolidated record kept at the village office.
- TSLR extract — the urban equivalent of patta, issued in town survey areas.
A note of caution
Patta and chitta are important, but they are not the only documents a buyer should check. A clean patta in the seller's name does not rule out prior mortgages, pending court cases, or disputes with co-heirs. Always combine the patta check with a 15–30 year encumbrance certificate, a legal opinion from an advocate, and a physical site visit before paying an advance. See our land buying checklist for the full set of pre-purchase verifications.
If you would like help interpreting a patta or extracting a fresh copy, get in touch — we handle this routinely for clients in Chennai and the surrounding districts.