Short answer: Patta and chitta, Tamil Nadu's land ownership and area records, are free to view on eservices.tn.gov.in. Choose "View Patta / Chitta / FMB - (Rural / Natham)", select the district, taluk and village, and search by patta number or by survey and subdivision number. Confirm with a one-time password (OTP) sent to your mobile, then download the extract. To check that a printed extract is genuine, use "Verify Patta / Chitta" with its reference number.
This guide is for buyers checking land before they pay, and for owners checking their own records. It was checked against the official Tamil Nadu e-services, Revenue Department and Survey and Settlement websites in October 2026.
Patta, chitta, A-register and adangal
Four village land records come up when you buy land in Tamil Nadu.
| Record | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| Patta | The land revenue record in the owner's name. Each holding has a patta number, and the holder is called the pattadhar. |
| Chitta | The area and ownership of the land, and whether it is wet or dry land. The portal gives patta and chitta details together as a chitta extract. |
| A-register | The village register for each survey number: land type, soil, extent of the subdivision, assessment (land tax), irrigation source, patta number, pattadhar name and remarks. |
| Adangal | The register kept by the Village Administrative Officer (VAO): classification, extent, assessment, crops grown and irrigation source. |
Rural land is recorded in hectares and ares. One are is 100 square metres, about 2.47 cents. Use the cent to square feet calculator to compare it with the sale deed.
What you need before you start
- The district, taluk and revenue village, as written in the sale deed.
- Either the patta number, or the survey number and subdivision number. For survey number 24/2, the portal asks you to enter 24 as the survey number and 2 as the subdivision. If there is no subdivision, it tells you to use a hyphen (-).
- A mobile number to receive the OTP.
Names on the extract are in Tamil. The portal asks you not to use your browser's translate option, because it can translate names wrongly.
How to view patta and chitta online
- Go to eservices.tn.gov.in and open "View Patta / Chitta / FMB - (Rural / Natham)".
- Select the district, taluk and village.
- Under "View Patta/Chitta using", pick "Patta Number" for the full chitta of that patta, or "Survey Number" for the chitta with the FMB sketch.
- Choose Rural or Natham as the land type if asked. Natham is village house-site land.
- Enter the patta number, or the survey number and subdivision.
- Enter your mobile number, tap "Get OTP" and type the 6-digit code.
- Submit, then view, download or print the extract.
For the A-register, use "View A-Register Extract - (Rural / Natham)" with the same details. The portal says its data is updated dynamically, so you do not need to visit a revenue office to see it.
Land in towns: the TSLR extract
In towns and cities covered by a town survey, the record is the Town Survey Land Register (TSLR). Use "TSLR Extract" on the same portal. It asks for the district, taluk, town, ward, block, town survey number and subdivision. If there is no subdivision, enter 0. Town land is recorded in hectares, ares and square metres.
The Revenue Department says land records for 315 of 317 taluks, all 25 municipal corporations and 84 towns are online. If yours does not show, ask at the taluk office.
How to check that an extract is genuine
Chitta and A-register copies from the portal carry a digital signature and a QR code, which the Revenue Department says gives them legal validity. A printout can still be old or altered, so check it.
- Open "Verify Patta / Chitta - (Rural / Natham)".
- Enter the extract's reference number in "Reference Number to Verify Chitta Extract".
- Confirm with the OTP and the code shown on screen, then compare the result with the paper copy.
The safest habit is simpler: pull the record yourself, on the day, using the survey number from the sale deed.
What to check as a buyer
- Owner name. The pattadhar must be the seller named in the title deed. If the patta lists several names, ask your lawyer how each one is joining the sale.
- Survey and subdivision number. They must match the sale deed and the land you were shown.
- Extent. The area must match the deed once you convert hectares and ares.
- Wet or dry. The chitta says whether the land is wet or dry. Compare it with what the seller told you.
- Government land. Use "Verify Government / Private (Poramboke) Land" to check the survey number is not government (poramboke) land.
- Use and history. Read the A-register and adangal for land type and crops. The state's Comprehensive Land Information Portal (clip.tn.gov.in) also shows e-Adangal and court case data.
A patta is a revenue record, so check the encumbrance certificate and the deeds as well.
What to do when the name is wrong
- The previous owner still shows. The seller's own patta transfer was not finished. Tamil Nadu updates the patta automatically after registration for many sales by the pattadhar that need no subdivision. In other cases the owner must apply. Ask the seller to complete it first: see patta transfer after selling land. "Application Status" on the portal tracks an application by its ID.
- A spelling or data entry mistake. Ask the seller to get it corrected at the taluk office. The Tahsildar approves changes to the A-register, chitta and patta, and the updated record then shows on the portal. Check the portal again before you pay.
- A different person altogether. Stop. Do not pay an advance until a lawyer has traced how the land passed from that person to the seller.
Next steps
- How to get an FMB sketch online, to match the land on the ground with the survey map.
- How to get an encumbrance certificate online.
- Legal checklist for buying farm land.
- Farm land for sale in Tamil Nadu. Every listing on Gmore has a video tour, so you can see the land before you visit.
