The Karnataka government has approved the regularisation of B-Khata properties in Bengaluru that were registered with the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) on or before September 30, 2024. The move, announced by Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, is expected to bring several thousand properties into the formal municipal and legal framework.
B-Khata properties are those that are recorded by BBMP for property tax purposes but do not possess full legal sanction due to planning violations or lack of occupancy certificates. While owners pay property tax, these properties were previously not considered legally valid for purposes such as bank loans, resale, or redevelopment approvals.
With the new policy, eligible B-Khata properties will be allowed to transition into A-Khata status, which confers full legal recognition, access to civic services, and clarity in property transactions. The regularisation will be carried out through a process aligned with the provisions of the Karnataka Town and Country Planning (KTCP) Act and applicable building regulations.
Law Minister H K Patil clarified that properties with minor deviations from approved plans may still be permitted to retain certain rights, while major violations will be assessed separately. Properties found structurally unsafe or situated on encroached land are not expected to be covered under this reform.
As part of the implementation, BBMP will issue E-Khata certificates to regularised properties. The E-Khata system, rolled out last year, is a digitised form of property documentation intended to replace manual records and enhance transparency. Property owners eligible under the scheme will receive updated documents reflecting their new legal status.
The decision was approved by the Karnataka Cabinet in July 2025. The move is being positioned as an effort to bring greater clarity to urban property records and reduce the number of informal holdings across Bengaluru. The government has also indicated that no new B-Khata registrations will be permitted for unauthorised constructions beyond the September 30, 2024, deadline.
According to data from BBMP, a significant portion of residential and mixed-use buildings on the city’s periphery fall under the B-Khata classification. These include developments in revenue layouts, gram panchayat areas later merged into the city, and unauthorised colonies lacking formal plan approvals. The new scheme is expected to benefit property owners in such areas by enabling them to access municipal services, legal financing, and improved property marketability.
The regularisation framework will likely include a verification process, submission of relevant structural and ownership documentation, and payment of applicable regularisation charges or penalties. Detailed guidelines for execution are expected to be issued by BBMP in coordination with the Urban Development Department.
Stakeholders in the real estate sector have indicated that the reform could increase liquidity in the secondary market and expand the range of properties eligible for redevelopment and bank financing. Resident associations have also welcomed the step, noting that it resolves long-pending issues related to municipal access and property resale restrictions.
The Karnataka government’s move aligns with provisions under the Greater Bengaluru Governance Act, 2024, which aims to streamline governance in the urban agglomeration. The prohibition on future B-Khata creation post-deadline is expected to act as a deterrent against further unauthorised development.
By allowing a clear regularisation window and setting a legal cut-off, the government has indicated its intent to clean up property records while encouraging compliance going forward. BBMP is expected to issue detailed notifications in the coming weeks to operationalise the process.
