Land Demarcation: How to Get a Plot's Boundaries Measured Officially
Land demarcation is an official measurement of your plot's boundaries by the state's revenue or survey staff, checked against the village map and the land records. You apply to the tehsildar or SDM in the north, or the land-survey office in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, pay about Rs 1,000 to Rs 12,000, and get a report and boundary marks, usually within one to three months.
Key takeaways
- Demarcation places the boundaries recorded in the revenue map on the ground. It does not decide who owns the land; title comes from the deed and the records.
- Most states now take applications online: Haryana's demarcation portal, Punjab's Land Demarcation Application System, Maharashtra's e-Mojni and Karnataka's Mojini.
- Fees are modest. Haryana charges Rs 1,000 plus Rs 500 for each extra acre in rural areas and Rs 2,000 in urban areas; Maharashtra charges Rs 2,000 to Rs 12,000 depending on area and speed.
- In Uttar Pradesh, section 24 of the Revenue Code, 2006 lets the SDM settle a boundary dispute by summary inquiry, with an appeal to the Commissioner within 30 days.
- Get it done before you buy a plot, before you build a boundary wall, and at the first sign of a neighbour's wall creeping onto your side.
What demarcation is, and what it is not
Agricultural and village land sits on a cadastral map: the shajra in the north, the village map and survey-number sketch in Maharashtra and Karnataka, the field measurement book (FMB) sketch in Tamil Nadu. The record of rights says who holds which survey number or khasra. Demarcation marks that paper boundary on the ground, from fixed reference points, increasingly with GPS equipment.
Two limits matter. Demarcation follows the map, so a wrong map gives a wrong report, and correcting a map is a separate proceeding. And it is not a title decision: a revenue officer can show a neighbour's wall stands two metres inside your khasra, but whether the neighbour has acquired rights to that strip is for a civil court. For reading the records the measurement is based on, see how to check land records online.
Who measures your land, state by state
The north: patwari, kanungo, tehsildar
In Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, the patwari (the lekhpal in UP) keeps the village records, the kanungo (revenue inspector) supervises measurement, and the tehsildar or SDM signs off. Haryana calls the process nishandehi and runs it online, with GPS rover equipment and reference stations replacing chain-and-tape measurement. Punjab's Land Demarcation Application System takes the application and facilitation charge online, marks it to the kanungo, and returns the report through the circle revenue officer. Punjab has also put Total Station machines into service in five districts, including Mohali, Amritsar and Ludhiana.
In Rajasthan, a khatedar applies to the tehsildar, after paying the fee into the treasury, to have a field surveyed and boundary marks fixed under the Land Revenue (Land Records) Rules, 1957. An actual dispute goes, under section 128 of the Rajasthan Land Revenue Act, 1956, to the land record officer. The jamabandi and fard you will need in the north are explained in what jamabandi and fard mean.
The west and south: land-survey offices
Maharashtra has a separate land-records and survey department. Section 136 of the Maharashtra Land Revenue Code, 1966 lets the Collector demarcate a survey number or sub-division on an owner's application and fix boundary marks for a fee; the work is done through the taluka land-records office and applied for on e-Mojni. The 7/12 extract is the record the survey is checked against: see the 7/12 extract explained.
Karnataka's survey department runs the Mojini portal for boundary fixation (hadbastu), sub-division (podi) and the 11E sketch that a part-parcel sale needs before registration. Tamil Nadu takes survey and sub-division applications through e-Sevai, and measures against the FMB sketch under the Tamil Nadu Survey and Boundaries Act, 1923; the patta and chitta are covered in patta chitta in Tamil Nadu.
Fees and timelines compared
Karnataka's figures are indicative: Mojini calculates the exact fee for your survey number when you apply.
| State | Apply through | Fee | Stated timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Uttar Pradesh | SDM, under section 24 of the Revenue Code | Rs 1,000 by treasury challan, one fee for adjoining plots | As far as possible within three months of application |
| Haryana | Online demarcation (nishandehi) portal | Rural: Rs 1,000 plus Rs 500 per extra acre; urban: Rs 2,000 | Time-bound, site visit often 30-90 days in practice |
| Punjab | Land Demarcation Application System | Facilitation charge paid online | Report from the circle revenue officer once the kanungo measures |
| Maharashtra (rural) | e-Mojni | Up to 2 hectares: Rs 2,000 regular, Rs 8,000 fast-track | 90 days regular, 30 days fast-track |
| Maharashtra (urban) | e-Mojni | Up to 1 hectare: Rs 3,000 regular, Rs 12,000 fast-track | 90 days regular, 30 days fast-track |
| Karnataka | Mojini | Roughly Rs 800-2,500 for boundary fixation (indicative) | Chase the taluk survey office if 60 days pass |
Maharashtra's rates come from its October 2025 overhaul, which also let licensed private surveyors take on measurement work and set Rs 200 per sub-division for family partitions. Miss the fixed date and you pay a re-visit charge of 50% of the fee, capped at Rs 10,000; if the officer fails to turn up, you pay nothing extra.
The process, step by step
- Collect the records. The latest jamabandi or 7/12, the khasra or survey number, the mutation entry in your name, your registered deed and ID. Haryana's service also asks for the khasra girdawari.
- Apply and pay. Online where the state allows, otherwise at the tehsil or taluka office with a treasury challan.
- Notice to neighbours. Adjoining holders are told the date so they can attend. In UP, rule 22 of the Revenue Code Rules, 2016 has the revenue inspector serve this notice through the lekhpal.
- Field measurement. The team measures from fixed reference points, prepares a site memo and a report or sketch.
- Objections and order. In UP, the SDM considers the report and any objections, hears the parties and passes an order; boundary pillars follow within a week of confirmation.
A worked example on fees
Say you are buying a 3-acre farm plot in rural Haryana. The fee is Rs 1,000 for the first acre plus Rs 500 for each of the other two: Rs 1,000 + Rs 1,000 = Rs 2,000. A Haryana minister said manual demarcation had cost farmers Rs 10,000-15,000 an acre in practice: Rs 30,000-45,000 for the same three acres. The same area in rural Maharashtra (3 acres is about 1.2 hectares) falls within the up-to-2-hectare band: Rs 2,000 if you can wait 90 days, Rs 8,000 for 30 days.
The legal weight of a demarcation report
A demarcation report is strong evidence of where the recorded boundary lies, but it is not final on title. In UP, section 24(4) gives anyone aggrieved by the SDM's order 30 days to appeal to the Commissioner, and the order stays enforceable unless the appeal court stays it. In January 2026 the Allahabad High Court, in a batch of cases where section 24 orders had never been carried out, held that the SDM and Collector must enforce them and directed execution within four weeks, including restoring possession where required.
When a boundary dispute reaches a civil court, the judge can appoint a local commissioner under Order 26 Rule 9 of the Code of Civil Procedure to measure the land. Courts treat demarcation and encroachment as the classic case for one, citing the Supreme Court in Haryana Waqf Board v Shanti Sarup (2008).
When to get your land demarcated
- Before buying a plot. Especially farmland and anything sold as part of a larger khasra. Compare the measured area with the deed before paying the balance.
- Before building. A wall on the wrong line invites a demolition suit.
- At the first sign of a dispute. If a neighbour's wall or fence appears to have moved, demarcation gives you the evidence the police and courts ask for. What to do next is covered in legal steps against encroachment.
Where demarcation falls short
Revenue maps in many districts are decades old, and errors in the base map carry into every demarcation. Haryana's own GPS rover programme stalled for a while because partition records (tatima) were not updated and rover fees had not been fixed, a reminder that the technology is only as good as the records behind it.
Demarcation also does little for land in an unapproved colony where the plots were never recorded individually. It shows the khasra, not your 200 square yards within it; see the risks of unapproved colony plots. Delays are real too: UP's statute says three months "as far as possible", and the Allahabad High Court case exists because some orders were never carried out.
Frequently asked questions
Can I get land demarcation done online?
In most large states, yes. Haryana accepts demarcation requests through its online portal, Punjab through the Land Demarcation Application System, Maharashtra through e-Mojni, Karnataka through Mojini and Tamil Nadu through e-Sevai. A field team still visits, and you or your representative should be there on the measurement date.
How much does official land demarcation cost?
Government fees are modest. UP charges Rs 1,000 under section 24, Haryana Rs 1,000 plus Rs 500 per extra acre in rural areas and Rs 2,000 in urban areas, and Maharashtra Rs 2,000 to Rs 12,000 depending on area, rural or urban location and whether you choose regular or fast-track measurement.
Does a demarcation report prove that I own the land?
No. It shows where the boundaries recorded in the revenue map lie on the ground and whether anyone is inside them. Ownership comes from your registered deed, the mutation and the chain of title. If a neighbour claims the strip by long possession, only a civil court decides that, with the report as evidence.
What if I disagree with the demarcation?
File objections before the officer passes an order, and attend the hearing with your records. In Uttar Pradesh you can appeal the SDM's order to the Commissioner within 30 days under section 24(4) of the Revenue Code. Elsewhere, appeal within the revenue hierarchy, or ask the civil court to appoint a local commissioner to re-measure under Order 26 Rule 9 of the CPC.
Should I demarcate a plot before buying it?
Yes, for any plot where the boundary is not fixed by an approved layout with pillars. The small fee tells you whether the area you are paying for exists, whether a neighbour has built into it and whether the access on paper is real. Make the balance payment conditional on a clean report.
If you are weighing up a plot and want help reading its records or arranging a measurement before you commit, the Realty Hunting team can walk you through it.
