What is patta?
Also called: patta land, pattadar passbook, patta chitta, land patta
A patta is the revenue record in Tamil Nadu (and, in a different form, in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana) that names the lawful holder of a piece of land by survey number. It is issued by the Tahsildar and is the basic proof that the government recognises you as the landholder.
In Chennai and across Tamil Nadu, the first thing anyone checks about a plot or an independent house is whether it has patta. The patta records the patta number, the district, taluk and village, the survey and subdivision numbers, the extent in hectares and ares, and the name of the pattadar. For urban areas that went through town survey, the matching record is the TSLR (Town Survey Land Register).
The state has merged the old patta and chitta into a single extract, and you can view it on the Tamil Nadu e-services site (eservices.tn.gov.in) under "View Patta & FMB / Chitta / TSLR Extract", along with the field measurement sketch. After buying, the patta transfer application goes online too; in most cases the registration office forwards the details, and the Tahsildar orders the transfer. A full transfer where the whole survey number changes hands is quicker than a subdivision, which needs a survey.
Andhra Pradesh and Telangana use patta in a related sense. The pattadar passbook, issued by the revenue department, is the holder's land record, visible on Meebhoomi in AP and on Bhu Bharati in Telangana (which replaced Dharani in 2025). Kerala doesn't use the term; there it's the thandaper account.
What catches buyers out is the gap between the sale deed and the patta. A plot can have a clean chain of registered deeds for 30 years while the patta still stands in the name of a long-dead original owner. That isn't fatal, but it has to be fixed before a bank will lend, and fixing it means tracing heirs.
A buyer in Guduvanchery pays ₹38 lakh for a 1,200 sq ft plot in survey number 234/2B. The patta is still in the layout promoter's name for the whole 2.4 acre subdivision, so the buyer's patta needs a subdivision survey and takes several months after registration.
Assuming a registered sale deed automatically updates the patta. It doesn't in every case; follow up the transfer with the taluk office until the new patta shows your name online.
Questions people ask about patta
Can I get a home loan for a plot without patta?
Most banks in Tamil Nadu will not lend on a plot or house where the seller has no patta in his name. Some accept an application for patta transfer if every other document is clean, but expect delays.
Do apartment buyers in Chennai need patta?
Flat owners own an undivided share of the land, so the patta usually covers the whole plot in the names of all owners or the association. Before booking, see whose name the land patta stands in; it should be the builder's or the joint development landowner's.