Agricultural land conversion for solar in Karnataka: the 2026 process, step by step

Agricultural land in Karnataka cannot legally host a solar plant until its land use is converted, or exempted from conversion. This guide covers the whole process in order: which of the two routes applies to you, the steps under each, the documents you need before you apply, what it costs, how long it takes, and the reasons applications fail.

Step 0: Know which route applies to you

Conversion in Karnataka is governed by Section 95 of the Karnataka Land Revenue Act, 1964. Since 2024, amended for renewable energy, there are two distinct routes:

• Route A: the RE exemption route. For land used for renewable energy projects (solar, wind, hybrid), Karnataka has removed the approval requirement. Land use converts automatically on payment of the prescribed fee. No Deputy Commissioner sign-off, no queue. This was formalised through amendments to Section 95 and the 2025 Land Revenue Rules.
• Route B: standard conversion.For any other non-agricultural use, and as the fallback where the RE exemption does not fit your facts, the older Section 95 process applies: an application to the jurisdictional authority, now filed online under Karnataka’s affidavit-based conversion system.

A solar project will almost always take Route A. Take Route B seriously anyway: buildings, worker housing or other non-RE structures on part of the parcel may need it, and older parcels in your chain may carry conversions done under it.

Step 1: Confirm the land can be converted at all

Conversion follows ownership; it cannot cure it. Before you spend a rupee on fees, confirm three things:

1. The RTC shows your seller (or you) as the owner, and the mutation chain is complete. A conversion application in the name of someone the record does not recognise goes nowhere.
2. The land is not in a restricted category: granted land under the PTCL Act, inam land, or tenancy-occupancy land. These carry transfer and use restrictions that conversion does not remove.
3. No acquisition notification, court order or revenue dispute touches the survey number.

All three checks come from the same records covered in the 14-document diligence checklist. Do them first; rejections at this stage are the expensive kind.

Step 2: Assemble the documents

You will need, for each survey number in the parcel:

Names, extents and survey numbers must match exactly across all of them. Mismatches between the RTC and the sketch are the most common clerical reason applications stall.

Step 3: Apply and pay the fee

Route A: renewable energy projects

1. File the application through the Revenue Department’s online conversion service, declaring the renewable energy purpose.
2. Pay the prescribed conversion fee. The fee is set by the rules and scales with the land’s classification and extent; treat it as a modest, predictable line item rather than a negotiation.
3. Receive the conversion endorsement and have the land records updated to reflect the non-agricultural (solar) use. Keep the fee receipt and endorsement in the project file; your lender and your buyer will both ask for them.

Route B: standard conversion

1. File online under the affidavit-based system: a self-declaration replaces much of the old inspection process for eligible cases.
2. Pay the conversion fee, which is calculated on the land’s guidance value and intended use, and is materially higher for commercial and industrial purposes than the RE route’s fee.
3. Track the application to the conversion order. The affidavit system has statutory timelines measured in days, but plan in weeks; district workloads vary.

Step 4: Update the record and close the loop

Conversion is not complete when the fee is paid. It is complete when the RTC and the mutation record reflect the converted status. Verify the updated RTC on Bhoomi, obtain certified copies of the endorsement or order, and check that the assessed land revenue has been revised. An endorsement that never reached the record is a future dispute, and it will surface at the worst possible time: during your lender’s diligence or your exit.

Fees and timelines, honestly stated

• Route A: days to a few weeks, driven by document readiness rather than approvals. The fee is prescribed by the rules; budget it per acre and confirm the current rate for your district before applying.
• Route B: the affidavit system aims at weeks; complex cases (part parcels, mismatched records, objections) run longer. Fees scale with guidance value and use.

We deliberately quote no rupee figures: fee schedules are revised, and a number printed here would eventually be wrong. The current schedule is available at the taluk office and on the Revenue Department portal; verify it the week you apply.

The five common reasons applications fail

1. Applicant is not the recorded owner (incomplete mutation).
2. Restricted-category land: PTCL, inam, or tenancy grants.
3. Survey number or extent mismatch between RTC and sketch.
4. Pending litigation or acquisition notification on the parcel.
5. Part-parcel applications without a proper 11E sketch for the portion being converted.

Note what is not on the list: the government’s appetite for solar. Policy is pulling in your favour. The failures are almost always in the paperwork underneath.

One warning for buyers of converted land

Karnataka’s RE land reforms came with a condition: land acquired for a solar project can be transferred only after seven years, with permission. If you are buying land that someone else converted for solar, ask when their clock started and how the restriction reads against your transaction. Ekrej parcels are sold with this position documented in the dossier, alongside the conversion endorsement itself: see the current parcel.

This guide is general information, not legal advice, and reflects our reading of the law as of June 2026. Procedures, fees and portal workflows vary by district and change; verify current requirements with the jurisdictional revenue office or a qualified lawyer before acting.