How Does Deemed NA Convert Land in Maharashtra?
Deemed NA is Maharashtra’s post-2025 mechanism for converting land use: when a planning authority sanctions your layout or building plan, that sanction itself operates as the conversion, provided the one-time premium under the substituted Section 47 has been paid. Two approvals have become one. For the full picture of the 2025 reform that removed the separate Sanad, see our guide to the scrapped NA permission.
For decades the sequence was fixed. You bought agricultural land, applied to the Collector under Section 44 of the Maharashtra Land Revenue Code for permission to convert it, waited for the site inspection and the no-objections, received the Sanad, and only then went to the planning authority for building sanction. Two queues, two files, two sets of officials.
The Maharashtra Land Revenue Code (Second Amendment) Act, 2025 collapsed that into one. This post explains the mechanism — who grants what, in which order, and what a buyer should now be asking to see.
What does “deemed NA” actually mean?
Deemed NA means the conversion is not granted by a separate order but arises by operation of law the moment planning approval is given — no NA file, no hearing and no certificate; the planning approval carries the conversion inside it.
Deemed NA Maharashtra means the conversion is not granted by a separate order; it arises by operation of law the moment a different approval is given. There is no NA file, no NA hearing and no NA certificate to collect. The planning approval carries the conversion inside it.
The concept is not new. Sections 42A to 42D of the MLRC had, since 2015, created narrow deemed-conversion routes for land inside sanctioned development plan limits, inside Gaothan expansion areas, and inside certain regional plan zones. What changed in 2025 is that those narrow routes were deleted and replaced by a single general rule — because the general rule made the exceptions unnecessary.
Which approval triggers the conversion?
Development permission or building plan sanction from whichever authority has planning jurisdiction over the parcel — a corporation, council, special planning authority, or the Collector in rural areas — so the trigger depends entirely on where the land sits.
The trigger is development permission or building plan sanction from the authority that has planning jurisdiction over the parcel. Which authority that is depends entirely on where the land sits.
Five planning authority scenarios and which approval counts
| Where the land sits | Planning authority | Instrument that triggers conversion |
|---|---|---|
| Within a municipal corporation | The corporation’s town planning department | Layout / building plan sanction |
| Within a municipal council or nagar panchayat | The council, with the Collector or Director of Town Planning depending on scale | Development permission |
| Within a special planning authority area (MMRDA, CIDCO, NAINA, KSC New Town) | That authority | Development permission under its own regulations |
| Rural area outside any local planning authority | The Collector, acting as planning authority under the Regional Plan | NA layout / development permission |
| Within a Special Township Project | The sanctioning authority for the township | Township sanction and phased permissions |
This matters for a buyer because the question “has this plot been converted?” no longer has a single-document answer. It has become “which authority has jurisdiction, and has that authority granted permission?”
Where does the premium fit in the sequence?
The one-time premium under the substituted Section 47 is payable before the planning authority releases development permission — a precondition, not a consequence, determined on the Annual Statement of Rates and paid before the sanction is issued.
The premium under the substituted Section 47 is payable before the planning authority releases the development permission. It is a precondition, not a consequence. The sequence runs:
The six-step sequence from application to conversion
- Application for development permission or building plan sanction to the authority with jurisdiction.
- Scrutiny against the zone, the reservation position and the applicable development control regulations.
- Determination of the one-time premium on the basis of the Annual Statement of Rates.
- Payment of the premium and the applicable planning charges.
- Release of the sanction — which is, simultaneously, the conversion.
- Entry of the changed land use in the revenue record.
The premium itself scales with plot size:
| Plot area | One-time premium |
|---|---|
| Up to 1,000 sq m | 0.10% of market value |
| 1,001 to 4,000 sq m | 0.25% of market value |
| Above 4,000 sq m | 0.50% of market value |
Market value is taken from the Annual Statement of Rates — the ready reckoner — under the Maharashtra Stamp Rules, 1995. The recurring annual non-agricultural assessment has been abolished, and pending arrears accrued up to the reform date have been waived.
Does the revenue record update on its own?
No — the conversion takes effect in law on sanction, but the 7/12 is maintained by the revenue machinery, so the changed use follows separately through mutation and a plot can be lawfully non-agricultural while its extract still reads agricultural.
No, and this is the practical gap to watch. The conversion takes effect in law on sanction, but the 7/12 extract is maintained by the revenue machinery, not the planning department. The entry showing the changed land use follows through the mutation process.
Until it does, you can hold land that is lawfully non-agricultural while its extract still describes it as agricultural. That mismatch is legally harmless and practically inconvenient: it confuses lenders, it confuses sub-registrars, and it confuses the next buyer. The fix is to insist that the sanction and the updated record are both produced, and to treat a missing record entry as a follow-up item rather than a defect in title.
What if the land was already converted under the old regime?
Nothing is undone: a Sanad issued before the amendment remains valid evidence that conversion happened, but it does not tell you the plot is buildable today — zone, reservation and access still have to be checked separately.
Nothing is undone. A Sanad issued before the amendment remains valid evidence that the land was converted. Where a premium liability has to be worked out for already-converted land, valuation is done using the Annual Statement of Rates for the year of conversion, or from 2001, depending on the case.
What has changed is the weight a buyer should put on that document. A pre-2026 Sanad tells you conversion happened. It does not tell you the plot is buildable today — zone, reservation and access all still have to be checked separately.
What does deemed NA not fix?
It simplified one permission and left everything else in place: zoning prohibitions, tenure restrictions on Class II, inam, watan, devasthan and tribal land, who may buy agricultural land, ceiling and fragmentation rules, and title.
This is the section that saves money. The amendment simplified one permission. It left everything else exactly where it was.
Five things deemed NA does not fix
Zoning. Deemed conversion only works if the authority can lawfully sanction your plan. Land in a no-development zone, a green belt, a CRZ band, a forest boundary or under a road or reservation alignment will not get sanction, so no conversion arises. The new rule removes a queue; it does not remove a prohibition.
Tenure. Class II occupancy, inam, watan, devasthan and tribal-held land carry transfer restrictions and often require the Collector’s separate permission before sale or development. None of that was touched.
Who may buy agricultural land. The restrictions on acquisition of agricultural land continue to apply at the moment of purchase, independent of how conversion now works afterwards.
Ceiling and fragmentation. Holding limits and minimum-holding rules operate on their own terms.
Title. The amendment changed an administrative step. It did not clean anybody’s chain of ownership, remove an encumbrance or resolve a tenancy entry.
How can this go wrong for a buyer?
Four failure modes: a stale Sanad offered as proof of buildability, no one establishing which authority actually has jurisdiction, an unbudgeted premium on a large parcel, and a plot sold as “NA-ready” when no application has even been filed.
Four failure modes recur.
A seller presents a stale Sanad as proof of buildability. The document is genuine and irrelevant to the question being asked. Ask for the zone certificate and the current sanction position instead.
Nobody has established which authority has jurisdiction. On the fringe of a corporation limit, or inside a newly notified special planning authority area, the answer can have changed recently. Sanction from the wrong authority is not sanction.
The premium is unbudgeted. On a large parcel at 0.50% of ready reckoner value, this is a real number. Establish before you sign whether the seller or the buyer bears it, and at which year’s valuation.
The plot is sold as “NA-ready” with no application filed. A parcel in a permissible zone with no sanction and no application is a parcel where the work has not started. That is a negotiating point, not a completed status.
What should you ask to see?
The zone certificate for the survey number, confirmation of which authority has jurisdiction today, any layout or building sanction with its conditions and validity, proof of premium payment, the current 7/12 with any mutation entry, and the sanctioned layout plan showing your plot.
- The zone certificate or extract from the sanctioned development plan or regional plan for the survey number.
- Confirmation of which authority has planning jurisdiction today.
- The layout or building plan sanction, if granted, with its conditions and validity period.
- Proof of premium payment, with the valuation basis used.
- The current 7/12 extract, and the mutation entry recording the land-use change if it has been made.
- For a plotted layout, the sanctioned layout plan showing your plot number, access road widths and open space.
How Lords of the Lands handles this
Every plot we sell sits in a sanctioned layout, and the approval position is documented rather than described. When a buyer asks which authority sanctioned the layout, what the premium position is and whether the revenue record reflects the land use, those answers are on file — because on a plotted development the developer carries the conversion work, not the buyer. Our estates across Karjat, Khopoli and the Raigad coast are sold with the layout sanction, the title flow and the record position available for inspection before any payment is taken.
Frequently asked questions
Do I still need an NA certificate to get a home loan?
Banks have been directed not to insist on an NA certificate as a condition of loan approval. Lenders in practice want the sanction and the record position, which is what the new framework produces.
Can I build on agricultural land without any approval now?
No. You need development permission or building plan sanction. What you no longer need is a separate conversion order in addition to it.
What happens if my sanction lapses?
Development permissions carry validity periods and conditions. A lapsed sanction has to be revalidated; the conversion effected under it does not automatically reverse, but building without a live permission is unauthorised construction.
Does this apply to industrial and commercial use too?
The conversion framework is general. The permissibility of the specific use still depends on the zone under the applicable development plan.
Is the premium payable again if I sell the plot?
It is a one-time payment tied to the conversion, not a transfer levy. Stamp duty and registration charges on the sale are separate and unaffected.
Related reading
The 2025 NA reform
- What NA land actually is – the core distinction.
- How the one-time NA premium is calculated – the cost of conversion.
- Is the NA Sanad still required? – the old document today.
- NA plot vs agricultural land – the land-use line.
- NA conversion on the Khopoli-Pali road – the reform on one corridor.
Records, tenure and title
- Class I vs Class II tenure – which land transfers freely.
- The Other Rights column on the 7/12 – where restrictions hide.
- How to read a 7/12 extract – the record of rights.
- The property card and the 8A – the holder’s account.
- Mutation entries and ferfar – the uncertified-entry gap.
- The title-check checklist – the documents to demand.
- How to verify title before buying – the six-document sequence.
Planning, access and build
- Right of way and plot access – the recorded-access test.
- Getting building permission for a plot – the sanction that now carries NA.
- How a land sale is registered – the step that transfers ownership.
- How to check a plot’s NA status – confirming conversion.
- What a RERA-approved plot proves – and what it does not.
Planning authorities and buyers
- NAINA vs KSC New Town vs Mumbai 3.0 – which authority has jurisdiction.
- Khopoli-Pali road land: the SH-93 guide – two planning regimes on one road.
- Can an NRI buy land in India? – the cross-border rules.
- Why NRIs cannot buy agricultural land – the bar explained.
- Land vs plotted development – raw land versus a sanctioned layout.
- What Lords of the Lands builds – who we are and how we work.
Citations and sources
Sources: Maharashtra Land Revenue Code, 1966, Sections 42 and 47 as substituted by the Maharashtra Land Revenue Code (Second Amendment) Act, 2025, notified 31 December 2025; Maharashtra Stamp Rules, 1995 (Annual Statement of Rates). This article is general information current as of September 2026 and is not legal advice. The position for any specific parcel depends on its zone, tenure and planning authority — verify it with your advocate and the relevant revenue and planning authorities before transacting. Official sources: UDCPR / Urban Development Dept · Maharashtra Government Resolutions.
