Land Conversion in Kerala (Tharam Mattam): Form 6, Form 7, Fees and Rejections

A family plot can be recorded as nilam (paddy land) in the Basic Tax Register at the Village Office even though it has been garden land for decades and is nowhere in the data bank. Owners usually find out when a building permit is refused, a bank declines a loan or a buyer’s lawyer asks for the conversion order. The fix is a land conversion application, known in Kerala as tharam mattam (തരം മാറ്റം), to the Revenue Divisional Officer.

This guide explains which application applies to your land, what to file, how the fee is worked out, why files are delayed, and what to do if the RDO rejects the application or charges the wrong fee.

The Kerala Conservation of Paddy Land and Wetland Act, 2008 came into force on 12 August 2008. It restricts the conversion of paddy land and bars the reclamation of wetland. For conversion purposes, land recorded as paddy land falls into two groups:

• Data bank land. Land included in the data bank prepared by the Local Level Monitoring Committee of each panchayat, municipality or corporation. If it was included by mistake, the remedy is a Form 5 application to correct the data bank, explained in our guide to data bank removal.
• Unnotified land. Land shown as paddy land or wetland in the Basic Tax Register (BTR) but not included in the data bank. To use it for a house, a shop or any other purpose, the owner needs the RDO’s permission under Section 27A of the Act. This is what most people mean by tharam mattam, or nilam to purayidam (പുരയിടം, garden land).

The two routes often run one after the other. Land removed from the data bank but still shown as nilam in the BTR becomes unnotified land and needs Section 27A permission before it can be built on.

The Revenue Department’s procedure for this service uses three forms:

• Form 5 corrects a wrong entry in the data bank. The application fee is ₹100.
• Form 6 seeks permission to convert unnotified land of up to 20.23 ares (about 50 cents). The application fee is ₹1,000.
• Form 7 is for unnotified land above 20.23 ares. The application fee is also ₹1,000. Ten per cent of the land must be set apart for water conservation, and the sketch must show that area.

The conversion fee, explained below, is separate from the application fee and is demanded only after the RDO approves the conversion. Applications are made online to the RDO’s office (in some divisions, the Sub Collector).

Not every use of unnotified land needs a conversion order:

• Paddy cultivation itself needs no permission.
• One small house or shop. An owner who held the land on 30 December 2017 can build, once, a house of up to 120 square metres on not more than 4.04 ares (about 10 cents), or a commercial building of up to 40 square metres on not more than 2.02 ares (about 5 cents). The exemption does not cover flats or larger complexes.
• Land developed before 30 December 2017. In State of Kerala v. Shaji N.T. (2025), a Division Bench of the High Court of Kerala held that Section 27A does not apply where a building had been lawfully completed and the land put to use before 30 December 2017, with the building recognised by the local body and the revenue authorities. Such land is reassessed under the Kerala Land Tax Act, 1961 instead.

Routine upkeep, such as clearing bushes, is not a change in the nature of the land. Filling the land, building on it or blocking water flow without permission is, and can lead to a restoration order and prosecution.

The Revenue Department’s procedure lists these documents for a Form 6 application:

• receipt for the ₹1,000 application fee;
• copy of the latest land tax receipt;
• copy of the title deed;
• a sketch of the property prepared by the Village Officer or a licensed surveyor;
• a certificate from the Agricultural Officer that the land is not included in the data bank;
• the plan of the building, if you intend to build;
• for free conversion, an affidavit on ₹50 stamp paper stating that the land did not exceed 25 cents before 30 December 2017.

A possession certificate and any earlier order of the RDO on the same land are also commonly asked for. Check that the survey numbers in the deed, the tax receipt, the sketch and the application match, including old and resurvey numbers. Mismatched numbers are among the most common reasons a file is returned or delayed.

Owners who live abroad can act through a properly drafted power of attorney; see our guide on powers of attorney for NRIs.

The fee for converting unnotified land was revised by a Government Order of 25 February 2021 (G.O.(Ord.) No. 1166/2021/Rev):

• Up to 25 cents: no fee, if the land did not exceed 25 cents on 30 December 2017;
• above 25 cents and up to one acre: 10 per cent of the fair value;
• above one acre: 20 per cent of the fair value.

Two rules catch many owners out:

• The whole extent counts. In State of Kerala v. Moushmi Ann Jacob (20 February 2025), the Supreme Court held that once the extent exceeds 25 cents, the fee is payable on the entire extent, not only on the part above 25 cents. Earlier High Court decisions to the contrary no longer apply.
• Dividing the land later does not help. The free category depends on the extent on 30 December 2017. A plot carved out of a larger holding after that date is treated as part of that holding.

For the fee, the Village Officer reports the fair value of the nearest comparable garden land (purayidam), not the lower value of the paddy land itself. Check that the land adopted for comparison is genuinely comparable; a wrong comparison can be objected to before the order is passed.

Once a Form 6 application is filed, the RDO sends it to the Village Officer, who inspects the land and reports on its nature, the fair value, water channels and the effect on neighbouring paddy fields. For Form 7, the Agricultural Officer also reports. The RDO considers whether the change will obstruct the flow of water to nearby fields or harm cultivation, may call for satellite imagery from the Kerala State Remote Sensing and Environment Centre, and, if satisfied, approves the conversion and issues a notice to pay the fee. The final order is issued after the fee is paid.

Delay is the most common complaint. Files have been reported to take up to two years. The Revenue Department’s own procedure document notes that in districts like Ernakulam, where much of the land is recorded as nilam and divided into small plots, the volume of applications is very large, with about 4,500 applications pending at the Vyttila Krishi Bhavan alone. Applications from Life Mission housing beneficiaries are taken up first, and a weekly committee can take up urgent cases, such as land that must be sold or mortgaged for serious illness, a marriage or education.

One risk is worth knowing before you apply: if the inspection finds that the land is in fact paddy land or wetland and the application is rejected, the RDO is told to recommend that the Local Level Monitoring Committee consider adding the land to the data bank.

Rejection. Section 27B of the Act provides an appeal to the District Collector against the RDO’s order under Section 27A, within thirty days of receiving it. Use it: in Farhana Latheef v. Revenue Divisional Officer (2025), the High Court held that a writ petition filed without first using this appeal was premature. The appeal should deal with each reason in the order and attach the evidence the RDO did not consider.

Delay. After a reasonable time, send a written reminder to the RDO and keep proof of receipt. If the file still does not move, a writ petition before the High Court of Kerala can seek a direction to decide the application within a fixed time.

Wrong fee. Object in writing to a fee notice that uses the wrong extent or a fair value from land that is not comparable. If the objection is not considered, the order can be challenged.

Old applications. In The Tahsildar v. Renjith George (19 December 2024), the Supreme Court held that applications filed before the 2018 amendment came into force on 30 December 2017 are decided under the law as it stood before that amendment.

Our guide to writ petitions in the Kerala High Court explains how that remedy works.

No separate application is needed for subdivision. On the RDO’s direction, the Tahsildar (Land Records) carries out the subdivision where it is needed, and the Village Officer changes the land’s classification in the records. Get certified copies of the order and check that the BTR and the tax receipt now show the new classification before applying for a building permit or a loan, or selling the land.

The conditions in the order must be followed. For land above 20.23 ares, the water conservation area must be kept. The RDO can cancel a permission whose conditions are broken, after giving the owner a hearing.

Buyers should ask for the certified order whenever a seller says the land has been converted; our guide to property title verification in Kerala covers the other checks before a purchase.

The Government has begun the process of amending the Paddy Land and Wetland Act and Rules to simplify procedures; a high-level meeting on the amendments was held on 1 October 2026. Proposals reported in August 2026 include a six-month limit for deciding conversion applications, and computing the fee on the fair value of the paddy land being converted instead of nearby garden land.

Until the amendments are notified, the present rules, forms and fee schedule apply. If your application is pending or about to be filed, it is worth checking the position again before paying a fee or filing an appeal.

Adv. K Rajesh Kannan, a High Court of Kerala advocate with over 24 years of practice, advises landowners and buyers across Kerala on land conversion, data bank and paddy land matters. He reviews the deed and revenue records, advises on the right application and the fee, prepares objections and appeals, and takes up writ petitions before the High Court of Kerala against delay and defective orders.

This guide is general information. The right step depends on the records and the facts of your land, so a review of the documents comes first. More on this work is on the Land and Local Body Law page.

Questions people often ask

Is tharam mattam the same as data bank removal?
No. Form 5 corrects a wrong entry in the data bank. Form 6 or Form 7 asks for permission to change the use of land that is outside the data bank but recorded as paddy land in the Basic Tax Register.

I own 30 cents. Is the fee charged only on 5 cents?
No. Since the Supreme Court’s February 2025 decision, once the extent exceeds 25 cents the fee of 10 per cent of the fair value is charged on the whole 30 cents.

I divided my land into two 25-cent plots after 2017. Is conversion free?
Generally not. The free category depends on the extent of the holding on 30 December 2017, and a plot carved out of a larger holding after that date is treated as part of it.

Which form applies to land above 50 cents?
Form 7, for land above 20.23 ares. Ten per cent of the land must be set apart for water conservation and shown on the sketch.

Can I appeal if the RDO rejects my application?
Yes. An appeal lies to the District Collector within thirty days of receiving the RDO’s order. A writ petition is usually considered only after that appeal, or where the file is simply not being decided.

This guide gives general information about the law in Kerala. It is not legal advice on any particular case.