For decades, a salaried professional in Bengaluru who dreamed of a small farm outside the city ran into the same wall: Karnataka law barred non-agriculturists, and anyone with a sizeable non-farm income, from buying agricultural land. A 2020 amendment knocked that wall down for individuals, and the market shifted overnight. But the change is narrower and more layered than the headlines suggested, and in 2024 the state announced it wanted to bring the old restrictions back. For a buyer eyeing farmland today, knowing exactly what is allowed, and what is only intended, matters more than the excitement around it.

The short answer. Since the Karnataka Land Reforms (Amendment) Act of 2020, any individual who is a citizen of India can buy agricultural land in the state, regardless of whether they are a farmer or their income, because the old Section 79A income bar and agriculturist requirement were removed. But important limits remain: ceiling limits cap how much you can hold, most companies and trusts still cannot buy under Section 79B, and buying farmland does not let you build without a conversion order. The trade off to respect: the door is open for individual buyers, but the rules around it are live, debated, and worth confirming before you act.

What were Sections 79A and 79B?

Sections 79A and 79B were the provisions of the Karnataka Land Reforms Act that decided who could own agricultural land. Section 79A barred a person or family with a large assured annual income from non-agricultural sources from acquiring agricultural land, effectively keeping high earners out. Section 79B required that agricultural land be held by someone who personally cultivated it, and it barred companies, trusts, societies and institutions from holding such land.

Together, the two sections were designed to keep agricultural land in the hands of actual cultivators and out of the hands of wealthy non-farmers and corporate buyers. In practice they also created a thicket of eligibility checks, disputes and, critics argued, opportunities for corruption. For an ordinary salaried buyer, they were the reason a farmhouse or an agricultural plot was often simply off limits, whatever the price.

The sections also gave rise to a whole category of paperwork and litigation. Buyers and sellers routinely needed a so called 79A and 79B endorsement to confirm eligibility, and transactions that fell foul of the provisions could be challenged years later. Much of the appeal of the 2020 change, for individual buyers at least, was the removal of that uncertainty at the point of purchase. Understanding what the sections did is the key to understanding both what the amendment opened and what it deliberately left untouched.

What changed in 2020, and who can buy agricultural land now?

The Karnataka Land Reforms (Amendment) Act of 2020 removed the agriculturist requirement and the income bar from Section 79A. As a legal framework guide puts it, after this amendment any individual who is a citizen of India can purchase agricultural land in Karnataka, regardless of whether they are an agriculturist or not. The old test of how much you earned outside farming no longer stands in the way of an individual buyer.

That is a genuine opening for salaried professionals, retirees and others who were previously excluded. If you are an individual Indian citizen, the profession and income barriers that once blocked farmland purchases have been lifted. But being allowed to buy is only the first question. What you can then hold, and what you can do with the land, are governed by other rules that the 2020 change left standing.

What restrictions still apply?

Several important restrictions survive the 2020 amendment, and buyers who assume the field is entirely open get caught by them. Ceiling limits still cap how much agricultural land a person or family can hold; the guide notes figures on the order of roughly twenty seven acres of dry land, or about ten acres of double irrigated land, for a standard family, and stresses that a person cannot hold agricultural land beyond the prescribed ceiling through purchase.

Section 79B also continues to restrict entities. Companies, co-operative societies, associations of persons, trusts and institutions generally still cannot purchase agricultural land in Karnataka, with only limited exceptions. So the opening created in 2020 is essentially for individual citizens, not for corporate or institutional buyers. If you are buying through a company or trust structure, do not assume you qualify; that is exactly the situation where you need current legal advice.

Does buying agricultural land let you build on it?

No. Buying agricultural land, even lawfully as an individual, does not give you the right to build a house or put the land to non-agricultural use. For that you must obtain a conversion order from the Deputy Commissioner before any construction or non-agricultural use begins. Conversion, often called DC conversion, is a separate and mandatory step, and skipping it leaves you with a legal defect no purchase price can fix.

This is the point buyers most often miss when they hear that farmland is now open to them. The right to buy agricultural land and the right to build on it are two different things governed by two different processes. If your plan is a farmhouse or a residential plot, factor in the conversion step from the start, and confirm whether conversion is feasible for that particular parcel before you commit. Our guide on DC conversion of agricultural land explains how that process works.

Before 2020 versus now: how did the rules change?

The table below captures what actually shifted, and what did not, so you do not over read the change.

Read the table as one clear opening surrounded by unchanged limits. The 2020 amendment widened who among individuals may buy, but it left the ceiling, the entity restriction and the conversion requirement in place. A buyer who grasps that distinction avoids the most common misunderstandings about the new rules.

What should a buyer check before buying agricultural land?

If you are considering agricultural land in Karnataka, run this checklist before committing.

1. Confirm you are eligible as an individual Indian citizen, and take advice if buying via a company or trust.
2. Check that the purchase keeps you within the ceiling limits on agricultural holdings.
3. Verify the seller's ownership and extent on the RTC and the encumbrance certificate.
4. If you intend to build, confirm whether conversion is feasible for that specific parcel.
5. Budget and plan for a separate DC conversion order before any construction.
6. Confirm the current legal position, since restrictions have been debated for reinstatement.
7. Have an independent lawyer verify eligibility, title and conversion feasibility together.

Two of these steps have guides of their own. Our walkthrough on the RTC and Pahani on Bhoomi shows how to verify ownership of agricultural land, and our guide on DC conversion covers the step that turns farmland into a buildable plot.

Could the rules change again?

They could, and this is why buyers should confirm the current position rather than rely on a headline from a few years ago. In 2024 the Karnataka government publicly announced its intent to restore Sections 79A and 79B, reflecting a live political debate over whether the 2020 opening drove up farmland prices beyond farming families. As of mid 2026, however, no legislation reinstating those sections has actually been enacted, so individual non-agriculturists retain the legal right to purchase agricultural land.

For a buyer, the practical lesson is to treat this area of law as active rather than settled. Announced intent is not enacted law, but it is a signal that the framework could shift. Before you commit to an agricultural land purchase, confirm the current statutory position with a lawyer, so your decision rests on the law as it stands on the day you buy, not on how it stood when a rule was last in the news.

It is also worth thinking about how a future change might, or might not, affect a purchase you make today. Laws are not usually applied backwards, so a transaction validly completed under the current rules would ordinarily stand even if the sections were later reinstated. But this is precisely the kind of question you should put to a lawyer rather than assume, because the wording of any future amendment would decide its reach. Buying with clear eyes means knowing not only today's rule but the fact that it is under active review.

Frequently asked questions

Can a non-agriculturist buy agricultural land in Karnataka?

Yes, as an individual Indian citizen. The Karnataka Land Reforms (Amendment) Act of 2020 removed the agriculturist requirement and income bar from Section 79A, so any individual citizen can buy agricultural land regardless of profession or income. Ceiling limits still apply, and most companies and trusts remain restricted under Section 79B.

Can I build a house on agricultural land I buy?

Not without conversion. Buying agricultural land does not by itself allow construction or non-agricultural use. You must obtain a conversion order, known as DC conversion, from the Deputy Commissioner before any building. Treat the right to buy and the right to build as two separate steps, and confirm conversion is feasible for the parcel before purchasing.

Are there limits on how much agricultural land I can buy?

Yes. Ceiling limits on agricultural holdings still apply after the 2020 amendment, capping how much a person or family can hold, with figures on the order of tens of acres depending on land type. A person cannot hold agricultural land beyond the prescribed ceiling through purchase. Confirm the current ceiling and your position before buying.

Have Sections 79A and 79B been brought back?

Not as of mid 2026. The government announced intent in 2024 to restore Sections 79A and 79B, but no legislation reinstating them has been enacted, so individual non-agriculturists currently retain the right to buy. Because the position is debated, confirm the current law with a lawyer before committing to any agricultural land purchase.

Last updated 14 July 2026. PropNewz Team.