Patta / Patta Chitta
Tamil Nadu's land-revenue record naming the holder of a land parcel, merged with Chitta since 2015 — viewable free on eservices.tn.gov.in.
Definition
A Patta is a land-revenue record issued by the Tamil Nadu revenue department (through the Taluk office) in the name of the person in whose name a parcel of land stands. The Chitta was a companion register recording the land's classification (wetland/nanjai or dryland/punjai) and extent. Since 2015, Tamil Nadu has merged the two into a single 'Patta Chitta' document showing the district, taluk and village, patta number, owner's name, survey number and sub-division, land classification, area and tax details.
In any Tamil Nadu land transaction — especially vacant plots and agricultural land — the Patta is a key verification document: buyers check that the seller's name is on the Patta, that the survey number and extent match the sale deed, and after purchase they apply for Patta transfer (the revenue mutation) so the record reflects the new owner. Government schemes, land conversion and many approvals also require the Patta.
You can view and download Patta Chitta free of charge on the official Tamil Nadu e-services portal, eservices.tn.gov.in (Anytime/Anywhere e-Services of the Revenue Department), by entering the district, taluk, village and survey number or patta number; the extract carries a QR/reference for online verification. Patta transfer applications are made online or through the Taluk office for a nominal fee. Avoid lookalike unofficial websites that charge for what the .gov.in portal provides free.
Pitfalls: a Patta is a revenue record, not conclusive title — ownership still rests on the registered deeds, and courts treat revenue entries as fiscal records. Also note that for apartments, individual flat buyers typically rely on the sale deed and undivided share of land rather than a separate Patta in each buyer's name; Patta verification matters most for land and independent houses.
Example
Before buying a plot near Coimbatore, Divya pulled the Patta Chitta for the survey number on eservices.tn.gov.in and confirmed the seller's name and the land's classification matched what the broker claimed.
Calculators that use this
Related terms
More Real Estate terms
Sources
See all 60 glossary terms or read our Methodology for how we source these definitions.