1. BDA — Bangalore Development Authority
The Bangalore Development Authority was set up under the Bangalore Development Authority Act, 1976 to plan and develop the city. It prepares the Master Plan (the Revised Master Plan 2015 is the best-known one) that sets land-use zones such as residential, commercial, industrial and green belt.
BDA forms and allots its own layouts and sites, and acquires land for them. For a buyer, a site in a BDA-formed layout generally comes with a clear allotment trail, but you should still check the allotment letter, lease-cum-sale agreement or sale deed, and the possession certificate. Always check the zoning of any plot against the Master Plan before you pay an advance.
2. BBMP — Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike
BBMP is the civic body that has handled day-to-day municipal functions inside the city limits: sanctioning building plans for most private construction, issuing commencement and occupancy certificates, assessing property tax, and issuing khata certificates and extracts. Karnataka has been restructuring civic governance in Bengaluru under the Greater Bengaluru Governance Act, 2024, which creates the Greater Bengaluru Authority with several city corporations. Offices and names may therefore differ from older documents, so confirm which civic body now covers the property.
For a flat, the sanctioned building plan and the commencement certificate from the local civic body are basic documents. Before possession, the occupancy certificate confirms the building was built as per the sanctioned plan. A flat without an OC can face problems with utility connections, resale and home loans.
3. BMRDA — Bangalore Metropolitan Region Development Authority
BMRDA was created under the Bangalore Metropolitan Region Development Authority Act, 1985. It plans for the wider metropolitan region outside the core city, including areas around Bangalore, and prepares the Revised Structure Plan and Local Planning Area plans for that region.
In these peripheral areas, layout and land-use approvals involve the planning authority for the local planning area together with the local gram panchayat or town municipal body. If a plot is on the outskirts, ask for the land-use conversion order, the approved layout plan and the local body approval. A promise that approval is "in process" is not an approval.
4. Who Approves What — A Quick Way to Think About It
Broadly, BDA plans the city and develops its own layouts, the civic body (BBMP or its successor corporations) sanctions building plans and issues occupancy certificates inside city limits, and BMRDA plans the region beyond. Agricultural land needs conversion by the Deputy Commissioner before it can be used for housing, and electricity and water connections come from BESCOM and BWSSB respectively.
Separately, RERA registration is mandatory for most projects above the thresholds in the Act, regardless of which authority sanctioned the plan. RERA registration does not replace plan sanction, and plan sanction does not replace RERA registration. A project should have both, and you can check each one yourself.
Practical steps: ask the builder for the sanction letter number and the issuing authority, verify the RERA registration number on the Karnataka RERA portal, and confirm the khata type of the land. If any document names an authority that does not cover that area, treat it as a warning sign.
✅ Key Takeaways
🔗 Official Portal: rera.karnataka.gov.in
📅 Published: October 14, 2026 | This blog is a public awareness initiative. Verify all information with official sources before making financial decisions.
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