What patta, chitta and FMB records mean in Tamil Nadu, how they define ownership, land type and boundary, and why a mismatch between them is a red flag before you buy.
A patta is a revenue record issued by the Tamil Nadu government that records the owner of a parcel of land, along with the survey number and extent. It is strong evidence of ownership and is needed for mutation, registration and many approvals. For a buyer, the patta should name the seller and match the title deed and the EC.
A patta in a different name, or a recently transferred patta, is a prompt to trace how ownership moved and whether it was lawful.
The chitta records the classification of the land, notably whether it is wetland (nanjai) or dryland (punjai), and the extent held. Classification matters because it affects what can be built and whether conversion is required, particularly for agricultural land being put to industrial or residential use.
Reading the chitta with the patta confirms both who owns the parcel and what kind of land it legally is.
The Field Measurement Book (FMB) sketch is the government's surveyed map of the parcel, showing its shape, dimensions and survey-number boundaries. It is the authority on where the land actually is and how big it is, ahead of any brochure or seller's plan.
We compare the FMB against the patta extent and a physical check, because a parcel that does not match its FMB, or that overlaps a neighbour or a water body, carries real risk.
Patta, chitta and FMB are not independent formalities; they are three views of the same parcel that must agree with each other and with the title deed and EC. When they do, the parcel's ownership, type and boundary are corroborated. When they do not, the mismatch is exactly the kind of finding verification exists to catch.
Patta records ownership, the survey number and extent; chitta records the land's classification (wetland or dryland) and extent. They are read together to confirm both who owns the land and what type it is.
The Field Measurement Book sketch is the government's surveyed map of a parcel, defining its true shape, dimensions and boundaries. It governs the parcel's extent over any seller's plan.
They are three official views of one parcel. A mismatch in name, extent or classification can signal a boundary dispute, an unconverted use or a defective transfer, all risks to resolve before buying.