Definitions.

In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,—

1[(1) ‘agriculture’ includes horticulture, farming, growing of crops, fruits, vegetables, flowers, grass, fodder, trees or any kind of cultivation of soil, breeding and keeping of livestock including cattle, horses, donkeys, mules, pigs, fish, poultry and bees, the use of land which is ancillary to the farming of land or any purpose aforesaid, but shall not include the use of any land attached to a building for the purposes of garden to be used along with such building; and ‘agricultural’ shall be construed accordingly;

(1a) ‘Board’ means the State Town Planning Board constituted under this Act;

(1b) ‘commerce’ means carrying on any trade, business or profession, sale or exchange

of goods of any type whatsoever, the running of, with a view to make profit, hospitals, nursing homes, infirmaries, saris, educational institutions, hotels, restaurants, boarding houses not attached to educational institutions; and ‘commercial’ shall be construed accordingly;

1[(1bb) "Commissionerate" means the Urban Development Authorities and Town and Country Planning Commissionerate headed by a Commissioner, appointed under section 2A;]1

¹ Substituted by Act 67 of 2025 w.e.f. …………..

1[(1-ba) "conurbation boundary" means the boundary within which the different land use

zones for developments are proposed in the Master Plan for the plan period.]1

¹ Inserted by Act 38 of 2015 w.e.f 10.09.2015.

(1c) ‘development’ with its grammatical variations, means the carrying out of building, engineering, mining, or other operations in, on, over or under land or the making of any material change in any building or land, or in the use of any building or land and includes sub-division of any land;

2[(1d) xxx]2]1

¹ Inserted by Act 14 of 1964 w.e.f. 26.03.1964.

2. Clause (1d) Omitted by Act 1 of 2005 w.e.f. 14.02.2005.

1[(1e)]1 “Director” means the Director of Town Planning appointed under section 3;

1. Re-numbered by Act 14 of 1964 w.e.f. 26.03.1964.

1[(1ea) "Heritage Building" means a building possessing architectural, aesthetic, historic or cultural values which is declared as heritage building by the Planning Authority or any other competent authority within whose jurisdiction such building is situated;

(1eb) "Heritage Precinct" means an area comprising heritage building or buildings and precincts thereof or related places declared as such by the Planning Authority or any other Competent Authority within whose jurisdiction such area is situated.]1

¹ Inserted by Act 1 of 2005 w.e.f. 14.02.2005.

1["(1f) 'industry' includes the carrying on of any manufacturing process as defined in the Factories Act, 1948 ( Central Act 63 of 1948), and 'industrial' shall be construed accordingly;]1

¹ Inserted by Act 14 of 1964 w.e.f. 26.03.1964.

1. (2) “land” includes benefits arising out of land and things attached to the earth or permanently fastened to anything attached to the earth;
2. (3) “land use” means the major use to which a plot of land is being used on any specified date; 1[(3a) ‘local authority’ means a municipal corporation, municipal council, 2[XXX]2 3[Town Panchayat or Grama Panchayat]3; and a local authority is a ‘local authority concerned’ if any land within its local limits falls in the area of a plan prepared or to be prepared under this Act;]1 1[(3-b) “Master Plan” means a plan for the development or re-development of the area within the jurisdiction of a planning authority;]1
3. (4) “notification” means a notification published in the official Gazette;
4. (5) “owner” includes any person for the time being receiving or entitled to receive, whether on his own account or as agent, trustee, guardian, manager, or receiver for another person, or for any religious or charitable purpose, the rents or profits of the property in connection with which it is used; 1[(6) “Planning Area’ means any area declared to be 2[or included in]2 a local planning area under this Act; 1. Section 6 and 7 substituted by Act 14 of 1964 w.e.f. 26.03.1964.
5. (7) ‘Planning Authority’ means,(a) in the case of1[ 2[(i) the Local Planning area comprising the Greater Bengaluru Area, the Greater Bengaluru Authority;]2 ]1 1[(ia) the local planning area comprising any “urban area” defined in the Karnataka Urban Development Authorities Act, 1987, the Urban Development Authority of such urban area;]1 1[(i-aa) the Local Planning area comprising the Bengaluru Metropolitan Area and such other area notified by the Government under this Act, excluding the Greater Bengaluru Area, the Bangalore Development Authority;]1 1[“(ib) the heritage area as defined in the Hampi World Heritage Area Management Authority Act, 2002 (hereinafter referred to as heritage area) the Hampi World Heritage Area Management Authority constituted, under that Act”]1
   • (ii) any other local planning area in respect of which the State Government may deem it expedient to constitute a separate Planning Authority, the Planning Authority constituted under this Act.
   • (b) in the case of any local planning area in respect of which a Planning Authority is not constituted under this Act, the Town Improvement Board constituted under any law for the time being in force having jurisdiction over such local planning area, and where there is no such Town Improvement Board, the local authority having jurisdiction over such local planning area;]1
6. (8) “plot” means a continuous portion of land held in one ownership;
7. (9) “prescribed” means prescribed by rules made under this Act;
8. (10) “reconstituted plot” means a plot which is in any way altered by the making of a town planning scheme; Explanation.— “altered” includes the alternation of ownership.
9. (11) “regulations” means the Zonal Regulations governing land-use made under this Act; 1[(11a) ‘residence’ includes the use for human habitation of any land or building or part thereof including gardens, grounds, garages, stables, and out houses, if any, appertaining to such building and ‘residential’ shall be construed accordingly;]1
10. (12) “Scheme” includes a plan relating to a town planning scheme; 1[(13) words and expressions not defined in this Act have the same meaning as in the 2[Karnataka] 2 Municipalities Act, 1964;]1 2. Adapted by Karnataka Adaptations of Laws Order 1973 w.e.f. 1.11.1973 1[2-A. Appointment of Commissioner.- (1) An officer in the rank of Indian Administrative services (Senior Scale) shall be appointed by the State Government as Commissioner, who shall be the Head of the Commissionerate, for all the Urban Development Authorities and Mysuru Development Authority, Planning Authorities, Municipal Planning Authorities and the Directorate of Town and Country Planning and the establishment appointed under section 3.
11. (2) The salary and other allowances payable for such appointment for matters related to revenue, law, engineering, information Technology and any other matter deemed to be required by the Government, shall be paid out of the revenue of the State. 2-B. Power and duties of Commissioner.- (1) The Commissioner shall be the Head of the Commissionerate.
12. (2) The Commissioner shall be the Head of all the Planning Authorities constituted under the provisions of section 4-C and sub -section (7) of section 2 and the Directorate of Town and Country Planning and the establishment appointed under section 3.
13. (3) All correspondence relating to any matter between the Director of Town and Country Planning, Planning Authorities and Municipal Planning Authorities and the Government dealt under this Act, shall be conducted by the Commissioner: Provided that all correspondence relating to any matter dealt under this Act between Planning Authorities within the Bengaluru Metropolitan Region shall be conducted by the Commissioner of Bengaluru Metropolitan Region Development Authority.
14. (4) The Commissioner shall supervise and direct the Planning Authorities, Municipal Planning Authorities and Directorate of Town and Country Planning on such matters as may be necessary under the Act.
15. (5) The Commissioner shall undertake such other functions as maybe required by him to do so under the Act or upon the direction of the Government.]1

¹ Inserted by Act 14 of 1964 w.e.f. 26.03.1964

² Omitted by Act 23 of 2004 w.e.f. 3.06.2004

³ Substituted by Act 23 of 2004 w.e.f. 3.06.2004.

¹ Inserted by Act 1 of 2005 w.e.f. 14.02.2005

² Inserted by Act 17 of 1991, w.e.f. 19.04.1991.

¹ Substituted by Act 12 of 1976 w.e.f. 20.12.1975.

² Substituted by Act 67 of 2025 w.e.f. …………..

¹ Inserted by Act 34 of 1987 w.e.f. 1.5.1988.

¹ Inserted by Act 67 of 2025 w.e.f. …………..

¹ Inserted by Act 18 of 2003 w.e.f. 27.1.2005

¹ Inserted by Act 14 of 1964 w.e.f. 26.03.1964

¹ Inserted by Act 14 of 1964 w.e.f. 26.3.1964

¹ Inserted by Act 67 of 2025 w.e.f. …………..