What is Survey Number, How to Find and Check Online?
What is a survey number in land records, how to check a survey number online via Bhoomi, how to find a survey number for your property, and what the RTC shows.
Quick Summary (TL; DR)
A survey number is the government's unique identifier for a land parcel assigned by the Revenue Department during the original land settlement survey and recorded in all official documents
When a survey number has multiple owners due to inheritance or sub-division, each owner's portion gets a separate Hissa number for example, Survey No. 45/1A and 45/1B are two Hissa numbers of Survey No. 45
The survey number is found on the RTC (Pahani), the registered sale deed, the Encumbrance Certificate, and the mutation register. It is the thread that connects all land documents
To check a survey number online in Karnataka, visit landrecords.karnataka.gov.in (Bhoomi portal), navigate to View RTC and MR, select District → Taluk → Hobli → Village, and enter the survey number to retrieve the RTC
The survey number is NOT the same as the Khata number. The survey number is the revenue department's identifier, while the Khata number is the local body's (BBMP/GBA) municipal identifier for the same property. Both reference the same land but serve different administrative purposes
What Is a Survey Number?
A survey number is the unique numerical identifier assigned by the state Revenue Department to every distinct parcel of agricultural or revenue land. It is the primary administrative reference through which the government identifies, records, and tracks a specific land parcel across all official records, the RTC (Record of Rights, Tenancy and Crops), mutation registers, sale deeds, conversion orders, and encumbrance certificates.
The survey number is the revenue department identifier for the land. Every RTC, mutation record, sale deed, and government document refers to land using its survey number.
Survey Number: Full Meaning in Indian Land Law
In India, when a state government first surveyed and settled its land, every parcel of land was assigned a sequential number within its village. This is the survey number. It is the coordinate of land within the revenue grid, as precise and permanent as a GPS coordinate.
To the legal machinery of India, your property does not exist as a physical landmark it exists strictly as a mathematical coordinate inside a massive, historical grid. The state revenue department and municipal planning authorities do not recognise trees, fences, or verbal descriptions.
A survey number is a unique identifier for your property in government records. Without the correct survey number, a sale deed cannot be registered, a bank loan cannot be processed, and a mutation cannot be entered.
The survey number remains the same across generations of owners. What changes is the owner's name recorded against it in the RTC, and sometimes the Hissa (sub-division) when the land is partitioned.
Survey Number vs Hissa Number vs Surnoc: The Distinctions
These three terms frequently appear together in Karnataka land documents and confuse first-time buyers.
Survey Number: The primary identifier for a large parcel of land, assigned at the time of the original settlement survey. For example: Survey No. 45.
Hissa Number (Sub-division): When a survey number has multiple owners due to inheritance or sub-division, each owner's portion gets a separate Hissa number. Survey No. 45/1A and 45/1B are two Hissa numbers of Survey No. 45. Always select the correct Hissa number to see only your specific portion of the land.
Surnoc: Surnoc is an additional subdivision identifier used in certain Karnataka revenue records where further administrative differentiation of a survey number is required. Its meaning and use may vary depending on the revenue records of the concerned village. For example, a single survey number may be divided into Surnoc 1 (dry land) and Surnoc 2 (irrigated land). When searching for your RTC, you must select the correct Surnoc to get the precise record for your portion of land.
In North India, the equivalent identifier system uses Khasra (plot number) and Khatauni (holding pattern of owners). If you execute a transaction on Survey No. 104 without specifying the exact, legally mutated subdivision number on the sale deed, you are technically purchasing an undefined, unpartitioned share of a larger tract, rather than securing clear, absolute ownership of your specific piece of earth.
What the Survey Number Connects: Every Document It Appears In
The survey number is the thread that connects all property documents. Once you have the correct survey number, you can retrieve every record associated with the land.
RTC (Record of Rights, Tenancy and Crops / Pahani): The RTC is the primary land ownership document in Karnataka containing details about the landowner, survey number, area, land type, crops grown, and tenancy information. The RTC is indexed by survey number. You cannot pull an RTC without knowing the survey number or Hissa.
Mutation Register (MR): Records every change in ownership of the survey number, such as sales, inheritances, partitions, and gift deeds. The MR is the chain of ownership in revenue records.
Encumbrance Certificate (EC): Checking the EC alongside the RTC is mandatory before any property purchase. The RTC tells you who owns the land; the EC tells you if anyone has a loan or legal claim on it. The EC is searched by survey number on the Kaveri portal.
Registered Sale Deed: Every sale deed at the SRO references the survey number in the property description schedule. The survey number in the sale deed must exactly match the RTC.
DC Conversion Order: When agricultural land is converted to residential or commercial use, the conversion order specifies the survey number and the exact hissa being converted.
11E Sketch: The cadastral sketch showing the boundaries of a survey number relative to its neighbours is required before any partial land sale registration.
How to Check Survey Number Online: Bhoomi Portal (Karnataka)
Step-by-Step: landrecords.karnataka.gov.in
Step 1: Open the official Bhoomi portal
Open landrecords.karnataka.gov.in the only official Karnataka land records portal maintained by the Bhoomi Monitoring Cell.
Step 2: Click "View RTC and MR"
Click "View RTC and MR" from the main services menu.
Step 3: Select administrative location
Select your District, Taluk, Hobli, and Village from the dropdowns. If you select the wrong Hobli, the result will show the wrong land or nothing at all.
Enter the survey number in the numeric field. If the land has been sub-divided, enter the Hissa number as well.
Step 4: View the RTC
The RTC that loads shows the current owner's name, the land area, the classification, and any encumbrances or government liabilities recorded against the survey number.
Step 5: Download the digitally signed i-RTC (if needed)
For official purposes, property purchase, bank loans, or court proceedings you need the digitally signed i-RTC, not the free view version. Click "Pay and Print." The digitally signed PDF downloads immediately. Save this PDF securely; the download link may expire. Always take a screenshot of your Transaction ID immediately after payment in case the download fails.
The download charge for a digitally signed i-RTC is nominal. Verify the current fee on the portal before proceeding.
How to Find the Survey Number for Your Property
If you do not already know the survey number, retrieve it from these sources in order of reliability.
From your registered sale deed: The property description schedule in every registered sale deed lists the survey number, Hissa, area, and village. This is the most authoritative source.
From your RTC or Pahani: If you inherited land or received it as a gift and have an old copy of the RTC, the survey number appears at the top.
From the Encumbrance Certificate: Every EC from kaverionline.karnataka.gov.in references the survey number for each registered transaction.
From the Dishaank app: The Dishaank app lets you stand on the plot and see its exact survey number on a georeferenced cadastral map it even flags whether the land is "Gomala" (restricted government land). Download the Dishaank app from the Play Store, locate your property on the map, and the survey number appears on the overlay.
From the Bhoomi portal by owner name: The Bhoomi portal allows searches by owner name as well as survey number. However, survey number-based searches give more precise results because owner names can have spelling variations in the system.
Village Survey Number List: How to Get One
A village survey number list shows all survey numbers within a specific revenue village, along with their owners and area extents. This is useful for investors researching land availability in a particular village, lawyers checking for disputed parcels, and government authorities monitoring land use.
In Karnataka, the village survey number list can be accessed through Bhoomi's View RTC and MR function by selecting the district, taluk, hobli, and village without entering a specific survey number. The portal returns all records for that village. The Index of Lands (Akarbandh) is the original record that links all survey numbers in a village to their detailed area and boundary information.
Survey Number in Different Indian States
While the concept is universal across India, the terminology and portal vary by state.
In Karnataka, it is called Survey Number, checked on landrecords.karnataka.gov.in.
In Maharashtra, it is called Survey Number or Gat Kramank, checked on mahabhulekh.maharashtra.gov.in.
In Tamil Nadu, it is called Survey Number, checked on eservices.tn.gov.in.
In Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, it is called Survey Number, checked on dharani.telangana.gov.in and meebhoomi.ap.gov.in.
In Uttar Pradesh, it is called Khasra Number checked on upbhulekh.gov.in.
In Rajasthan, it is called Khasra Number checked on apnakhata.rajasthan.gov.in.
In West Bengal, it is called Dag Number or Pani Survey Number checked on banglarbhumi.gov.in.
What Is a Pani Survey Number?
Pani Survey Number is a term specifically used in West Bengal land records. On the Banglar Bhumi portal (banglarbhumi.gov.in), land parcels are identified by Dag Number, sometimes called Pani Dag or Pani Survey Number in reference to the original survey conducted under the Bengal Tenancy Act. It functions identically to Karnataka's survey number the unique identifier for a land parcel in revenue records. Check Pani survey number details at banglarbhumi.gov.in by entering the district, block, mouza, and Dag number.
Survey Number vs Khata Number: What Is Different?
The survey number is the revenue department's identifier for land. The Khata number is the property tax identifier maintained by the local body, BBMP for Bangalore. Both reference the same property but serve different administrative purposes.
The survey number sits in revenue records and applies primarily to agricultural and rural land tracked through Bhoomi. The Khata number sits in municipal records and applies to urban properties tracked through E-Aasthi. When agricultural land is converted and taken into the BBMP fold, both identifiers become relevant: the survey number in the Bhoomi/revenue records and the Khata/PID in the BBMP records.
Survey Number Verification: Vault Proptech Helps
Vault Proptech verifies survey numbers for property buyers and sellers in Karnataka, cross-referencing the survey number across Bhoomi (RTC and mutation), Kaveri (EC and registered deed), and Dishaank (satellite boundary map) to confirm the land is what it is represented to be.
RTC verification by survey number at landrecords.karnataka.gov.in
Hissa and Surnoc identification for subdivided parcels
EC search by survey number at kaverionline.karnataka.gov.in
Cross-verification of sale deed survey number against the current RTC
11E sketch retrieval for boundary verification
Dishaank satellite map verification to confirm physical extents
DC Conversion order verification for the specific survey number and Hissa
NRI land records check remote verification without an India visit
