In short: A prohibited property is land that the Sub-Registrar must refuse to register under Section 22-A of the Registration Act, 1908. It is mostly government land, assigned land, endowment or Waqf land, ceiling-surplus land and land the government has specially notified. In Andhra Pradesh, search the free IGRS AP "Prohibited Properties" page at registration.ap.gov.in/igrs/ppProperty by survey number or door number. In Telangana, open registration.telangana.gov.in/openProhibitedProperties.htm, pick the district, mandal and village, and read the clause-wise lists for your survey number.
Last verified 28 Oct 2026. We ran both official searches on that date. Neither asked for a login or a fee.
Both states changed their 22-A rules in 2026, and both lists keep changing. A parcel that was blocked last year may be clear today, and the reverse is also true. Run the check again on the day you pay the advance and again on the day you register.
What is a prohibited property under Section 22-A?
The present Section 22-A came into the Registration Act through an Andhra Pradesh amendment in force from 20 June 2007. Telangana uses the same provision. It does not create one master list for the whole state. It lets the government give the Sub-Registrar lists of properties, sorted into five clauses. Once a survey number is on a list, the Sub-Registrar cannot register a sale, gift or mortgage of it.
| Clause | What it covers | Where a Telangana grievance goes |
|---|---|---|
| 22-A(1)(a) | Property whose transfer a State or Central law prohibits. Assigned land usually sits here. | District Collector |
| 22-A(1)(b) | Property owned by the State or Central Government | District Collector |
| 22-A(1)(c) | Endowment property and Waqf property | Commissioner, Endowments, or CEO, Waqf Board |
| 22-A(1)(d) | Land declared surplus under the land-ceiling or urban land-ceiling laws | District Collector |
| 22-A(1)(e) | Property the government specially notifies in the Gazette, for example where government or local-body interests are at stake, or a court or tax authority has attached it | Committee in the office of the CCLA |
The grievance column comes from the note on the Telangana registration portal. The Telangana portal also shows a separate "Court cases & Others" list for each village.
Two court rulings shape how the list works:
- The list must say why. A Full Bench of the High Court held in Vinjamuri Rajagopala Chary (2016) that a prohibited-property list must name its clause and the statute, government body or record behind it. Only clause (e) needs a Gazette notification. The Registration Department cannot decide a disputed title.
- The bar is valid. In Invecta Technologies (2023), the Telangana High Court upheld Section 22-A. It held that refusing registration does not, by itself, take away a person's property.
So a 22-A entry stops the registration. It is not a court finding on who owns the land. That difference matters when you try to get a parcel removed.
How do I check the IGRS AP prohibited properties list?
The Andhra Pradesh search is the easier of the two, because you can type the number.
- Open registration.ap.gov.in/igrs/ppProperty. This is the "Prohibited Properties" page of the AP Registration and Stamps Department.
- Choose Rural Properties for agricultural land. You search it by survey number. Choose Urban Properties for a house, flat or site in a town. You search it by door number.
- Select the District, Mandal and Village.
- Type the Survey No. or Door No. The page notes that you can enter
*in the door number field to see every listed door number in that village. - Click Get Details.
- If the number is listed, the report shows the survey number, extent, holder name, notification number and notification date. Use Print PDF to keep a copy for your file.
- "No data found For Given Details" means that number is not on the AP list on that day.
Tip: type the full sub-division (for example 123/2A), and then search the parent survey number too. Since January 2026, AP officials split a partly disputed survey number, so the result can differ between the parent number and its parts.
For the encumbrance search on the same portal, see our Andhra Pradesh EC online guide.
How do I check the Telangana prohibited properties list (22A lands)?
Telangana does not let you type a survey number. You open the list for your village and read it.
- Open registration.telangana.gov.in/openProhibitedProperties.htm. On Bhu Bharati, the "Prohibited Lands Details" link sends you to this same page.
- Select the District, the Mandal (in Hyderabad the field shows "Division"), and the Village/Town. Select the SRO office if the page asks for it.
- Click Fetch. The page shows "Section 22A(1): Prohibition List" in two blocks: Agriculture and Non-Agriculture.
- Each block has seven links: 22A(1)(a), (b), (c)-Waqf, (c)-Endowment, (d), (e), and Court cases & Others. Open every link in the block that fits your land.
- Each link opens a scanned PDF. It has a covering letter from the District Collector, then a signed form. The form has columns for survey number and sub-division, plot number, town survey number, house number, name of the assignee, allottee or owner, extent, and the Act under which the land is prohibited.
- Read the survey-number column line by line. The PDFs are scans, so a text search inside the file usually does not work.
- Some links show "Prohibition data is under review. it will be published soon..." This means no list for that clause and village is online. It is not a clearance. Ask the Sub-Registrar's office for the register for that clause.
Bhu Bharati replaced the old Dharani portal on 14 April 2025. Older guides that send you to Dharani are out of date. See our Dharani and Bhu Bharati land records guide for the land-record side of the check.
What changed in 2026?
Andhra Pradesh
January 2026. The Revenue Department removed five categories from the 22-A list:
- lands allotted to serving and former defence personnel
- lands granted to freedom fighters
- lands allotted to political victims
- assignments made before 18 June 1954
- private patta lands
Where only part of a survey number is disputed, officials must now sub-divide it. Only the disputed part stays prohibited. For defence personnel, a recommendation from the District Sainik Welfare Officer is enough proof. Officials can delete land on the basis of any one of about eight documents, such as 10(1) registers, adangals, DKT pattas, the Record of Holdings or registration documents.
July 2026. Revenue Minister Anagani Satya Prasad announced wider reforms:
- All earlier circulars were withdrawn.
- The Inspector General of Registration and Stamps keeps the only central database of prohibited properties.
- Webland 2.0 is the only platform for agricultural land records.
- Before land is added to the list, the owner must get prior notice, 30 days to object and 14 days for legal submissions, and then a reasoned order.
- Only Sub-Collectors and RDOs can add or delete land. Appeals go to the Joint Collector and the government.
- The minister listed more categories for removal: legally auctioned temple and Waqf lands, village service inam lands, conditional patta lands, old unapproved layouts and APSFC-auctioned lands. He said Gramakantam land would never be included.
Telangana
Late 2025. On 25 August 2025, the High Court directed the state to prepare an updated prohibited list and send it to all Sub-Registrars within nine weeks. Press reports said the revised list covered more than one crore acres. The village list we opened on the portal (Balapur, Ranga Reddy) carries a Collector's covering letter dated 27 October 2025.
18 September 2026. The government set up a three-member high-level committee to resolve 22-A disputes. The Chief Commissioner of Land Administration heads it. The Law Secretary and the Inspector General of Registration are members.
24 September 2026. The Revenue Department ordered that open plots, houses and flats on the 22-A list can be registered if they have a valid layout, building or apartment permission from GHMC, HMDA, DTCP, a municipality or another local body. The applicant must submit a link document that ties the transaction to that permission. District committees headed by the Collector examine each case. The minister said cases will not be treated alike: the land type, records, permissions and court matters all count. Reports put the number of owners who can benefit at about one lakh, in and around Hyderabad.
This relief is for approved urban property. It does not clear government, assigned or endowment land in general.
What does a portal check miss?
A clean 22-A search is necessary. It is not enough. Here is what it cannot tell you, and how to check each gap.
| Gap | Why the portal misses it | How to check |
|---|---|---|
| The list changed after you searched | Both states add and delete entries through 2026 | Search again on the day of the advance and the day of registration. Keep dated printouts. |
| No list is online for one clause | Telangana shows "under review" where no PDF is uploaded | Ask the Sub-Registrar for the register for that clause |
| You searched the wrong number | A flat has a door number and also sits on a survey number. A parent number and its sub-division can differ. | Search the door number and the survey number. Search the parent and every sub-division. |
| The land is restricted but not listed | Courts allow refusal only on lists from authorised officers. A revenue record can still show the land as government, assigned, poramboke or a water body. | Read the land classification in the revenue record (Pahani, ROR-1B, Adangal) and compare it with the title deeds |
| The Encumbrance Certificate looks clean | An EC lists registered transactions. The 22-A list is a separate register that stops future registration. | Treat the EC and the 22-A search as two checks. See why a clean EC is not enough. |
| Assigned land has a history | The Andhra Pradesh Assigned Lands (Prohibition of Transfers) Act, 1977 bars transfer of assigned land. In July 2026 a Full Bench of the AP High Court held that a landless poor person who bought assigned land in good faith before the 1977 Act, and meets Section 3(5), gets full title and can sell it on. | Trace the assignment order and every later transfer. Get a lawyer's reading, not a yes-or-no. |
| Waqf or endowment claims | A claim can surface after the list was compiled | Read clauses (c)-Waqf and (c)-Endowment and see our note on Waqf property title risk in 2026 |
One more point: registration itself does not prove ownership. See why a registered deed does not prove title.
What can I do if my property is on the 22A list?
In Telangana:
- Send the grievance to the right office for the clause. For (a), (b) and (d), approach the District Collector. For (c), approach the CEO of the Waqf Board or the Commissioner of Endowments. For (e), approach the committee in the office of the CCLA.
- Bhu Bharati has an online flow called "Grievance relating to inclusion in Prohibited Properties List". The steps are data entry by the citizen, eKYC at Meeseva, and then processing by the department.
- If the property is an approved plot, house or flat, apply under the September 2026 order with the permission and the link document.
In Andhra Pradesh:
- Apply to the Sub-Collector or RDO with one of the accepted documents. Appeals go to the Joint Collector and then the government.
- If your land falls in one of the categories removed in 2026, ask for deletion on that ground.
Before you buy: do not pay an advance on a listed parcel. Wait until the deletion is in writing and the portal no longer shows the entry. If the Sub-Registrar has already refused your deed, read what to do when a sale deed is refused under 22A.
How LegiScore checks this
A LegiScore title search report runs the official prohibited-property search for Telangana and Andhra Pradesh on the property's survey number. It reads that result against the Encumbrance Certificate, the revenue record and the title deeds. If the portal shows a hit, or if the documents disagree with it, the report flags the gap for a lawyer to review before you pay.
Get your property checked. For the wider checklist, see our property due diligence guide for Telangana.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are prohibited properties?
Prohibited properties are lands and buildings that the Sub-Registrar must refuse to register under Section 22-A of the Registration Act, 1908. The five clauses cover property whose transfer a law prohibits (assigned land usually falls here), government property, endowment and Waqf property, ceiling-surplus land, and property the government specially notifies in the Gazette.
How do I check the IGRS AP prohibited properties list?
Open registration.ap.gov.in/igrs/ppProperty. Choose Rural Properties (search by survey number) or Urban Properties (search by door number). Select the district, mandal and village, enter the number and click Get Details. A listed number shows the extent, holder name and notification details. "No data found For Given Details" means it is not on the list that day.
How do I check the Telangana prohibited properties list?
Open registration.telangana.gov.in/openProhibitedProperties.htm. Select the district, mandal and village and click Fetch. Open each 22A(1) clause link under Agriculture or Non-Agriculture. Each link is a scanned list signed by the Collector. Read the survey-number column for your number.
How do I check 22A lands in Telangana by survey number?
You cannot type a survey number on the Telangana page. You open the village's clause-wise PDF lists and read them. Check both the parent survey number and the sub-division. If a clause shows "Prohibition data is under review", no list is online for it. Ask the Sub-Registrar for that register.
Is the 22A check free?
Yes. On 28 October 2026, both the AP and Telangana prohibited-property searches opened without a login and asked for no fee.
Is Dharani still used in Telangana?
No. Bhu Bharati replaced Dharani on 14 April 2025. The "Prohibited Lands Details" link on Bhu Bharati now opens the Registration Department's prohibited-properties page.
My survey number is not on the list. Is the land safe to buy?
Not by that fact alone. The list changes, some clauses may not be online, and land can be government or assigned in the revenue record without a 22-A entry. Also check the revenue record classification, the Encumbrance Certificate, the full title chain and court cases.
Can 22A land be registered in Telangana now?
Partly. Since 24 September 2026, 22-A-listed open plots, houses and flats with a valid layout, building or apartment permission from GHMC, HMDA, DTCP or a local body can be registered. The applicant submits a link document, and a Collector-headed district committee examines each case. Other 22-A land stays blocked until it is deleted from the list.
Can a property be removed from the 22A list in Andhra Pradesh?
Yes. Apply to the Sub-Collector or RDO with an accepted document, such as a 10(1) register, adangal, DKT patta, Record of Holdings or registration document. Appeals go to the Joint Collector and the government. Five categories, including private patta lands and assignments before 18 June 1954, were removed in January 2026.
Does a clean Encumbrance Certificate mean the land is not prohibited?
No. An EC lists registered transactions. The 22-A list is a separate register that blocks future registration. Run both checks.
Sources checked on 28 Oct 2026
- IGRS AP: Prohibited Properties
- Telangana Registration and Stamps: Prohibited Properties
- Bhu Bharati, Government of Telangana
- Lakshmikumaran & Sridharan: Section 22-A and prohibited properties in Telangana
- Telangana Today, 24 Sep 2026: registration of eligible 22-A properties
- The South First, 24 Sep 2026: 22-A properties with valid approvals
- The News Minute, Sep 2026: fast-track panel on 22-A disputes
- Deccan Chronicle, Oct 2025: revised prohibited lands list
- Deccan Chronicle, 23 Jul 2026: AP 22-A reforms
- KPIAS current affairs, 2 Jan 2026: AP removes five categories
- LiveLaw, 31 Jul 2026: AP High Court Full Bench on assigned land
- The Week (PTI), 14 Apr 2025: Bhu Bharati replaces Dharani
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