✱ COASTAL KARNATAKA · LAND USE
CRZ rules in Udupi & Mangalore
CRZ stands for Coastal Regulation Zone. It covers coastal land up to 500 metres from the High Tide Line, and also a band along the banks of creeks, estuaries, backwaters and rivers that rise and fall with the tide. That second part is what catches buyers here. A plot several kilometres from the beach can still be inside CRZ because it sits on a tidal river bank. Whether you can build on it, and what you can build, depends on which CRZ category it falls in.
Reviewed by Deepa R Kotian, Advocate, Udupi. 17 years in property law, empanelled with public and private sector banks for property and loan legal scrutiny. Checked 6 September 2026. This is general information about how the rules work, not legal advice on your specific plot. Every parcel has to be verified on its own survey number.
- Applicable rule
- CRZ Notification, 2019
- State plan approved
- On NCZMA recommendation, 1 September 2022
- Basic seaward extent
- 500 m from the High Tide Line
- Also covers
- Tidal creeks, estuaries, backwaters, rivers
- CRZ-II share, Udupi
- About 30% under the revised plan
- CRZ-II share, Dakshina Kannada
- About 95% under the revised plan
- Local body
- District Coastal Management Committee
- State authority
- Karnataka State Coastal Zone Management Authority
✱ WHY THIS GETS MISSED
Four reasons buyers here get CRZ wrong
CRZ is the check skipped most often in this district. Not because people are careless, but because the rule does not work the way common sense suggests it should.
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01
Distance from the sea is not the test
The zone follows tidal water, not just the shoreline. Udupi and Dakshina Kannada are cut through by rivers, creeks and backwaters. Land that is nowhere near a beach can be squarely inside CRZ because the water beside it rises and falls with the tide.
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02
The zone map changed
Under the revised plan roughly 30 percent of the CRZ area in Udupi falls in CRZ-II, where more is permitted. Previously it was around 10 percent. An assumption formed about a plot a few years ago can be wrong today, in either direction, so old advice is not reliable.
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03
A conversion order does not answer the CRZ question
Section 95 conversion, khata and CRZ are three separate things. Land can be properly converted to non-agricultural use and still sit inside a coastal regulation zone that limits what may be built. One clearance is not a substitute for the other.
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04
Enforcement is real
A CAG review of the implementation of the CRZ Notification, 2019 found more than 180 instances of violation. In Udupi, a road and two bridges were built on Shambhavi River islands without CRZ clearance. Anyone advising you to build first and regularise later is exposing you to demolition orders and action under the Environment Protection Act.
✱ HOW TO CHECK
Six steps, before you pay anything
Run these in order. Each one is cheap compared with what it prevents. All of them are worthless once you have already paid an advance.
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01
Plot the survey number on the approved CZMP map
Not the village, not the road, the specific survey number, against the approved Coastal Zone Management Plan for Karnataka. This is the only thing that actually answers the question.
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02
Check tidal water separately from sea distance
Look at what the plot backs onto. A creek, an estuary, a backwater or a river reach that is tidal brings the parcel into the zone regardless of how far the sea is.
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03
Establish the category, not just whether CRZ applies
CRZ land is divided into categories. CRZ-I is the most restricted. In specified CRZ-II areas construction is permitted, including resorts, homestays and apartments. The category decides whether your plan is possible at all.
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04
Go to the District Coastal Management Committee
Each coastal district, Udupi, Dakshina Kannada and Uttara Kannada, has one to assist the state authority locally. That is the practical first door, not a Bangalore office.
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05
Get it in writing, keyed to GPS coordinates
A CRZ NOC or a non-applicability certificate can be issued on the basis that a plot’s GPS coordinates fall outside the CRZ limit. Insist the document refers to coordinates. A seller’s verbal assurance is not evidence of anything.
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06
Tell your bank early
A lender’s legal and technical appraisal will ask whether construction is permissible. An unresolved CRZ position can delay or sink the loan. Better to have the certificate in hand before the file goes in.
Sources: CRZ Notification, 2019, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change; the Coastal Zone Management Plan of Karnataka, approved on the recommendation of the National Coastal Zone Management Authority at its 45th meeting on 1 September 2022; and the Karnataka State Coastal Zone Management Authority. Zone shares and enforcement findings are as reported at the time of writing and can change by notification.
✱ QUESTIONS
CRZ questions we are asked
What is CRZ and does it apply to my plot in Udupi?
CRZ stands for Coastal Regulation Zone. Broadly it covers coastal land up to 500 metres from the High Tide Line, plus a band along the banks of creeks, estuaries, backwaters and rivers subject to tidal fluctuation. That second part is what catches people out in Udupi: a plot well inland from the beach can still be inside CRZ if it sits on a tidal river bank. The only reliable answer comes from plotting your survey number against the approved Coastal Zone Management Plan.
Which CRZ notification applies in Karnataka now?
The CRZ Notification, 2019. Karnataka’s Coastal Zone Management Plans were approved on the recommendation of the National Coastal Zone Management Authority at its 45th meeting on 1 September 2022, and proposals for CRZ clearance received after that are considered under the 2019 notification. Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Uttara Kannada all operate under the same notification and the same state plan.
Can I build a house on CRZ land in Udupi?
It depends entirely on the zone category. CRZ-I carries the heaviest restrictions. In specified CRZ-II areas, construction including resorts, homestays and apartments can be permitted. Under the revised plan about 30 percent of the CRZ area in Udupi falls in CRZ-II, up from roughly 10 percent previously, and about 95 percent in Dakshina Kannada. Because that share changed, an assumption made about a plot a few years ago may be wrong in either direction today.
Who issues a CRZ NOC in Udupi?
Start with the District Coastal Management Committee for the district. The Karnataka State Coastal Zone Management Authority, headquartered in Bangalore and chaired by the Additional Chief Secretary for Forest, Ecology and Environment, examines proposals and reviews alleged violations. An NOC can be issued on the basis that a plot’s GPS coordinates fall outside the CRZ limit, so insist on the certificate being keyed to coordinates.
What happens if someone builds in CRZ without clearance?
It is treated as a violation and can lead to a show cause notice, demolition orders and action under the Environment Protection Act. Enforcement is not theoretical here. A CAG review of implementation of the CRZ Notification, 2019 found more than 180 instances of violation, and in Udupi a road and two bridges were built on Shambhavi River islands without CRZ clearance. Do not accept advice to build first and regularise later.
Does CRZ affect a bank home loan?
It can. A lender’s legal and technical appraisal will look at whether construction on the plot is permissible. If the property sits in CRZ without the required clearance, or the position is unclear, the loan can be refused or delayed. This is one more reason to settle the CRZ question before you pay an advance rather than during the bank’s checks.
Send us the survey number
If you are looking at coastal or riverside land in Udupi or Dakshina Kannada, give us the survey number and we will tell you what the CRZ position looks like before you pay an advance.
3rd Floor, Sriram Building, Bannanje, Udupi 576101, KarnatakaMonday to Saturday, 9am to 7pm