1. 1

   Make a written request to the Divisional Secretary stating that you are landless and wish to be considered for a land allocation. This registers you for the Land Kachcheri programme.

2. 2

   Attend the Land Kachcheri — a public meeting convened by the DS where eligible persons are selected for available state land plots. Selections are made by the DS in the presence of applicants.

3. 3

   If selected, the Grama Niladhari will inspect your plot and submit a report to the DS confirming your occupancy and development of the land.

4. 4

   The permit is issued by the DS under Section 19 of the Land Development Ordinance. A survey plan is prepared and the permit is registered at the Land Registry.

5. 5

   Renew your permit annually only if the land is granted for commercial purposes at this office by paying the nominal annual fee. Non-renewal or failure to develop the land can result in cancellation.

• Sri Lankan citizen — state land can only be alienated to citizens
• Written request letter addressed to the Divisional Secretary
• NIC of applicant
• Grama Niladhari certificate confirming residency and landlessness
• Affidavit declaring that you own less than 50 acres of land
• Belongs to an eligible class: low-income, landless, farmer, or educated youth

1. 1

   Submit a written request to your Grama Niladhari stating you wish to convert your LDO permit to a grant. The GN inspects the land and sends a report to the DS confirming development.

2. 2

   The Land Officer / Colonisation Officer also inspects and certifies to the DS that the land has been properly developed.

3. 3

   The DS has the land surveyed by the Survey Department, boundary stones are placed, and an official survey plan is obtained.

4. 4

   The DS prepares the grant and sends it to the Land Commissioner General through the Provincial Land Commissioner for verification.

5. 5

   The Land Commissioner General forwards it to the Presidential Secretariat for signature by the President of Sri Lanka.

6. 6

   After signature, the DS collects the grant, you pay a service charge of Rs. 100, the grant is registered at the Land Registry, and handed to you. Keep the original safely.

• You hold a valid LDO permit for the land
• The land is well developed — if residential, a house must be built and you must live there
• All payments due to the state are fully settled
• Original LDO permit (to submit to DS)
• NIC of permit holder
• Folio sheet from the relevant Land Registry (DS obtains this)

1. 1

   Obtain Form LC 155 from the Land Branch at this office. This is free of charge.

2. 2

   Complete the form in triplicate. Affix three Rs. 25 stamps (one on each copy). The form can be certified here at the DS office free of charge — no need to go to a Notary Public or JP.

3. 3

   The three completed forms are forwarded to the Registrar of Lands of the relevant district. The registration is done at the Land Registry, and one certified copy is returned to you.

4. 4

   To change your nominee, simply obtain new Form LC 155 forms and repeat the process. The new registration automatically cancels the previous one.

If you die without a registered nomination, the LDO's Third Schedule applies:

• Surviving spouse — first right to succeed; inherits life interest (not full ownership unless nominated)
• After spouse's death — passes to the next nominated successor or occupiers of the land (earlier to the eldest son in the case when a successor was not nominated which is no longer valid)
• Heirs must apply to the DS within 6 months of the permit holder's death
• If there is a dispute between equally entitled persons, the DS decides

1. A

   Annual Permit (Crown Land Ordinance) — for short-term agricultural or residential use of state land. Issued annually by the DS on payment of a fee. Apply by written request to this office.

2. B

   Long-term Lease (30 years) — for commercial, industrial, special projects, or religious institutions. The initial request is submitted to the DS, who forwards it through the District Secretariat to the Land Commissioner General for approval.

3. C

   The President may also grant or lease state land at nominal rent for charitable, educational, scientific, or religious purposes. Such applications are also initiated through this office.

4. D

   Long-term leases can be transferred and mortgaged with prior approval of the Land Commissioner — unlike LDO permits.

• Written request addressed to the Divisional Secretary
• Purpose of use clearly stated
• Sketch or survey plan of the requested land
• GN certificate confirming applicant's details and residence
• NIC of applicant
• For institutions: registration documents of the organisation

1. 1

   The DS has authority under the State Lands (Recovery of Possession) Ordinance to issue notice to a person occupying state land without a permit.

2. 2

   An inquiry is held before the Magistrate if the occupant refuse to vacate. The burden of proof is on the occupant to show they have a lawful right to the land.

3. 3

   If no lawful title is shown, a recovery order is issued and the occupant must vacate. Any structures may be demolished at the occupant's expense.

4. 4

   If a neighbour is encroaching on your permit or grant land, submit a written complaint to the DS with a sketch plan. The DS can take action under the LDO against trespassers on permit land.

• You cannot claim prescription against state land — living on it for years, even decades, gives you no legal right
• All waste, forest, unoccupied and uncultivated land is presumed to be state land under the State Lands Encroachments Ordinance until the contrary is proved
• The previous regularisation of encroachments programme has been cancelled — there is currently no scheme to legalise encroachments
• Constructing on state land without a permit can result in eviction and demolition of structures
• Encroachment complaints: submit in writing to the DS with a sketch plan and GN report

• Buying / selling private land — handled by a Notary Public. Deed must be registered at the Land Registry of your district to be legally valid.
• Registering a deed / searching ownership — Registrar General's Department or Land Registry, Matara District.
• Official survey and boundary disputes — Survey Department for cadastral plans; disputes resolved in civil courts.
• Land settlement / proving ownership of ancestral land — Department of Land Settlement.
• Valuation for tax / stamp duty — Valuation Department.
• Compulsory land acquisition by government — published in the Government Gazette and handled by the Ministry of Land.
• Prescription claims (10-year adverse possession) — filed in the District Court of Matara. This does NOT apply to state land.

• Land Registry, Matara — deed registration and title searches
• Survey Department, Matara — official survey plans and boundary disputes
• Matara District Secretariat — district-level land matters and approvals
• Department of Land Settlement — landsettledept.gov.lk
• Land Commissioner General's Dept — landcom.gov.lk
• Survey Department — survey.gov.lk