The HMDA Master Plan 2031 land-use zones in plain words (residential R1–R4, peri-urban, conservation, water bodies and more), what can be built in each, how to check a survey number’s zone, GO 111, and the coming Master Plan 2050.
Sadat HM1 November 20265 min read
Before you buy land around Hyderabad, check its zone in the HMDA master plan. The zone decides what can be built there. A plot sold as “residential” can sit in an agricultural, water-body or peri-urban zone where building is restricted.
The main zones in HMDA Master Plan 2031
Residential R1–R3
Residential development allowed. R1 is next to growth corridors (higher density), R2 other urban areas, R3 urban centres
R4 (village settlements)
Gramakantham: natural expansion of villages only, not plotted layouts
Commercial
Shops, offices, mixed use
Manufacturing
Industry and work centres, not housing
Peri-urban
Transition areas. Limited coverage (about 25% of the land) and height limits (about 18 m residential, 15 m commercial)
Agricultural / conservation
Farming. No layouts without a change of land use
Water bodies
Lakes, tanks, kuntas, nalas. No construction inside the full tank level (FTL), plus a buffer of 30 m or 9 m depending on the water body
Forest, recreation, public use
Not for private housing
How to check a plot’s zone
Get the survey number, village and mandal from the sale deed or pahani.
Check the land use on the master plan maps published by HMDA ↗, or ask HMDA in writing for the land use of that survey number.
Check the distance from any lake or nala, and the FTL and buffer, before you pay.
Near the airport, also check the height limit: buildings need an Airports Authority of India NOC (NOCAS portal) and the old HADA zoning still applies in parts.
Changing a zone (a change of land use) is decided by HMDA and takes time and fees. Never buy on a promise that a zone “will be changed”.
What has changed recently
May 2023: the State Cabinet scrapped GO 111, which had restricted building in 84 villages in the catchment of Osman Sagar and Himayat Sagar (Shamshabad, Rajendranagar, Moinabad, Chevella and Shabad mandals).
March 2025: HMDA’s area was expanded to about 10,472 sq km (G.O.Ms.No.68), covering the Regional Ring Road belt. 36 villages moved to the new Future City Development Authority.
Master Plan 2050: under preparation, with mobility, economic and blue-green sub-plans reported complete in April 2025. It will split the region into three parts: up to the ORR, ORR to RRR, and beyond the RRR. Until it is notified, the existing master plans apply.
Share the project or area you’re considering. I’ll check the approvals, the RERA record and what is actually on the ground, and tell you plainly what I find. The first call is free.
