Is this land inside a HACA area?
HACA, the Hill Area Conservation Authority, covers 595 hill villages in 55 taluks of Tamil Nadu, and a building of more than 300 sq m in them needs its approval before the local building permission. Drop a pin and the check tells you whether the land is inside the HACA boundary and names the village, taluk and district.
Sign in with your phone to run it. You see the price and approve it before anything runs.
- Inside or outside the HACA boundary at the pin
- The parcel located under the pin
- The severe layers (monument buffers, reserve forest, Ramsar wetland, swamp, flood, water bodies, the Redhills catchment) swept at the same pin, shown only if they hit
1 creditper run, charged when the register answers
What we need
One thing at a time. Fill it in and press Run.
The answer
From the register, with its date and source.
Nothing run yet. The answer appears here with everything this mini adds:
- Inside or outside the HACA boundary at the pin
- The parcel located under the pin
- The severe layers (monument buffers, reserve forest, Ramsar wetland, swamp, flood, water bodies, the Redhills catchment) swept at the same pin, shown only if they hit
HACA, briefly
The Tamil Nadu authority set up in the 1990s to regulate building, land use and resource extraction in the ecologically sensitive hill villages of the Western and Eastern Ghats.
- Coverage
- 595 villages
Hill villages across 55 taluks, defined village by village, so two plots a few kilometres apart can fall on either side of the line.
- Approval threshold
- 300 sq m
Buildings above 300 sq m (about 3,229 sq ft) need HACA approval before construction starts.
- How it is applied for
- By survey number
Applications go by survey number and village to the District Collector, who places them before the HACA committee.
How to check if land is in a HACA area
- 1
Place the pin on the land
Tap the plot on the map, paste a Google Maps link to it, or use your location while you stand on it. The survey parcel under the pin is found as well.
- 2
Press Run
The pin is tested against the HACA boundary on the Tamil Nadu GIS.
- 3
Read the verdict
Inside reads Flagged and names the HACA village, taluk and district. Outside the boundary reads Clear.
When it helps with land
A cottage or homestay plot
In the Nilgiris, Kodaikanal, Yercaud or Valparai, know whether the 300 sq m approval applies before you plan the building that makes the plot worth buying.
Foothill farm land
Around the Coimbatore and Theni foothills the HACA line runs village by village. The pin settles which side the plot is on.
A resort or project site
A large building in a HACA village goes through the HACA committee as well as the local body, which adds a step and time to plan for.
The boundary map is a first look. Confirm the HACA status of the survey number with the Village Administrative Officer or the District Collector's office before you buy, and check the other hill rules too: reserve forest, eco-sensitive zones and slopes are separate questions.
Questions people ask
What is the full form of HACA?
Hill Area Conservation Authority. It was set up in Tamil Nadu in the 1990s to conserve the natural and mineral resources of the hill areas, and it regulates development in 595 hill villages across 55 taluks.
Which areas fall under HACA?
The whole of the Nilgiris, and hill areas of Coimbatore (Valparai, Pollachi), Theni, Dindigul, Tirunelveli, Kanniyakumari, Erode, Salem (Yercaud), Dharmapuri and Krishnagiri, defined village by village.
When is HACA approval needed?
For a building of more than 300 sq m (about 3,229 sq ft) in a HACA village, before construction begins and before the local planning permission. Smaller homes go through the local body under the building rules.
How do I get HACA clearance?
Apply with the survey number, village, ownership documents and building plans to the District Collector's office, which places the application before the HACA committee after a site inspection.
Can HACA land be bought and sold?
Yes, private land in a HACA village can change hands. What changes is what can be built on it, so confirm the permitted use before paying for a plot on the strength of a building plan.
Is there a list of HACA villages in Coimbatore?
HACA is defined village by village, and the check reads the HACA boundary itself, so dropping a pin tells you directly whether the land is in a HACA village and names it.
What does it cost?
1 credit per pin, charged only when the layer gives a real answer. The free HACA boundary finder page stays available; this check adds the survey parcel under the pin, a sweep of the severe layers and a saved answer.