Land Use Control and Agricultural Land Protection Ordinance 2026: 18 land zones, new offences
The Land Use Control and Agricultural Land Protection Ordinance 2026 (Ordinance No. 12 of 2026, promulgated 19 January 2026) zones all land in Bangladesh into 18 classes and makes it an offence to change a parcel’s use or fill agricultural land or a waterbody without permission.
What the Ordinance does
Every parcel falls into one of 18 land classes. Changing a parcel’s zone, or filling agricultural land or a waterbody, without permission is an offence. Penalties run from six months’ imprisonment or a Tk 1 lakh fine up to three years or Tk 10 lakh for destroying land in a special agricultural zone. Mobile courts can try these offences on the spot.
Who should take note
Developers and buyers of low-lying or agricultural land around the cities; anyone planning to convert farmland to housing, a factory site or a commercial plot; and landowners whose parcels may be classed into a protected zone. A plot’s zoning now belongs on every due-diligence checklist, next to the khatian and DCR.
Status
This is an ordinance, promulgated during the parliamentary interval. Watch for its conversion into an Act — and for the rules that will set out how zone-change permission is applied for. We will update this note when either happens.
What it means for you
Before buying land for development, ask one more question: what class is this parcel in, and does the intended use need zone-change permission? A cheap plot in the wrong class can now carry criminal risk, not just civil risk.
Sources
Related guides
Laws and forms behind this guide
Authentic texts hosted by BD Advocacy. Section numbers are the ones this guide relies on.
Talk to us about this change
A written first assessment is free, with no obligation.
Comments
No comments yet. Ask a question or share your view below.