Skip to main content
Real Estate

Pasture Status

A property's designation as pasture, summer grazing or winter grazing land. Protected under Pasture Law 4342; pasture-status land is subject to special restrictions and generally closed to construction.

Pasture status (Turkish: *Mera Vasfı*) is the protected classification of a property as pasture, summer grazing (*yaylak*) or winter grazing (*kışlak*) under Pasture Law 4342 (25.02.1998). Pasture-status land is recorded in the land registry as "Pasture", "Summer Grazing" or "Winter Grazing" and is held under state authority and disposition (Pasture Law art. 4).

Core features:

- Not subject to private ownership — residents of the village or municipality hold a collective usufruct right over the pasture (entitled users). - Cannot be sold, donated or transferred outside of expropriation. - Closed to construction; however, for limited public-interest purposes listed in Pasture Law art. 14 (roads, schools, healthcare, defence, disaster housing, energy, etc.) a change of allocation purpose can be granted. - The change procedure: Council of Ministers decree + line ministry request + Provincial Pasture Commission + Ministry of Agriculture approval.

Critical point in real estate transactions: When buying a property, the registry type/quality (vasıf) must be checked. The sale of a "Pasture"-status property is legally invalid; in places where the register has not been updated, sale attempts may still occur. Supreme Court decisions emphasise the precedence of pasture status (Civil Code art. 715 + Pasture Law art. 4).

Parcel query: The property type/quality can be verified at parselsorgu.tkgm.gov.tr or via the TKGM WebTapu system. Designations such as "Pasture", "Summer Grazing", "Winter Grazing", "Forest", or "Category 2/B" impose construction limitations.

Category 2/B exception: Under Law 6292, certain former forest-status lands that lost their forest designation can be sold to users; there is no such general sale mechanism for pasture lands.

Examples

  • 1.An investor wanted to buy 50 dönüm (≈ 5 hectares) outside a village; the land registry query showed status as "Pasture" → the transaction was refused; the land belongs to the village pasture commons and cannot be sold.
  • 2.The state required a pasture property for a highway project → via Council of Ministers decree the pasture status was revoked, the land passed to the Treasury, the project began.
  • 3.A construction firm attempted to build on a former village pasture; the village headman and Provincial Agriculture Directorate sued, the structure was demolished (Civil Code + Pasture Law art. 14).

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I buy pasture land?expand_more
No. Pasture-status properties are **not subject to private ownership** under Pasture Law 4342 art. 4 and cannot be sold. Any sale contract over a property registered as "Pasture", "Summer Grazing" or "Winter Grazing" is legally invalid. Recovery of money, cadastre-error claims or compensation actions are possible, but title transfer to you is not.
How does pasture status get removed?expand_more
For public-interest cases listed in Pasture Law art. 14 (roads, schools, energy, disaster housing, defence, etc.), a **change of allocation purpose** procedure applies: line ministry request → Provincial Pasture Commission report → Ministry of Agriculture approval → Council of Ministers decree removes the status and transfers the land to the Treasury. The process typically takes 1-3 years. Housing projects can use this path but it is long and dependent on central approvals.
How do I check pasture status when buying?expand_more
Three methods: (1) **parselsorgu.tkgm.gov.tr** — enter block/parcel to see the type. (2) Request a **registry extract** from the Land Registry. (3) Use the **e-Government** "Title Information Query" service. If the type reads "Pasture", "Summer Grazing" or "Winter Grazing", do not proceed.
I've used a village pasture for years — do I have a claim?expand_more
Possession over pasture does **not create ownership** — the land is held under state authority (Civil Code art. 715 + Pasture Law art. 4). Your collective usufruct rights (grazing, mowing) continue but you cannot enclose, build on or sell the land. The TMK art. 713 extraordinary prescription does not apply to pasture.

Related Terms

PossessionCadastre (Kadastro)Title Registration

Sources

  • • Pasture Law 4342 (25.02.1998)
  • • Pasture Law 4342 art. 4 (definition), art. 14 (change of allocation purpose)
  • • Turkish Civil Code 4721 art. 715 (property under public disposition)
  • • TKGM Parcel Query (parselsorgu.tkgm.gov.tr)

Try the FAR/GCR calculator

Calculate total floor area, storey count and estimated unit count in seconds from parcel m² and zoning values.

Go to Calculatorarrow_forward

Last updated: 2026-04-24