Land Near a Forest Reserve or National Park in Khao Yai: What to Check Before You Buy

Land near a forest reserve or national park: what to check before buying land near Khao Yai and Pak Chong

Land near a forest reserve or national park is a real issue around Khao Yai and Pak Chong. This area sits close to the boundary of national forest reserves and Khao Yai National Park, and quite a few plots overlap that boundary without the current owner even knowing it. Anyone looking for land to build a house here needs to check the boundary before agreeing to buy.

A common scenario: a buyer in Pak Chong negotiates a purchase almost to the finish line, then finds out midway that half the plot overlaps a national forest reserve boundary. That means only part of the land can be built on, or none of it in the overlapping section. It happens because nobody checked the boundary at the start.

Buying land near a forest reserve without knowing the boundary status creates more than a construction problem. There is also a risk that the title deed itself could later be revoked. This article walks through, step by step, how to check before buying land to build near Khao Yai or Pak Chong.

Check land near a forest reserve with the Royal Forest Department’s Phitak Phrai system

The Royal Forest Department runs an online system called Phitak Phrai, at change.forest.go.th, for checking whether a plot falls inside permanent forest land. A landowner or prospective buyer can enter coordinates or drop a pin on the plot for a preliminary check (source: Royal Forest Department, forest.go.th, and the change.forest.go.th system; accessed 25 September 2026).

The result from Phitak Phrai is preliminary information only. It cannot be used as a legal reference document. A forest officer still needs to confirm the result officially before it can support a purchase decision or a building permit application (source: forest.go.th).

Even if the preliminary check says the land does not overlap a forest reserve, it is worth confirming again with the local forest officer before putting down a deposit, since a pinned coordinate can be off. The closer the land sits to the Khao Yai National Park boundary, the more carefully this needs checking.

Verify the boundary with the Department of Lands before buying or surveying

Beyond the Forest Department’s system, the Department of Lands also has a process for checking national forest reserve, SAO (Or Bor Tor, meaning land reform allocation) land, and permanent forest boundaries as part of issuing a chanote (title deed) or resurveying land, carried out jointly with forest officials (source: Department of Lands, dol.go.th, Q&A Q2311-006595; accessed 25 September 2026).

Before buying, it is worth asking the local Land Office to resurvey the boundary and confirm whether the boundary shown on the chanote matches the actually declared forest reserve boundary. This step takes time and costs money, but it cuts the risk considerably, especially for older plots that have not been resurveyed in a long time.

A thorough check covers both sides: a preliminary look with the Forest Department’s Phitak Phrai system, and an official boundary confirmation from the Department of Lands. Never rely only on what the seller or an agent says, because sometimes even the current owner does not know the land overlaps a forest reserve.

If someone occupied the land before the forest reserve was declared

Under the National Forest Reserve Act B.E. 2507 (1964), Section 12, anyone who held rights to or was making use of land before the ministerial regulation declaring a forest reserve took effect must file a claim within 90 days of that regulation taking effect (source: National Forest Reserve Act B.E. 2507, via Royal Forest Department data at forest.go.th).

If it can be proven that the person genuinely occupied and used the land beforehand, the part of the forest reserve overlapping that land is revoked or excluded, and the Department of Lands issues a proper title deed. That said, the 90-day window under this law passed long ago for most areas, so this now comes down to a careful check of the land’s history.

Some plots around Pak Chong and Khao Yai do have an old occupation history that predates the forest reserve declaration, but later owners may not hold complete supporting documents. A buyer should ask to see the original title documents and the full chain of how the land was acquired, not just the most recent chanote.

When a chanote overlaps forest land: the risk of revocation

Section 61 of the Land Code gives the Director-General of the Department of Lands, or a deputy director-general with delegated authority, the power to revoke or correct a chanote or Nor Sor 3 (a lesser land document) that was issued in error or unlawfully, such as one issued over state land or a forest reserve (source: Department of Lands, via reporting from Matichon at matichon.co.th/publicize/news_5290710 and Prachachat at prachachat.net/property/news-1850901).

This power covers three situations: a final court judgment, an administrative or printing error, and other cases of erroneous or unlawful issuance established through an investigation committee. In one reported example, the Department of Lands revoked 17 chanotes issued over forest land in Tak province, which is cited here only as an illustration.

In practice, holding a chanote does not guarantee the land will never be revoked. If it is later found that the deed was issued over a forest reserve unlawfully, it can still be undone. A buyer should check the history of how a chanote came to be issued, rather than assuming a title deed alone means the land is safe.

Planning a house near Khao Yai without boundary surprises

There is no fixed, legally defined buffer distance around Khao Yai National Park that applies in every case; it depends on the actually declared boundary of each individual plot, approximately, and needs checking plot by plot. Two plots sitting a similar distance from Khao Yai can have completely different statuses: one clearly outside the boundary, the other partly overlapping it.

Before buying land in the Khao Yai or Pak Chong area to build a house, it is worth checking the Phitak Phrai system, getting a boundary resurvey from the Department of Lands, and reviewing the title’s full history, all before putting down money. The OBILIS team, which works with clients building homes around Korat, Roi Et, Khao Yai, and Pak Chong, generally advises clients to confirm the boundary first, before starting the building permit process.

If you want a figure for the house you actually have in mind, try the budget planner first, or contact us for an estimate based on your real plan and land.

Checking in advance can feel like it slows things down, but it costs far less than buying first and discovering the problem later. Note that foreigners generally cannot own land in Thailand outright, which makes getting the land status right before any transfer even more important.

Related reading: Sor Por Kor Land in Thailand: Restrictions on Building a House Before You Buy | Land Use Zoning Colors in Thailand: Which Colors Let You Build a House in Isan

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you build a house on land near a forest reserve?

It depends on whether the land actually overlaps the forest reserve boundary, and how much. If the section where the house will stand sits outside the forest reserve boundary and the title documents are valid, building can proceed as normal. The boundary still needs to be confirmed clearly with the Royal Forest Department and the Department of Lands first.

Where can I check land near a forest reserve myself?

A preliminary check is available through the Royal Forest Department’s Phitak Phrai system at change.forest.go.th, by entering coordinates or dropping a pin on the plot. The result is preliminary information only, and needs official confirmation from forest officials and the Department of Lands before it can support a purchase decision.

If a chanote was issued over forest reserve land, can it be revoked?

Yes, there is a risk under Section 61 of the Land Code, which gives the Director-General of the Department of Lands authority to revoke a chanote issued in error or unlawfully, such as one issued over a forest reserve. It is worth checking the history of how the chanote was issued carefully before buying, to reduce this risk.