Property
All land vested in the President, held on 99-year leasehold, with customary tenure alongside
The Lands Act 1995 vests all land in the President in perpetuity, held in trust for the people. There is no freehold: the maximum private interest is a 99-year state lease, registered in the Lands and Deeds Registry. Customary land, the majority by area, is administered by chiefs and must be converted to leasehold before it can be registered or mortgaged.
Key rules
- Jurisdiction — The Ministry of Lands issues leases; the Lands and Deeds Registry registers; the Lands Tribunal hears disputes.
- Deadline — Conversion from customary to leasehold requires chief's consent and council recommendation before ministerial approval
Governing law
- Lands Act 29 of 1995 — all land vested in the President; 99-year leases
- Lands and Deeds Registry ActChapter 185
- Lands Tribunal Act 39 of 2010
In practice
The absence of freehold is the defining feature: every registered Zambian title is a leasehold from the state, and the conversion of customary land into that system — requiring chiefly consent — is the single most contested process in Zambian property practice.