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Since the nation started listing privately held landholdings for tax purposes, Bhutan has had land administration agencies. In order to conduct chain surveys, the Land Revenue Survey Office—the first official office—was founded in Samtse in 1956. The Land Record and Settlement Office in 1967 and the Office of the Chief of Survey in 1972 were among the subsequent offices. In 1986, these offices united to establish the Survey of Bhutan. In 1999, it changed its name to the Department of Survey and Land Records, and in 2003, it was moved to the Ministry of Agriculture. 

There was no formal legislation to govern and regulate land use and management until 1953. Customary laws regulated land use in Bhutan prior to 1953 (Ura, 1995; as cited by Dorji, 2007). With the enactment of Thrimshung Chenmo or Supreme Laws of Bhutan in 1953, land use was governed by the first national legislation. The section on land was superseded by the Land Act of 1979 that lasted for 28 years although numerous resolutions adopted subsequently by the National Assembly of Bhutan became part of this national land legislation. The erstwhile National Assembly of Bhutan revised Land Act of 1979 and adopted as the Land Act of Bhutan 2007 which came into force with effect from January 01, 2008 (ibid).

The Department of Survey and Land Records served as the secretariat for the National Land Commission, which was established in pursuant to the Land Act 2007. Currently, the National Land Commission Secretariat (NLCS) has three departments. Department of Survey and Mapping (DoSAM), and Department of Land Administration and Management (DoLAM) that undertakes line functions of the NLCS. While the Secretariat Department undertakes the POSDCORB functions (Planning, Organizing, Staffing, Directing, Coordinating, Reporting and Budgeting).

In every nation on earth, land management and administration are essential to any government. Every nation must “deal with the four functions of land tenure, land value, land use, and land development” in one manner or another (Enemark, 2004; p.1). One of the primary functions of the NLCS is to establish the policies, programs, regulations, and guidelines for execution in pursuant to the provisions of the Land Act 2007. The delivery and achievement of socio-economic advancement, environmental preservation, and good governance are now commonly recognized conceptual frameworks for all Land Administration Systems (LAS).

In addition to supporting land market operations and conservation initiatives, the commission secretariat is in charge of overseeing and controlling land ownership and use for socioeconomic development. In addition to approving the exchange of rural registered land with State Reserved Forests land, the act gives the commission the authority to recommend the designation of areas as Thromde, industrial, and protected agricultural areas. The commission can also approve the leasing of State and State Reserve Forest land for a variety of business and development purposes. For all of these procedures to guarantee appropriate land use zoning, spatial planning, and ecosystem preservation, environmental impact assessments are necessary.