TAMA 38 expired on 18 May. In our cities — who already has a replacement and who does not

What happened

TAMA 38 — the national outline plan for reinforcing buildings against earthquakes — expired for good on 18 May 2026. From that day, no new building-permit application can be filed under it anywhere in the country.

This was not sudden. The National Planning and Building Council approved discontinuing the plan in April 2024, and on 31 July 2024 it lapsed for most authorities. Fifteen authorities that had filed a replacement "building renewal" plan with the planning institutions received an extension — until May 2026, or until their new plan was approved, whichever came first. That extension has now run out.

What replaces it

Two tracks:

1. Municipal building-renewal plans — each city drafts its own plan, fitted to its infrastructure, urban fabric and building character, instead of one sweeping national plan.
2. The "Shaked alternative" — a parallel track that allows permits to be issued while the plans are still in approval.

Where this stands in cities with a large community

Per a review by Nimrod Buso at Nadlan Center published 10 June 2026:

Replacement plan already approved — Ramla, Yavne, Ra'anana, Hadera, Kfar Saba, Petah Tikva, Beersheba, Givatayim.

Plan still in process — Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Haifa, Ramat Gan, Rishon LeZion, Beit Shemesh, Ashkelon and others.

Three cities chose back in 2024 not to seek an extension at all: Lod, Bat Yam and Bnei Brak. Tel Aviv-Yafo announced it would not promote a replacement plan, relying instead on the Shaked amendment and district renewal plans.

Buso quotes the head of planning at the Urban Renewal Authority: "In 2022, when we started working on the plans, we did not think that four years later a substantial part of them would still not be in force." Per the same review, not a single building permit had yet been issued under the Shaked alternative as of publication.

What this means for you

• If you already hold a valid TAMA 38 building permit — your project continues. The expiry concerns new applications.
• If your building is mid-negotiation with a developer over TAMA 38 — check with the local planning committee which track the project can now advance under. In cities with no approved plan yet, expect real delay.
• If you are in a pinui-binui project — that is an entirely separate legal track. The TAMA 38 expiry does not touch it.

A practical warning: this is exactly the kind of moment when half-information circulates in residents' WhatsApp groups. Do not sign anything with a developer on the strength of what someone said about the planning situation. Ask for the plan number and check it with the local committee or on the Planning Administration site.

Read also

• Urban renewal — all neighbourhoods
• Cities — all city pages
• Housing — community data

Sources

• Nimrod Buso, "A dangerous vacuum: TAMA 38 has finally expired, and most cities have no replacement", Nadlan Center, 10 June 2026
• Hila Tzion, "The end of TAMA 38: what will replace it and where it will nonetheless continue — the full list", ynet, 31 July 2024