Building permits, Corona and everything in between Extension of periods in the law due to the Corona virus

Jan 31, 2021

By: Shlomi Hadar, Attorney – John Geva, Hadar & Co. Attorneys

Much has been written about the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic and its implications for the private market. As for the construction industry, the prevailing opinion is that a complete shutdown of the industry would mean a loss of billions of shekels in investment value, as well as a risk of severe damage to the economic situation of hundreds of thousands of workers in the industry and supporting industries.

Therefore, the guideline is that continuing work in the construction industry in accordance with regulations will prevent enormous harm to the Israeli economy and to the hundreds of thousands of Israelis who rely on the industry's continued activity for their livelihood.

By: Shlomi Hadar, Attorney – John Geva, Hadar & Co. Attorneys

Much has been written about the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic and its implications for the private market. As for the construction industry, the prevailing opinion is that a complete shutdown of the industry would mean a loss of billions of shekels in investment value, as well as a risk of severe damage to the economic situation of hundreds of thousands of workers in the industry and supporting industries.

Therefore, the guideline is that continuing work in the construction industry in accordance with regulations will prevent enormous harm to the Israeli economy and to the hundreds of thousands of Israelis who rely on the industry's continued activity for their livelihood.

Law on Extension of Periods

On January 12, 2021, the Extension of Periods (Temporary Provision - New Coronavirus) (Regulatory Approvals) (Amendment) Law, 5771-2021 (hereinafter: "the Law") was published. This is an amendment to the "main" law, the Extension of Periods (Temporary Provision - New Coronavirus) (Regulatory Approvals) Law, 5774 - 2020, the purpose of which is to extend the validity of various regulatory approvals, and licenses whose validity was expected to expire, in order to ease the "regulatory burden" imposed on the private market during this period.

The aforementioned amendment included, for the first time, regulatory permits under the Planning and Building Law, 5725-1965 (hereinafter: the "Planning Law") whose expiration date was extended (for example, the expiration date that applied in the period from 1.1.2021 to 30.9.2021 was extended for a year in relation to a building permit; a permit for an extraordinary use that does not require approval from an additional planning institution (such as a district committee or a local committee); an information file for a permit; a decision by a licensing authority (or local committee) to approve an application for a permit (spatial decision); consideration should be given to the aforementioned regarding the classifications of the various permits and the entity that granted the relevant permit or to previous extensions granted, for example, by virtue of the temporary provision set forth in the Planning and Building Regulations (Building Licensing) (Temporary Provision), 574-2020.

It is therefore proposed that, with regard to planning schedules for projects in progress and those in planning, a comprehensive review of the schedules and validity of the various official approvals will be conducted in accordance with the amendment, a link to which is attached for your convenience https://www.nevo.co.il/law_html/law01/502_314.htm