In the meeting held on Tuesday, August 5, 2025, the National Council for Planning and Construction, chaired by Rabbi Natan Elnatan, approved the amendment to the Inspection Institutes Regulations - a step that completes the national reform in planning and execution inspection in the construction sector.
What it means: Starting January 2026, all types of buildings and works in Israel will be required to pass through certified inspection institutes as a condition for issuing building permits, approval to start works, and final certificates, except for exceptional and complex buildings that are exempted by the regulations.
A historic amendment following the Versailles disaster
Inspection institutes were established following the conclusions of the State Inquiry Committee into the Versailles disaster, chaired by Judge Zeiler, with the goal of improving building safety in Israel and preventing similar failures in the future. Today, there are seven inspection institutes in the country accredited by the National Authority for Laboratory Accreditation, operating design and execution inspectors trained and approved by various state bodies - including the Fire and Rescue Authority, Home Front Command, Health Ministry, and Environmental Protection Ministry.
The inspection procedures carried out by the institutes include sample and process tests on building planning and execution, aiming to ensure a high standard of safety, stability, and quality. Their recommendation is essential for continuing licensing procedures - from building permits to final occupancy approval.
So far, only three phases have been implemented, and the inspection requirement applied only to residential, office, and commercial buildings up to 42 meters high, public buildings and storage up to 29 meters high, as well as mixed-use buildings.
What will enter the fourth phase - and what won’t?
In January 2026, the fourth and final phase will come into effect, extending the obligation to all other building types - including high-rise buildings, industrial buildings, and complex compounds - as part of broadening the regulations’ scope.
However, the regulations exempt several building types from the inspection requirement, including hospitals, ports (land, sea, and air), complex infrastructure facilities, and other buildings with low risk or unique complexity that require special expertise and therefore will not pass through the regular inspection institutes.
This move was made in cooperation with all relevant parties: the inspection institutes, Fire and Rescue Authority, Home Front Command, Health Ministry, and Environmental Protection Ministry.
Rabbi Natan Elnatan, Chairman of the National Council, emphasized that this is a "critical step in upgrading Israel’s licensing and construction system," stating that "applying inspection to all building types will ensure a high and uniform level of safety, reliability, and quality - from planning stages to execution."
Rafi Almaliach, CEO of the Planning Administration, also welcomed the approval, saying, "Israel’s planning system is advancing another significant step toward modernization and efficiency. The application of uniform inspection will significantly shorten the timelines for obtaining building permits, while uncompromisingly maintaining public safety and construction quality."
"A significant milestone in upgrading Israel’s licensing and construction system"
Ariela Yariv Gotenberg, CEO of Calibrate, a building quality inspection institute: "Completing the reform represents a significant milestone in upgrading Israel’s licensing and construction system. Expanding the scope of inspection institutes to cover all building types (except for the exceptional buildings defined in the regulations) will enable ensuring public safety and construction quality at a uniform and high level, from planning stages to final certificate, shortening and streamlining licensing procedures in a way that provides developers and residents with greater certainty and transparency, and strengthening trust in the construction system through professional, independent, and transparent inspection."
"We at Calibrate see this move as strengthening the central role of the inspection institute as a professional mechanism that protects the public and enables quality, responsible, and safe construction. We will continue to operate in the spirit of accuracy, responsibility, and excellence, committed to our partners and the security of the residents."