You can add a mamad (ממ”ד, merhav mugan dirati, the reinforced safe room inside a home) to an existing Israeli house or flat by one of three routes, and the size of the building decides which one. A ground-attached house, or a flat in a residential building of no more than two storeys above ground, could use a fast route with no building permit, approved only by the Home Front Command (פיקוד העורף, Pikud HaOref). A building over two storeys and up to 29 metres high uses shortened permit licensing, and a taller high-rise goes through full licensing. The permit-free route is a temporary order (הוראת שעה, hora’at sha’a), and the Planning Administration gives its end date as 26 October 2026. That date has passed. When we checked the official pages on 30 October 2026 the Planning Administration still showed that end date, and we found no published extension, so confirm the route is open before you start any work.
The question matters to buyers as much as to owners. Many older homes have none, and in the Central Bureau of Statistics 2025 Social Survey 50% of households reported having one. If you are weighing up a flat that lacks a protected room, our mamad and shelter check explains how to see what protection a home has today.
Which route applies to your home
Start with the building, not the room. Every route needs Home Front Command approval of the design; what changes is whether the local licensing authority has to issue a permit first.
| Your home | Route | Who approves before building | Neighbours’ objections |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ground-attached house, or a flat in a residential building of up to two storeys above ground with no floors below ground | Exempt from a building permit (temporary order), if every condition below is met | Home Front Command only; the local licensing authority is told after the work is finished | No permit process, so no objection stage |
| Building over two storeys and up to 29 metres high | Shortened licensing: no permit information stage and a reduced application | Local licensing authority, with Home Front Command approval | No publication for objections |
| High-rise (multi-storey) building above that | Full licensing: all the normal permit stages | Local licensing authority, with Home Front Command approval | Normal permit stages apply; takes longer than shortened licensing |
Source: Planning Administration, questions and answers on building a mamad without a permit, published 29 April 2026, checked 30 October 2026.
The general permit process, with every stage of an application, is explained in our guide to getting a building permit in Israel.
Is the permit-free route still open?
The Planning Administration states that the temporary order runs from 26 October 2023 to 26 October 2026. It came with a national outline plan for protection, TAMA 40/A/1/1 (תמ”א 40/א/1/1), which the Planning Administration says is valid until the end of 2028. The outline plan is what relaxes building lines and other plan rules for a mamad; it does not on its own exempt you from a permit.
In government decision 4195 of 2 June 2026 the Planning Administration said it would bring the Interior Minister recommendations for new regulations, including temporary orders, to speed up protection and earthquake strengthening. As of 30 October 2026 the stated end date has passed and we found no official publication extending the exemption. Before you rely on it, ask the Planning Administration’s support centre (details under Contacts below) or your local planning committee whether the exempt route is in force on the day you submit. If it is not, the shortened or full licensing route still lets you build.
Who qualifies for the permit-free route
All of these must be true:
- The home is an existing dwelling built legally, with a permit.
- It is a ground-attached house, or a flat in a residential building of no more than two storeys above ground (flat above flat) with no floors below ground. There is no limit on the number of flats on a floor.
- The flat does not already have a mamad.
- The mamad will not adjoin an illegal part of the building. Building violations elsewhere in the home do not by themselves rule the route out.
- The building, or the plot, is not designated for preservation in an approved plan or preservation list.
- The work complies with every plan that applies to the plot on matters the outline plan does not regulate, and with the Planning and Building (Works and Structures Exempt from Permit) Regulations 2014, especially regulation 2. The person preparing the application has to check this before applying.
Flats that were split legally qualify, and so do buildings that already have a shared shelter. The route covers only a standard or enlarged mamad attached to the flat. It does not allow a portable shelter (מיגונית, migonit), a security room, a shared floor space or any other kind of protection, and the application may not include other additions or changes of area.
How big the room is
| Item | Size | When it applies |
|---|---|---|
| Standard mamad | 9 square metres net, 22.5 cubic metres | The size set by the Civil Defense regulations |
| Reduced mamad | Not less than 5 square metres net | Only by Home Front Command exception, where the site does not allow the standard size |
| Entrance vestibule | Up to 5 square metres gross, walls included | Where the Home Front Command requires it; built next to the existing building, with access to the mamad through it |
| Enlarged mamad (Amendment 163) | Up to 3 square metres more for a toilet or bathroom, plus up to 3 more for the mamad itself only if the bathroom is also built: up to 15 square metres net, walls on top | An existing building that is not a multi-storey high-rise (over 29 metres), where the permit relies on a plan deposited by 22 July 2025, the day Amendment 163 took effect; the extra area needs Home Front Command approval and is not automatic |
Sources: Planning Administration mamad Q&A (29 April 2026) and Planning Administration, Amendment 163 questions and answers, checked 30 October 2026.
Under the Planning and Building Law a mamad is not a deviation from the plan. Where the plan sets no area for one, it can be built on top of all the other building area the plot is allowed, so you do not need a relief (הקלה, hakala) procedure for the standard room. Amendment 163, in force since 22 July 2025, says the same of the extra area it allows, and the enlarged room can also be built under the permit-free route, subject to the plan’s rules on building lines, coverage and height.
How close to the boundary you can build
TAMA 40/A/1/1 lets a mamad added to an existing home extend beyond the building lines in the plan, up to 2 metres from the plot boundary as of right, and in some cases to 1 metre at the licensing authority’s discretion. For a ground-attached or low-rise home in the permit-free route, the mamad may come to 1 metre from the boundary in every direction as of right. The outline plan also allows other deviations, such as higher site coverage and less distance between buildings.
These relaxations were written for the standard 9 square metre room. The Planning Administration says an amendment, TAMA 40/A/1/1/2, has been approved to allow deviations from existing plans for an enlarged room under Amendment 163; ask the person preparing your plans which version applies to your plot.
Step by step: the permit-free route
- Check feasibility. Have an architect or engineer check the plot, the building lines, the plans that apply and whether the home meets every condition above. In a shared building, find out whether you need the other owners’ consent before you go further.
- Appoint the professionals. The owner of the property rights appoints a permit preparer (an architect, a structural engineer or a qualified technician) and a civil engineer or technician. They design the room under the law, submit it to the Home Front Command, supervise the structure and report completion.
- Design the room. The design follows the Civil Defense specification regulations. The Home Front Command publishes ready model designs with reinforced doors that avoid extra protective walls inside the house; using them is optional but can make the review easier. In light construction (not concrete or blocks) the mamad needs an entrance vestibule that protects its door. The design also depends on whether the Home Front Command classifies your community as a front or a rear area, and all accessibility rules for people with disabilities apply.
- Submit to the Home Front Command. The preparer opens a new file in the Home Front Command’s online licensing system under the classification “Temporary order, Iron Swords”. The protection appendix includes a summary table, an area table that counts the walls, the signed declaration in Appendix A, 1:100 floor plans, at least two sections and elevations showing the room, the opening to be cut into the house (at least 100 cm wide and 220 cm high), 1:50 architectural and engineering drawings with a foundation appendix, and a contract with an accredited laboratory for concrete tests under Israeli Standard 466.
- Wait for approval. The Home Front Command approves or rejects the plan within up to 14 days (calendar days, not counting the day of submission). If it asks for corrections, the plan is resubmitted and reviewed again. Work may start only after approval.
- Build and test. The applicant, the preparer and the engineer are responsible for building to the approved appendix. Every test required by Israeli standards is carried out, and only products approved by the Standards Institution and the Home Front Command are installed: the door, window, ventilation pipes, filtration system and pipe passages.
- Report completion. Within 45 days of finishing, the preparer notifies the local licensing authority and the Home Front Command through the gov.il completion notice service, with every document in the list below.
What the completion notice must include
The service will not accept the notice unless every item is attached:
- The Home Front Command’s design approval and the documents submitted to get it.
- A registered structural engineer’s declaration that the mamad is stable and that building it did not harm the building’s frame, stability or systems.
- The preparer’s declaration that the mamad matches the plans and spatial guidelines for the plot, building lines included.
- The rights holder’s declaration and the form appointing the professionals.
- Concrete strength tests for the foundations, floor, walls and ceiling.
- A sealing test under Israeli Standard 4577 and a test of claddings and coatings under Israeli Standard 5075.
- The frames installer’s approval for the protective frames (ventilation pipes, window and door) under Israeli Standard 4422.
- The ventilation and filtration installer’s approval under Israeli Standard 4570, and approval of a standard pipe passage from a company the Home Front Command approves.
- Photos of each inside wall, of the door and the window from inside and outside, and of the filtration system.
- A witness map by a licensed surveyor showing the plot boundaries, the building lines, the existing building and where the mamad was added.
Copies go to the preparer and the rights holder, and the licensing authority and the Home Front Command can see the documents in the government forms system. Keep a full set yourself: a buyer’s lawyer will want to see them when you sell, as our guide to checking building permits before buying explains.
Can you use a prefabricated mamad?
Yes. Under the permit-free route the mamad can be cast in concrete on site or be a factory-made unit lifted into place by crane. A prefabricated unit still needs foundations cast on site and connection works after it is placed. Either way the mamad must adjoin the flat with a direct entrance from inside it, and if needed a connecting vestibule can be built in the same exempt process.
Betterment levy and costs
No betterment levy (היטל השבחה, heitel hashbacha) is due for a standard mamad of up to 9 square metres net, for an enlarged mamad under Amendment 163, or for rights used under TAMA 40/A/1/1. Using the outline plan also gives neighbouring plots no right to claim compensation for loss of value under section 197 of the Planning and Building Law. Our betterment levy guide covers how the levy works in other cases.
We have not found a dated, independently sourced price range for building a mamad, so we do not publish one. Get written quotes that list the design, the Home Front Command submission, the tests and the certified door, window and filtration system separately.
Grants near the northern border
Government decision 4195 of 2 June 2026 (updated 22 June 2026) set a programme to protect homes in communities 0 to 9 km from the Lebanon border, using the communities named in the forward-areas order of 25 May 2026. Ground homes are protected through “self-execution” under the Defence Ministry’s Magen HaTzafon (מגן הצפון, Northern Shield) project: the owner builds the mamad and receives a subsidy.
Source: Government decision 4195, sections 2.1 and 2.2, checked 30 October 2026.
- The subsidy is the same for everyone who receives eligibility in the same period.
- In the 1 to 5 km band, residents who already received an earlier Magen HaTzafon allocation get a retroactive top-up against receipts, up to the ILS 182,000 total, when the mamad is finished.
- For the 5 to 9 km band the decision defines an eligible home as ground-attached or in a building of no more than two storeys, built before 1992, without protection, and where a mamad can be built independently. The detailed criteria are the ones published on the Magen HaTzafon directorate’s site.
- Where a standard mamad cannot be built, for lack of space or another professional reason, the Home Front Command sets an alternative protection solution paid from the same budget.
The targets are about 6,000 ground homes 1 to 5 km from the border and about 10,650 ground homes 5 to 9 km from it by the end of 2030, and finishing the homes 0 to 1 km from the border under Magen HaTzafon by the end of 2027. A further 2,009 homes are to be protected through funded urban renewal.
For apartment buildings, the decision tells the Ministry of Construction and Housing to protect and strengthen against earthquakes 10,356 flats, with NIS 3,888 million spread over 2026 to 2035, and moves a 700-flat pilot in Kiryat Shmona to the ministry with NIS 228 million. The ministry’s page (updated 6 September 2026) describes this as about 11,000 flats in Kiryat Shmona, Maalot-Tarshiha and Nahariya at about NIS 4.2 billion. It says the work is at the mapping and planning stage and that residents do not need to do anything yet.
In public spaces, decision 4195 funds at least 10 new public shelters (NIS 50 million over 2027 to 2029) in decision communities with fewer than one public shelter per 1,000 residents. A separate decision, 4193 of the same day, has the Defence Ministry renovate about 500 public shelters and place about 1,800 portable shelters in communities 0 to 9 km from the northern border, with NIS 150 million in 2026. The communities range from Metula, Shlomi, Rosh HaNikra, Avivim and Zar’it (0 to 1 km), through Kiryat Shmona, Kfar Giladi, Dishon and Elkosh (1 to 5 km), to Nahariya, Maalot-Tarshiha, Yesud HaMa’ala and Majdal Shams (5 to 9 km), plus Golan communities within 9 km of the Syrian border such as Odem, Merom Golan and Ein Zivan. The full list is in the annex to decision 4193. If you are choosing a town in the north, our comparison of northern Israel communities for olim may help.
Contacts
- Planning Administration technical support for the permit-free mamad services: 074-7697777, Sunday to Thursday, 8:00 to 17:30.
- Home Front Command online licensing system, for submitting the design: oref-rishuy.org.il.
- Completion notice: the gov.il service notice of work done in the permit-free mamad route.
- Apartment building programme in Kiryat Shmona, Maalot-Tarshiha and Nahariya: Migun-Z@moch.gov.il (Ministry of Construction and Housing).
Questions people ask
Do I need my neighbours’ agreement to add a mamad?
If the house stands alone on a plot that you own outright, there are no other owners to ask, though the plan’s rules still apply. If the building or plot is shared, including a semi-detached house registered as a condominium, check the condominium rules and your registered rights with a lawyer before you start. The permit-free route has no objection stage, but that does not settle property rights between owners.
Can I build a bigger room than 9 square metres?
Yes, under Amendment 163: up to 15 square metres net, walls on top, in an existing building that is not a multi-storey high-rise, if you also build a toilet or bathroom and the Home Front Command approves the extra area.
Does a mamad count against my building rights?
No. Where the plan sets no mamad area, the room is added on top of the permitted building area, and the enlarged area under Amendment 163 is not a deviation from the plan either.
Can I start building while the Home Front Command reviews the plan?
No. Work may start only after the Home Front Command approves the plan.
This is general information, not legal or tax advice; confirm with a licensed professional.
Sources
- Planning Administration, questions and answers: building a mamad exempt from a permit, published 29 April 2026, checked 30 October 2026.
- Planning Administration, notice of work done in the permit-free mamad route (regulation 30D of the Planning and Building (Works and Structures Exempt from Permit) (Temporary Order) Regulations 5784-2023), page updated 26 July 2026.
- Home Front Command, guidelines for applying the permit-exemption temporary order for a mamad, 25 October 2023.
- Planning Administration, adding a protected space: Amendment 163 and TAMA 40/A/1/1, updated 6 July 2026, and Amendment 163 questions and answers.
- Government decision 4195, programme to complete and accelerate protection in communities 0 to 9 km from the Lebanon border, 2 June 2026, updated 22 June 2026.
- Government decision 4193, rapid protection for communities 0 to 9 km from the northern border, 2 June 2026.
- Ministry of Construction and Housing, protecting residential buildings in Kiryat Shmona, Maalot-Tarshiha and Nahariya, updated 6 September 2026.
- Central Bureau of Statistics, 2025 Social Survey release, 16 July 2026.
If you are buying in Israel and a safe room is on your list, tell us your budget, the areas you are considering and whether you need a home that already has a mamad or one with room to add it, and we will search for homes that fit and check what each listing says about protection.
