Tel Aviv’s quarter plans are local zoning plans that set, street by street, how high a residential building may be rebuilt or how many floors may be added to it. Two are in force: Rova 3 (plan TA/3616A, the Old North and the White City area west of Ibn Gvirol), approved in January 2018, and Rova 4 (plan TA/3729A, the New North east of Ibn Gvirol), approved in May 2018. In Rova 3 a new building is capped at 5 to 7 floors plus a partial roof floor, depending on the street, the plot size and whether the plot is inside the UNESCO White City area. In Rova 4 the cap runs from 3 or 4 floors in the low-rise housing estates up to 8 floors plus a partial roof floor on the main roads. The plan for Rova 5 and 6 (TA/4320) was still going through objections when we checked the national planning records on 29 October 2026, so it is not in force.
The Hebrew name is תוכניות הרובעים (tochniyot ha-rova’im, “the quarter plans”). If you are buying an older flat in north or central Tel Aviv, these plans decide what the building can become, which is often a large part of what you are paying for. This page sets out the official rules in plain English, from the plan documents published by Israel’s Planning Administration. For the national background, start with our guide to urban renewal, TAMA 38 and Pinui Binui.
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View PropertyWhat are the quarter plans and why do they exist?
Tel Aviv-Yafo prepared new plans for the residential quarters of the city centre (Rova 3, Rova 4 and a joint plan for Rova 5 and 6). According to the stated aims of plans TA/3616A and TA/3729A, they do four things:
- Encourage renewal while keeping the existing character. Each plan sets a binding package of building rights for residential buildings in its quarter.
- Adapt earthquake strengthening to the city. They apply the principles of TAMA 38, the national plan for strengthening buildings against earthquakes, under section 23 of TAMA 38, which let a local authority tailor those rights to its own area.
- Protect the White City. They build in the conservation principles of the UNESCO World Heritage declaration for the parts of each quarter inside the declared area.
- Simplify permits. One package of rights for new buildings and additions replaces older city-wide plans such as plan M (rights and balconies), plan S (roof flats) and plan G (roof rooms).
Both plans cover residential buildings, including flats above shops. They do not apply to buildings designated for conservation under the city’s conservation plan (TA/2650B) or other plans; those buildings follow their own rules. A building’s floor count under the plans includes the ground floor or pillar (pilotis) floor. A partial roof floor (קומת גג חלקית, komat gag chelkit) is a set-back floor on the roof. On a new building in Rova 3 it must, as a rule, be set back at least 3 metres from the front and 2 metres from the back (corner plots and very small roofs have their own rules), and inside the White City area everything built on the roof may cover no more than 65% of a typical floor.
| Plan | Area | Status | Homes in the plan’s own estimate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rova 3, TA/3616A | Old North and White City west of Ibn Gvirol, about 2,431 dunams | Approved; approval published in the official gazette (Yalkut HaPirsumim 7668) on 9 January 2018 | About 34,000 built; the plan’s data table shows 44,000 in total |
| Rova 4, TA/3729A | New North east of Ibn Gvirol, about 2,825 dunams | Approved; approval published in the official gazette (Yalkut HaPirsumim 7818) on 30 May 2018 | About 17,000 built; about 5,100 more, assuming half of the planned potential is built |
| Rova 4 amendment, TA/3729B | Low-rise housing estates in Rova 4 | Approved; approval published in the official gazette (Yalkut HaPirsumim 14560) on 18 May 2026 | Adjusts rights for cottages and some low-rise shared buildings |
| Rova 5 and 6, TA/4320 | Central Tel Aviv, about 1,686 dunams | Not in force: deposited for objections, at the objections-decision stage (Planning Administration record dated 29 May 2026) | About 25,800 homes in the plan’s data table; not final while the plan is open |
Source: Planning Administration, plan TA/3616A, plan TA/3729A, plan TA/3729B and plan TA/4320, checked 29 Oct 2026. The Planning Administration says its home counts are statistics only and have no legal force; building rights come from the plan’s instructions.
Where do Rova 3 and Rova 4 begin and end?
Rova 3 (Old North and the White City west of Ibn Gvirol). The plan’s boundaries are the Yarkon stream and its estuary in the north, Bograshov, Ben Zion Boulevard and Marmorek streets in the south, and HaYarkon Street in the west. The plots along Ibn Gvirol Street mark the eastern edge but are not included. Also left out are the plots west of HaYarkon Street, Rabin Square and the plots bordering it to the south and west, and the Habima and Culture Palace compound. The UNESCO declared area inside Rova 3 is the part south of Arlozorov Street, between Ibn Gvirol, HaYarkon and the Marmorek, Ben Zion and Bograshov line. So Arlozorov is the key line: south of it, conservation rules are stricter.
Rova 4 (the New North). The boundaries are Bnei Dan and HaRav Kosovsky streets in the north, the Ayalon routes and Namir Road in the east, and Shaul HaMelech Boulevard in the south. In the west it runs along Ibn Gvirol Street, again without the Ibn Gvirol plots themselves. The plan’s explanatory notes leave out the northern business district compound, the “2000” compound and the Tzameret neighbourhood. Only a small part of Rova 4 is in the UNESCO declared area: roughly between Shaul HaMelech Boulevard, Ibn Gvirol, David HaMelech Boulevard and Dubnov Street.
Neighbourhood character, prices and what it is like to live there are on our Old North neighbourhood page and the wider Tel Aviv real estate guide.
Rova 3: how high can a new building go?
If the building is demolished and rebuilt, the plan sets a maximum height. Going above it is a “substantial deviation” (סטייה ניכרת, stiya nikeret) from the plan, which means the local committee cannot approve it as a minor relief.
| Where the plot is | Maximum height |
|---|---|
| North of Arlozorov (outside the UNESCO area): Dizengoff and Ben Yehuda | 7 floors plus a partial roof floor (including a commercial floor) |
| North of Arlozorov: all other streets | 6 floors plus a partial roof floor (including the ground or pillar floor) |
| South of Arlozorov (UNESCO area): Dizengoff and Ben Yehuda | 6 floors plus a partial roof floor |
| South of Arlozorov: King George and Bograshov, plots zoned commercial in the main plan | 5 floors plus a partial roof floor |
| South of Arlozorov: plots of 500 square metres or more, and every plot on Arlozorov and HaYarkon | 6 floors plus a partial roof floor |
| South of Arlozorov: plots smaller than 500 square metres | 5 floors plus a partial roof floor |
Source: Planning Administration, plan TA/3616A (Rova 3), main provisions, section 2.2, checked 29 Oct 2026.
Rova 3: what can be added to an existing building?
For buildings whose permit was issued up to 1 January 1980, the plan allows additions that go with strengthening the building against earthquakes. The rights also cover roof building, extensions and closing in a pillar floor. Note the two different wordings: on Dizengoff and Ben Yehuda the plan lets the building be “completed” up to a total height, while elsewhere it allows a set number of extra floors.
| Street and existing height | North of Arlozorov (outside UNESCO area) | South of Arlozorov (UNESCO area) |
|---|---|---|
| Dizengoff and Ben Yehuda (commercial plots), up to 2 floors | Complete up to 5 floors plus a partial roof floor | Complete up to 5 floors plus a partial roof floor |
| Dizengoff and Ben Yehuda (commercial plots), 3 floors or more | Complete up to 7 floors plus a partial roof floor | Complete up to 6 floors plus a partial roof floor |
| Other plots, 2 to 4 floors | Add up to 1 floor plus a partial roof floor | Add up to 1 floor plus a partial roof floor |
| Other plots, 5 to 6 floors | Add up to 1 floor plus a partial roof floor | Partial roof floor only |
| Other plots, 7 floors or more | Add up to 2 floors plus a partial roof floor | Partial roof floor only |
Source: Planning Administration, plan TA/3616A (Rova 3), main provisions, section 2.2, checked 29 Oct 2026. For additions, the floor count includes the ground or pillar floor (even a partial pillar floor) and any intermediate floor.
For buildings permitted after 1 January 1980, the plan allows roof rooms (חדרי יציאה לגג, chadrei yetzia la-gag) of up to 40 square metres. In both quarters the plans also set rights for covered open balconies of up to 12 square metres per flat on average.
Rova 4: how high can a new building go?
| Where the plot is | Maximum height |
|---|---|
| Main roads: Namir Road, Pinkas, Jabotinsky and Weizmann | 8 floors plus a partial roof floor |
| Arlozorov Street | 7 floors plus a partial roof floor (including the ground, pillar or commercial floor) |
| Other streets, outside the low-rise estates and outside the UNESCO area | 6 floors plus two partial roof floors |
| UNESCO area between David HaMelech Boulevard, Dubnov and Shaul HaMelech Boulevard | 6 floors plus a partial roof floor |
| Low-rise estates (plans 117, 122, 196, 398 and 478): plots for shared buildings | 3 or 4 floors plus a partial roof floor, depending on the plot |
| Low-rise estates: cottage plots | A roof room or an attic |
Source: Planning Administration, plan TA/3729A (Rova 4), main provisions, section 2.2, checked 29 Oct 2026.
Rova 4: what can be added to an existing building?
| Building | What the plan allows |
|---|---|
| On the main roads (Namir, Pinkas, Jabotinsky, Weizmann) | Complete up to 8 floors plus a partial roof floor |
| Other streets, up to 6 floors (outside the low-rise estates) | Add up to 1 floor plus a partial roof floor |
| 7 floors or more, outside the UNESCO area | Add up to 2 floors plus a partial roof floor |
| 7 floors or more, inside the UNESCO area | A partial roof floor only |
| Low-rise estates: shared buildings of 2 floors on the ground, or 2 floors on pillars | One added floor of up to 165% of the existing roof area, plus a partial roof floor |
| Low-rise estates: cottages | Roof rooms under the plan’s rules |
Source: Planning Administration, plan TA/3729A (Rova 4), main provisions, section 2.2, checked 29 Oct 2026.
As in Rova 3, buildings permitted after 1 January 1980 can get roof rooms of up to 40 square metres. In May 2026 an amendment, TA/3729B, changed the rules for new building in the low-rise estates. It adds building area of up to 6% of the plot for cottages in plan 196 (Shikun HaKtzinim) and in the A2 and B2 residential zones of plan 398. It also sets rights for some low-rise shared buildings (two parcels in plan 398) that the original plan did not cover, and lets houses that share a wall build at different times.
How to use these rules when you buy or own a flat
The tables tell you the ceiling, not what a specific building will get. To work out the real potential of an address, go through these checks:
- Confirm the quarter and the side of the line. Is the plot in Rova 3 or Rova 4, north or south of Arlozorov (Rova 3), and inside or outside the UNESCO area? The plan maps on the Planning Administration site show the boundaries.
- Check whether the building is listed for conservation. The quarter plans do not apply to conservation buildings, so their tables are irrelevant for them.
- Find the permit year. Additions linked to strengthening apply to buildings permitted by 1 January 1980 (Rova 3) or before it (Rova 4); later buildings are mostly limited to roof rooms.
- Count floors the plan’s way. For an existing building, the ground or pillar floor and any intermediate floor count as floors. An agent’s “three floors on pillars” is four floors for the plan.
- Get the municipality’s building information. Ask the Tel Aviv-Yafo planning department for the information file (תיק מידע, tik meida) for the plot before you pay for “potential”. Plot size, building lines and parking rules can stop a building from reaching the ceiling.
- Check the costs that come with the rights. Using new building rights can trigger a betterment levy (היטל השבחה, heitel hashbacha); our betterment levy guide explains how it works and when it is charged.
Worked example (illustrative, not a ruling on any real building). A four-storey block from the 1950s on Gordon Street, a residential street in the White City area south of Arlozorov, on a 450 square metre plot, not listed for conservation. Under Rova 3, the additions track allows one more floor plus a partial roof floor. Rebuilding it allows 5 floors plus a partial roof floor, because the plot is under 500 square metres. Had the plot been 500 square metres or more, the rebuild ceiling would have been 6 floors plus a partial roof floor. The same building north of Arlozorov would get one more floor plus a partial roof floor as an addition, or 6 floors plus a partial roof floor if rebuilt.
What changed after TAMA 38 ended?
The national TAMA 38 route has ended in Tel Aviv-Yafo; the dates and transition rules are covered on our TAMA 38 page. The city’s urban renewal page says the option of a permit under TAMA 38 was available until the end of February 2024, and that after that renewal can go ahead under the planning in force. In Rova 3 and Rova 4, the planning in force includes the quarter plans: they are approved local plans in their own right, and the national planning records still show them as approved. Separately, Tel Aviv-Yafo is promoting a city-wide plan, TA/5555, for plot-by-plot renewal of buildings that need strengthening. The city says it would apply to about 2,300 plots and allow about 30,000 more homes, and that some areas would get permits under TA/5555 itself while others would get them under an approved detailed plan. How a specific application is processed today, and what levies apply to it, is something to confirm with the local planning committee for the exact plot.
What about Rova 5 and 6?
Central Tel Aviv south of Rova 3 is covered by a separate plan, TA/4320 (Rova 5 and 6). Its aims are the same: renewal and strengthening while protecting the UNESCO area, with a binding package of building rights tied to the city’s master plan TA/5000. It was first deposited for objections in December 2022, and changes to it were published for objections again in March 2026. On the Planning Administration record we checked on 29 October 2026, it was at the stage of deciding objections, so it is not yet in force and its numbers can still change. We will update this page when it is approved.
This is general information, not legal or tax advice; confirm with a licensed professional.
Sources
- Planning Administration, plan TA/3616A “Rova 3”: aims, main provisions, instructions and status (instructions dated 24 December 2017; approval published 9 January 2018).
- Planning Administration, plan TA/3729A “Rova 4”: aims, main provisions, instructions and status (instructions dated 23 May 2018; approval published 30 May 2018).
- Planning Administration, plan TA/3729B, amending the low-rise building rules in Rova 4 (approval published 18 May 2026).
- Planning Administration, plan TA/4320 “Rova 5-6” (status record dated 29 May 2026).
- Tel Aviv District Planning Committee, notice of a clerical correction to plan TA/3616A, confirming its approval and gazette publication.
- Tel Aviv-Yafo municipality, urban renewal routes.
- Tel Aviv-Yafo municipality, plan TA/5555 for urban renewal.
Looking at an older flat in the Old North or the New North and want to know what its building can really become? Send us the address through our urban renewal enquiry page and we’ll check which quarter-plan rules apply, what to ask the municipality for and how that should shape your offer.
