Afik HanahalTABA (Town Building Plan)
In short
The TABA is the "constitution of the plot". It says whether the land may hold housing, commerce or nothing at all (agriculture, public open space), how many floors, how many square metres, and under what conditions. Checking the TABA is the first step of any land deal.
The professional explanation
A TABA is a plan under the Planning and Building Law, 1965. Plans are hierarchical: national outline plans (TAMA), district plans (TAMAM), local outline plans and detailed plans. Building permits are issued only on the basis of a detailed plan.
A TABA has a drawing (a map with colour-coded land uses) and regulations: land use, main and service floor areas, number of floors, site coverage, building lines (setbacks), density (housing units per dunam), parking, expropriations for public needs and reparcelation provisions.
Planning information for any parcel is available on the Planning Administration's "planning information" site, on local committee websites and, officially, in the information file (tik meida) ordered from the local committee.
Example from the field
Two adjoining parcels in Hod Hasharon, same size, price differing several times over: one is covered by an approved detailed residential plan allowing 4 housing units, the other is still zoned agricultural with no approved plan. The whole gap is a TABA gap.
Why it matters in a deal
- Zoning and rights, not size alone, determine land value.
- A "deposited" plan is not yet approved - objections and changes are possible.
- Changing a TABA (rezoning or added rights) usually triggers a betterment levy.