Planning objection · shading
Shading in a planning objection: how much sun your building loses, as a number
In May 2025 the Tel Aviv district committee dismissed a resident's objection on the developer's table alone, because the objector brought no number at all. The second table, on your side: sun hours for every apartment in the building on 21 December, today and after the plan.
What the committee counts
21 Dec
The shortest day of the year. The sun is lowest and shadows are longest; this is the worst case every committee checks.
09:00–15:00
"Six hours of effective radiation". Hours outside the window do not count: the sun is too low to enter a window.
Under 2 of 6 hours
The threshold the Tel Aviv district sub-committee used in May 2025 to dismiss an objection: "a reasonable added shadow".
SI 5281
The Israeli green-building standard. Clause 1.1.2 makes a shading study a threshold condition.
60 days
The objection window from publication of the deposit in the newspapers.
Israeli law sets no numeric shading threshold. "Two of six hours" is committee practice, not a standard — the document says so explicitly, so a single decision is never presented as law.
What the document contains
A two-line threshold check, before you order anything: is the building north of the plan and close enough to be affected? If not, we say so, and no document is sold.
Sun hours for every apartment in the building on 21 December, 09:00–15:00 — today and after the plan — and the difference.
Comparison against the "two of six hours" threshold and the roof criterion (50% of the roof with 4 hours of sun) — per Planning Administration guidance, not presented as law.
Method and sources appendix, in the format the lawyer attaches to the objection and an expert can stand behind (regulation 15, 1989: the committee may accept expert testimony without a fixed form).
Who, and when
A lawyer representing objectors
Within the 60 days. When the objection claims "loss of light" and needs a number instead of an adjective.
A building committee or a group of residents
Through the lawyer. The threshold check runs on public information, no document and no charge; the document only when there is something to measure.
What committees have already said
„less than two hours out of 6 hours of effective radiation”
The gap is stark: the developer's side has a table; the objector's side has nothing, and so loses without the question ever being examined.
„the real path is §197 with an appraiser's opinion; objections are mostly dismissed”
The professionals themselves say: an objection is the low-probability path, a depreciation claim after approval is the real one. This page exists so the objection at least gets examined with a number.
How it is computed
A 3D model of the building under review and every neighbour within the influence radius, from municipal heights, permits and transaction data — not a general estimate.
The sun path is computed from true solar time at the site, on 21 December, in the 09:00–15:00 window, floor by floor and apartment by apartment.
Two states per neighbour: today, and after the plan. The difference is the number the committee asks about. One plan isolated from every other plan around the address, or cumulative — as needed.
Recurring questions
Can a shading objection succeed?
Rarely, and only with a number. Committees dismiss general shading claims. The table does not promise success — it promises the question gets examined.
What if the measurement shows the added shading is small?
Then the document says so, and it is better to know before investing in an objection. The threshold check runs first for exactly this reason.
Do you need a signed expert at the objection stage?
Not as a requirement. Regulation 15 from 1989 lets the committee accept testimony from "professional consultants and experts" without a fixed form. The document is prepared so an expert can stand behind it if required.
What happens after the plan is approved?
A three-year window opens for a Section 197 depreciation claim — and the same measurement then serves the appraiser. See the Section 197 page.
How much time is there?
60 days from publication of the deposit in the newspapers, not from the committee's decision. The measurement itself takes days, not weeks.
Send an address and a plan number — you get a scope and a timeline back.
No sign-up form and no sales call. A written answer within one business day.