Contractors Registration for Civil Engineering Works Law, 5729-1969
חוק רישום קבלנים לעבודות הנדסה בנאיות, תשכ"ט-1969
Published: 1969-07-25Consolidated Hebrew text as of 2024-12-15 · Last amended 2024-12-11✓ Amendment status checked against the Knesset legislation record on 2026-09-28
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Unofficial English translation — for reference only. It may contain errors or omissions and cannot be relied on as a legal text. Only the Hebrew text published in Reshumot is legally binding.More
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The Hebrew text as published in Reshumot (ספר החוקים) and on the Knesset website is the sole authoritative and legally binding version. In any discrepancy, the Hebrew text prevails.
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Definitions§
1.
In this Law –
"civil engineering works" – construction, including interior construction, road paving, bridge building, sewage, drainage, port construction and water facility construction; the Minister may prescribe by Regulations, with the approval of the Interior and Environmental Protection Committee of the Knesset, additional branches of civil engineering works for the purposes of this Law;
"contractor for civil engineering works" – one who undertakes such works on behalf of another, including one who carries out such works on land owned by or in his possession for the purpose of sale or rental;
"the Minister" – the Minister of Housing.
Division into Sub-Branches§
2.
(a)The Minister may by Regulations, in consultation with the Interior and Environmental Protection Committee of the Knesset, divide branches of civil engineering works into sub-branches, amend the division or cancel it, and also merge sub-branches.
(b)The division of a branch into sub-branches shall not prevent a person from registering for the branch as a whole, and one who is registered in the register for a branch as a whole may carry out works in all sub-branches of that branch.
Contractors Register§
3.
(a)The Minister shall appoint a Registrar who shall maintain the register of contractors for civil engineering works (in this Law – the register).
(b)The register shall contain separate sections for each of the branches and sub-branches, and each contractor shall be registered in the section containing the branch or sub-branch in which he is entitled to engage.
(c)The Registrar shall issue to a person registered in the register a licence for the prescribed period, in which every section in which he is registered in the register shall be specified.
Registration in the Register§
4.
(a)The following are entitled to be registered for a branch:
(1)one who is registered in the register of engineers and architects maintained pursuant to the Engineers and Architects Law, 5718-1958, and who has two years of experience in carrying out civil engineering works out of the five years preceding the submission of his application to be registered in the register;
(2)a graduate of a school for engineering technicians or technicians from among the list of schools prescribed by Regulations, who has four years of experience in carrying out civil engineering works out of the eight years preceding the submission of his application to be registered in the register, and also one who has demonstrated by evidence and examinations prescribed by the Minister in consultation with the Interior and Environmental Protection Committee of the Knesset that he is an engineering technician or technician and has the experience aforesaid;
(3)one who was, for at least six years out of the twelve years preceding the submission of his application to be registered in the register, a works manager in civil engineering works of the type defined by the Minister in Regulations as the first-class type, and who proved this by evidence or examinations prescribed by the Minister as aforesaid;
(4)one who worked as a contractor for civil engineering works for at least three years out of the five years preceding the commencement of this Law and who submitted his application to be registered in the register within one year from the date of commencement of the Law, provided that one who was, during the said three years, a member of an organisation affiliated with the national centre of contractors' and builders' organisations in Israel shall be deemed to have worked during that period as a contractor for civil engineering works;
(5)a corporation of which at least two members of the body actually managing its affairs, and in types of corporations that have been prescribed – at least one, fulfil the conditions in one of paragraphs (1) to (4), and also a partnership of which at least two of the partners, and if there were only two partners – at least one, fulfil the conditions aforesaid;
(6)a corporation or partnership or individual employing workers who fulfil the conditions in one of paragraphs (1) to (4), in the number prescribed by Regulations in accordance with their classification, which shall not be less than two, and in respect of the lowest class in any branch or sub-branch in which the contractor is registered, as prescribed by provisions under this Law – which shall not be less than one, provided that they shall be entitled to remain registered in the register only as long as they employ workers as aforesaid;
(7)one who was for at least three years a member of the body actually managing the affairs of a corporation registered in the register, or an unlimited partner in a partnership registered in the register, and was such a member on the date of commencement of this Law.
(b)The following are entitled to be registered for sub-branches:
(1)one who is entitled to register in the section of a particular branch who requests to be registered in respect of a sub-branch thereof;
(2)one who is engaged in a particular sub-branch and in respect of whom conditions and examinations prescribed by the Minister in Regulations in consultation with the Interior and Environmental Protection Committee of the Knesset have been met;
(3)a graduate of a school or vocational course included in a list of schools or courses prescribed generally or for a particular branch;
(4)a corporation of which at least two members of the body actually managing its affairs, and in types of corporations that have been prescribed – at least one, fulfil the conditions in one of paragraphs (1) to (3), and also a partnership of which at least two of the partners, and if there were only two partners – at least one, fulfil the conditions aforesaid.
Double Registration§
5.
A person may be registered in more than one section of the register of contractors for civil engineering works, if all conditions for his registration in those sections as prescribed by Regulations with the approval of the Interior and Environmental Protection Committee of the Knesset have been fulfilled.
Exclusivity of Title§
6.
No person shall bear the title "contractor for civil engineering works" or any title so similar as to be misleading, and no person shall hold himself out as a contractor for civil engineering works, unless he is registered in the register (hereinafter – registered contractor).
Powers of the Registrar§
7.
(a)The following are the functions and powers of the Registrar:
(1)to receive applications for the registration of contractors for civil engineering works;
(2)to register contractors in the register in their sections or to refuse an application for registration, to cancel a registration and to amend it;
(3)to classify contractors according to the classes prescribed by Regulations, all in accordance with the rules prescribed by Regulations.
(b)The Registrar shall not exercise his powers under subsection (a) or under section 8a except after consultation with an advisory committee appointed by the Minister from among representatives of scientific institutions having a connection with construction branches; the Minister shall not appoint registered contractors to the committee.
Disqualification from Registration and Cancellation of Registration in the Register§
8.
(a)The following are not entitled to registration in the register, and if registered their registration shall be cancelled subject to the provisions of section 8a:
(1)a bankrupt, as long as he has not been discharged, and a corporation in liquidation, except a voluntary liquidation;
(2)one who has been convicted of an offence which, in accordance with criteria prescribed by Regulations, is such as to undermine his trustworthiness to be a registered contractor, or another offence under Chapter X of the Planning and Building Law, 5725-1965, prescribed for this purpose by the Minister with the approval of the Interior and Environmental Protection Committee of the Knesset, as long as three years have not elapsed from the date on which he served his punishment for that offence;
(3)one who has habitually acted contrary to accepted practice in his profession as defined in the Regulations;
(4)a corporation of which one of its directors is a contractor whose registration in the register has been cancelled under this section, unless that director has resigned from his position as director within three months from the date of cancellation of the registration;
(5)a corporation of which one of its directors has been convicted by a final judgment of an offence as referred to in paragraph (2), even if the director himself was not registered in the register, unless that director has resigned from his position as director within three months from the date of the conviction;
(6)a director of a corporation whose registration has been cancelled under paragraphs (2), (3), (4) or (5);
(7)a director of a corporation if the corporation has been convicted of an offence as referred to in paragraph (2), even if the corporation itself was not registered in the register;
(8)one in respect of whom the Registrar is satisfied, on the basis of a written recommendation of the Israel Police given by a senior police officer, that he is involved in acts liable to cause harm to public safety and security or material harm to the branch, subject to the provisions of subsection (a1).
(a1)
(1)In his decision under subsection (a)(8), the Registrar shall take into account, inter alia, the following considerations:
(a)the nature, gravity and circumstances of the acts set out in the police recommendation and whether they constitute an offence;
(b)the connection between the circumstances and the acts and the field of execution of civil engineering works and engagement as a contractor under this Law;
(c)whether the acts were carried out by means of unlawful influence;
(d)the passage of time since the commission of the acts;
(e)the scope of the acts;
(2)The Registrar shall not make a decision in respect of a person under subsection (a)(8) except after that person has been given an opportunity to present his arguments before him, and if that person raised arguments relating to the recommendation of the Israel Police, the Registrar shall transmit the arguments for the response of a senior police officer before deciding in the matter.
(b)In proceedings against a director of a corporation under subsection (a)(6) or (7), including proceedings under section 8a on the same grounds, it shall be a good defence if the director proved that he did not know of the act of the corporation on account of which the corporation's registration was cancelled or of the offence of which the corporation was convicted, or that he took reasonable measures to prevent the commission of such act or offence by the corporation.
(b1)One who has been disqualified from registration in the register or whose registration has been cancelled under paragraph (3) or (8) of subsection (a) may not apply to be registered in the register except upon the expiry of three years from the decision of the Registrar as aforesaid.
(c)In this section –
"corporation" – including a partnership;
"director of a corporation" – a member of the body actually managing its affairs, and in a partnership – every partner except a limited partner;
"senior police officer" – as defined in the Police Ordinance [New Version], 5731-1971.
Disciplinary Measures§
8a.
(a)If the conditions set out in one of paragraphs (2) to (7) of section 8(a) are fulfilled in respect of a registered contractor, the Registrar may, if he considers that the degree of gravity of the act or omission does not justify cancellation of the contractor's registration in the register, take against him one or more of the following disciplinary measures:
(1)warning;
(2)reprimand;
(3)a fine at a rate not exceeding that prescribed by Regulations;
(4)suspension of the validity of the registration in the register for a period to be determined by him.
(a1)If the condition set out in paragraph (8) of section 8(a) is fulfilled in respect of a registered contractor, the Registrar may, if he considers that the circumstances arising from the recommendation of the Israel Police that has been given do not justify cancellation of the contractor's registration in the register, suspend the validity of the registration in the register for a period to be determined by him.
(b)If the Registrar has decided on suspension of the validity of the registration in the register as referred to in subsection (a), he may determine in that decision that the suspension shall be conditional, in whole or in part.
(c)If the Registrar has decided on conditional suspension of the validity of the registration in the register, the suspension shall not be carried out unless the contractor, within the period determined in the Registrar's decision, which shall not be less than one year and not more than three years (hereinafter – the probationary period), fulfils a condition that constitutes a ground for taking measures under section 8(a)(2) to (7) and that was specified in the Registrar's decision, and the Registrar has taken measures against him under this section (hereinafter – additional offence).
(d)The probationary period shall commence from the date on which the contractor was notified of the Registrar's decision, unless the Registrar directed otherwise.
(e)The specification of additional offences may be by indicating a type of offences or by detailing a particular offence, whether by way of description or by way of citation of a statutory provision; if a statutory provision was cited and it was subsequently repealed and another provision took its place, the Registrar's decision shall be deemed to cite the other provision.
(f)If the Registrar has decided on suspension on account of an additional offence, he shall not direct that the suspension be entirely conditional.
(g)If a person has been sentenced to a conditional suspension and is found guilty of an additional offence, the Registrar shall order the execution of the suspension.
(h)If the Registrar has found the contractor guilty of an additional offence and has not decided, on account of that offence, on a suspension, he may, notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (g) and in lieu of ordering the execution of the suspension, order, for reasons to be recorded, an extension of the probationary period for an additional period not exceeding two years, if he is satisfied that in the circumstances of the matter it would not be just to execute the suspension.
(i)The Registrar shall not exercise the power under subsection (h) except in his first decision in which he finds the contractor guilty of an additional offence.
Authorisation of Inspectors and their Powers§
8b.
(a)The Minister shall authorise, from among the employees of his Ministry, inspectors for the purposes of this Law, who shall be vested with the powers under this section, all or some of them.
(b)A person shall be authorised as an inspector if all of the following apply to him:
(1)he has not been convicted of an offence which, by reason of its nature, gravity or circumstances, renders him unfit, in the opinion of the Minister, to be an inspector;
(2)he has received appropriate training in the field of the powers to be vested in him under this section, as directed by the Minister;
(3)he meets additional eligibility conditions, as directed by the Minister.
(c)For the purpose of supervising compliance with the provisions under this Law, an inspector may –
(1)require any person to provide him with his name and address and to present to him an identity card or other official document identifying him;
(2)require any person concerned to provide him with any information or document required by him for the performance of his function; in this paragraph, "document" – including a printout as defined in the Computers Law, 5755-1995;
(3)enter at any time any real property, provided that he shall not enter a place used for residential purposes except pursuant to an Order of a court.
(d)The powers of an inspector under this section shall not derogate from supervisory powers vested in him under any other law.
(e)An inspector shall not exercise the powers vested in him under this section except in the course of performing his function and while openly wearing a badge identifying him and his function, and while in possession of a certificate signed by the Minister attesting to his function and his powers, which he shall present upon request.
Appeal§
9.
A person who considers himself aggrieved by a decision of the Registrar under section 7, 8 or 8a may appeal against it before an appeals committee established as provided in section 10.
Appeals Committee§
10.
An appeals committee shall be established and its composition shall be as follows:
(1)a retired judge of a District Court appointed by the Minister of Justice, who shall serve as chairperson of the committee;
(2)a public figure appointed by the Minister of Housing from outside the ranks of civil servants;
(3)a public figure appointed by the Minister of Labour from outside the ranks of civil servants;
(4)two advisers appointed by the Ministers, one on the recommendation of the representative organisation of registered contractors and one on the recommendation of the largest organisation of construction workers in the State; the advisers shall participate in the deliberations of the appeals committee and express their opinion, but shall not participate in the decision.
Ancillary Powers, Procedure and Administrative Appeal§
11.
(a)The appeals committee shall have all the powers under sections 9 to 11 of the Commissions of Inquiry Law, 5729-1969.
(b)The appeals committee shall itself determine its own procedure to the extent not prescribed in this Law or in Regulations thereunder.
(c)A decision of the appeals committee is subject to appeal before an administrative affairs court.
Notification of Criminal Conviction§
11a.
A court that has convicted a contractor for civil engineering works of an offence prescribed by Regulations for the purposes of section 8(a)(2), including a court that has dismissed an appeal, in whole or in part, against such a conviction, shall transmit to the Registrar, through the Attorney General, a copy of the judgment.
Council for Civil Engineering Works§
12.
(a)The Minister shall appoint a council for civil engineering works, comprising eight members (hereinafter – the Council):
(1)the Minister, or a person appointed by him for that purpose, either permanently or from time to time, who shall be the chairperson;
(2)two Government representatives;
(3)a member of the academic staff of a recognised institution of higher education, within the meaning of the Council for Higher Education Law, 5718-1958, who has experience and expertise in the field of building engineering, from a list submitted by the deans of the faculties conducting such studies; if no list was submitted by the date set by the Minister, the Minister may appoint a representative who meets the conditions aforesaid;
(4)
(a)four public representatives who are experts in the field of construction, from lists submitted to the Minister by organisations which, in the opinion of the Minister, represent those engaged in the construction branch;
(b)the Minister shall determine the number of public representatives from the lists submitted to him under sub-paragraph (a), taking into account as far as possible the weight of the public represented by each organisation, in the opinion of the Minister;
(c)if an organisation approached by the Minister did not submit a list of candidates by the date set by the Minister, the Minister may appoint as public representatives persons who, in his opinion, represent those engaged in the construction branch in respect of whom no such list was submitted.
(b)Decisions of the Council shall be adopted by a majority of votes of the members present; if the votes are equal, the chairperson of the Council shall have an additional vote.
(c)The term of office of the Council is three years, and any member thereof may be reappointed for an additional term; if the position of a member of the Council falls vacant for any reason, a replacement shall be appointed in the same manner as the member whose position fell vacant was appointed, until the end of the term of office of the Council to which he is appointed.
(d)The existence of the Council, its powers, and the validity of its decisions and actions shall not be affected by reason of the fact that the position of a member has fallen vacant or by reason of a defect in the appointment or continued tenure of a member, provided that one-third of the members of the Council are lawfully serving on it.
Function of the Council§
13.
The Council shall advise the Minister on all matters relating to the prescription of provisions under this Law.
Works Exceeding the Prescribed Scope§
14.
(a)Civil engineering works whose financial scope or professional nature exceeds the scope prescribed by Regulations with the approval of the Interior and Environmental Protection Committee of the Knesset shall not be carried out except by a registered contractor who has received a licence under section 3(c) for the branches or sub-branches of those works.
(b)In a permit granted by the local committee under section 145 of the Planning and Building Law, 5725-1965 (hereinafter – the Planning Law), for the carrying out of civil engineering works to which subsection (a) applies, the provision of subsection (a) shall be deemed to be a condition of the permit, and civil engineering works pursuant thereto shall be carried out at every stage thereof until their completion by a contractor registered in the register of contractors.
(c)If the chairperson of the local committee, within its meaning in the Planning Law, or the engineer of the local authority, or the Registrar of Contractors, has reasonable grounds to believe that construction works are being carried out in contravention of the conditions of the permit under subsection (b), he may order in writing any person who appears to him to be responsible for the carrying out of the work and any person working in his service to stop the construction in its entirety immediately; such an Order (hereinafter – administrative stop Order) shall lapse at the end of 15 days from the date of its issuance, unless before that time an indictment has been filed in court against the person to whom the Order was directed.
(d)If an indictment has been filed in court as provided in subsection (c), the court shall determine whether the administrative stop Order shall remain in force until the conclusion of the legal proceedings or for a period to be determined by it, and it may prescribe conditions as it sees fit.
(e)One who considers himself aggrieved by an administrative stop Order may apply for its cancellation to the court competent to try the offence on account of which it was issued; the filing of the application shall not suspend the validity of the Order.
(f)One who contravenes any of the provisions of this section or does not comply with an administrative stop Order shall be liable to a fine of 20,000 liras and an additional fine of 1,000 liras or imprisonment of 7 days for each day on which the offence continued after the service of the administrative stop Order.
(g)The provisions of this section are in addition to the power of the court under the Contempt of Court Ordinance and to the provisions of section 16 of this Law.
Exemption§
14a.
A contractor whose place of business is outside Israel and who has no registered place of business in Israel may be exempted by the Minister from the application of this Law in respect of the carrying out of civil engineering works that fall within an international tender in which he seeks to participate.
Publication of Appointments§
15.
Every appointment under this Law shall be published in Reshumot (Official Gazette).
Penalties§
16.
One who has done any of the following –
(1)carried out civil engineering works in contravention of the provisions of this Law;
(2)used the title of contractor for civil engineering works without being entitled to do so under the provisions of this Law –
shall be liable to imprisonment of six months or a fine of 5,000 liras.
Implementation and Regulations§
17.
The Minister is responsible for the implementation of this Law and may, after consultation with the Council, and in respect of paragraphs (3) and (4) – also with the approval of the Interior and Environmental Protection Committee of the Knesset, make Regulations for its implementation, including Regulations concerning –
(1)different categories of registered contractors according to the professional knowledge, experience, financial capacity and equipment at their disposal, or according to other criteria prescribed in such Regulations;
(2)methods of monitoring changes in the criteria by which changes shall also apply to the classification of registered contractors;
(3)the fees to be paid for registration in the register and for a licence.
(4)the fees to be paid for examinations prescribed pursuant to Section 4, and the methods of their collection.
Transitional Provisions§
18.
Individuals or bodies who were engaged as contractors in civil engineering works on the eve of the publication of this Law in Reshumot (Official Gazette) shall be entitled to continue their occupation after the commencement of this Law, until the Minister prescribes by Order the conditions and a final date for their registration in the register, provided that one who has commenced the execution of a particular work before the date so prescribed shall be entitled to complete it.
Commencement§
19.
This Law shall commence upon the expiry of six months from the date of its publication in Reshumot (Official Gazette).
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LawReal Estate & Land
חוק רישום קבלנים לעבודות הנדסה בנאיות, תשכ"ט-1969
contractors registration law
civil engineering works law
engineers contractors registration
construction contractors registration
chok rishumei kabanim
rishumei kabanim law
contractors licensing law
construction licensing law
engineering works contractors
kabanim registration