Located in the southern Judaean Mountains, straddling the Green Line and therefore partly in Israel and partly in the West Bank, it is organised as a community settlement and falls under the jurisdiction of Har Hevron Regional Council.

[2] The international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law, but the Israeli government disputes this.

[3] Livne is named after biblical Livna (Hebrew לבנה) and was allocated to the priests (kohanim) (Book of Joshua 21:13).

Modern-day Shani-Livne was established in 1982,[4] with residents moving into permanent housing in 1989.

[5] Residents work in Beer Sheva, Arad, at the Dead Sea Works, communities of the Har Hevron Regional Council, and in the central region.