Community Development Zones

The Community Development Zone (CDZ) program can help if you plan to expand your business, start a new one or relocate your business to Wisconsin. The CDZ program is a tax benefit initiative designed to encourage private investment and to improve both the quality and quantity of employment opportunities in Wisconsin. The program offers more than $38 million in tax benefits to assist businesses that meet certain requirements and are located or are willing to locate in one of Wisconsin's 22 Community Development Zones.

In order to participate in the program, a business should work with one of the appropriate local CDZ managers and complete a Prospect Data Sheet to submit to the Department...

The Department will determine if a project is eligible for an Enterprise Development Zone designation based on information about the economic impact of the project, the prospective site and the distress of the area.

Businesses can earn income tax credits by creating new, full-time jobs filled by Wisconsin residents and by conducting environmental remediation on a Brownfield site.

Program Benefits
Development Zone tax credits include:

A non-refundable jobs credit for new, full-time jobs. Approximately one-fourth of the new employees hired to fill these jobs must come from one of Wisconsin's Target Groups.

The actual amount of job credits is dependent upon wages and benefits.

Starting wages for new positions must be at least $9.75 per hour.

Full-time job means regular, non-seasonal and scheduled to work at least 2,080 hours per year.

A non-refundable environmental remediation credit of 50% of all investigation and remediation costs affected by environmental pollution in a Brownfield, defined as an industrial or commercial facility, the expansion or redevelopment of which is complicated by environmental contamination.

At least 25% of all credits allocated must be for creating full-time jobs.

All tax credits have a carry-forward provision for up to 15 years.