In April 2012 the Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA) approved the Paulding County/City of Dallas Opportunity Zone (OZ). The OZ includes over 2,700 acres of property and 350 parcels. Many of the county’s available industrial buildings and existing manufacturers are included in the zone, as well as a significant number of commercial properties.

The OZ brings significant state incentives to many of Paulding’s industrial / commercial areas and further enhances the Paulding’s favorable business climate and attractive incentives for new and existing businesses. Companies located within the OZ that create two or more fulltime jobs with an hourly wage of 10.88 earn Job Tax Credits valued at $3,500 per new job for five years.

The credits are applied against 100% of a businesses’ annual Georgia corporate income tax. Remaining credits can then be used against Georgia payroll withholding taxes. Unused credits can be carried forward for ten years and applied to future state corporate income tax liability. The OZ is an incentive that both small and large companies, as well as new and existing businesses can utilize.

Information on the OZ including maps, a list of properties within the zone, qualifications for the job tax credits and procedures can be found here, on "right side" of this page. Properties eligible for inclusion on the zone must be located within the Paulding County / City of Dallas Urban Redevelopment Area which is shown on the map.

If you have a question regarding the OZ, a particular property within the zone or would like a property to be included in the zone, please contact Paulding County Economic Development’s Executive Director Jamie Gilbert at 770-726-7000.