Whether you are an established company looking to establish a new location in Fayette, Lamar or Marion County, or a local employer wanting to expand here, there are a variety of incentives that may be available to you. A summary of these can be found below.
Cash refund of up to 3% of the previous year's gross payroll (not including fringe benefits) for qualifying new, direct jobs created in Marion County. Incentive period is up to 10 years.
Up to an additional 1% cash refund for projects in Lamar and Fayette county (classified as Targeted Counties). Two sites per year located outside of these counties can receive the additional 1% refund at the Governor's discretion.
Up to an additional 0.5% cash refund is available on the wages of veterans, for companies, which employ a workforce composed of at least 12% of veterans.
Credit of up to 1.5% of the qualified capital investment costs for a qualifying project each year for up to 10 years (Up to 15 years for projects in Targeted counties--populations less than 25,000 who sell their output nearby).
Credits can be used to reduce income tax (or taxes on banks or insurance companies), and taxes for utility services.
Credits can be carried forward for five years.
The first three years of the credits may be sold to create up-front cash to assist in funding qualified projects, with Department of Commerce approval.
The Alabama corporate income tax rate is one of the lowest in the nation at 6.5%. The following tax credits may be available for qualifying projects:
For more information, see Alabama Income Tax Incentives section on the ADOR website.
For more information, see Business Privilege Tax Information section on the ADOR website.
Current millage rates for counties and cities can be found in the Millage Rate Section of the ADOR website. (PROVIDE SEPARATE LINKS FOR THE REVENUE PAGE LOCATION THAT LIST OUR COUNTIES. LIST ALPHA---FAYETTE, LAMAR, MARION).
For more information, see Property Tax Incentives section on the ADOR website.
In addition to state taxes, most cities and counties also levy their own sales & use taxes. Current rate information for Marion, Fayette, and Lamar County can be found in the City and County Tax Rates Section of the ADOR website.
Other exemptions may apply and can be found at sales and use tax law section of the ADOR website and Sales and Use Tax Incentives section on the ADOR website.
Business/Financial Assistance may be available to companies who are locating or expanding in Alabama through grants, loans, and other programs available through federal, state, and local government sources. For information about assistance programs available in the C3 Region, please contact the C3 of Northwest Alabama Economic Development Alliance at 800-399-7205, or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Fixed rate financing, at below market rates, for business startup or expansions and economic or community development projects is directly available through the Northwest Alabama Regional Council of Governments Northwest Alabama Regional Council of Governments for Marion County and the West Alabama Regional Commission for Fayette and Lamar Counties.
More information about this program can be found on the Alabama Department of Commerce website.
Provides 10 year, 2% interest rate loans of $250,000 - $4,000,000, covering up to 90% of total project costs to help existing industries finance energy-savings improvements to their facilities.
Grants awarded to counties, municipalities, development boards or authorities, port authorities, or public corporations for site preparation or reasonable rehabilitation of an existing building or structure necessary to attract a qualifying project. Size of grant is dependent on amount of capital investment. Click here for more information about applying for an industrial development Grant.
Covers cost of construction, construction engineering, and inspection costs for providing public access to new or expanding distribution, manufacturing, or industrial firms.
May be used as long term financing of up to 100% of a project including:
Fayette, Lamar, and Marion Counties have established an improvement district with the authority to issue bonds backed by assessments on property within the district, confer exemption from certain state and local taxes, and issue tax-exempt bonds for infrastructure construction projects.
This program provides state income tax, financial institution excise, or premium tax credits for investments and businesses in impoverished and low-income communities. Call the C3 Office at 205-468-3213 for more information.
This state level fund provides grant funding to public universities within Alabama to leverage research and development expenditures that support economic development initiatives within the state.
The USDA provides a variety of loan, grant, and loan guarantee programs, plus technical assistance for companies looking to develop in rural areas. More information about these programs, including grant and loan information, can be found on the USDA Rural Development – Alabama website.
The Alabama Department of Environmental Management is the state's one-stop shop for environmental permitting with the authority to issue the permits required by all the major federal environmental laws.
Alabama Power has a history of developing customized service offerings. The incentives offered to customers are customized based on a number of factors. For further information on how these incentives may assist locating your project in Alabama Power’s service territory, please contact a representative at Alabama Power’s Economic Development Department.