# How to find potential financial & development incentives for a property or place Chicago Cityscape has assembled the single largest database of financial & development incentives in Illinois. We have more than 50 incentives that are based on geography (the location of a business or property). [Incentives Checker](/incentiveschecker.php) is our exclusive tool to determine if an Address or a Place is potentially eligible for these incentives. This Knowledge Base article will discuss: 1. Which incentives Chicago Cityscape has in its database 2. Finding incentives for a particular address 3. Finding incentives available in a place or area 4. Use Property Finder to find properties that are potentially eligible for an incentive based on geography ## What incentives Chicago Cityscape can show Review the [Incentives Checker](http://chicagocityscape.com/incentiveschecker.php) marketing page to see the names and descriptions of all incentives that would be checked, but without having to look up a Property Report or a Place Report. The list includes many incentives you may know about and already have ways to find on other maps, including TIF districts and Enterprise Zones (read below), but Chicago Cityscape also shows where [Neighborhood Opportunity Funds](http://chicagocityscape.com/maps/investmentzones.php) can be invested, where apartment owners can get lower-cost secondary loans for unit rehab, and areas where cannabis tax revenues can be granted for social services. ### Enterprise Zones – special incentives highlight There are six Enterprise Zones in Chicago and more across Illinois. These are state-designated areas administered by local governments. At their most basic, they waive states sales taxes on construction materials and exempt certain sales from the state's portion of Real Estate Transfer Tax (RETT), saving tens of thousands and sometimes hundreds of thousands of dollars. There are over 160,000 properties in Chicago in an Enterprise Zone (this number excludes condos)! #### Learn more about Enterprise Zones - Chicago property owners [must apply](https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/dcd/supp_info/enterprise_zone_program.html) with the Chicago Department of Planning & Development. - [Find the local administrator](https://dceo.illinois.gov/expandrelocate/incentives/taxassistance/enterprisezone.html) for locations outside Chicago - See a [map of all Enterprise Zones](https://www.chicagocityscape.com/maps/index.php#/?places_type=enterprisezone) in Illinois ## How to find incentives Like most of the data on Chicago Cityscape, it can be found by address and PIN (Property Report), or by Place and area (Place Report). Additionally, Incentives Checker works with your Personal Places. - [Look up an address or PIN now](http://chicagocityscape.com/address.php) - [Look up a Place or area now](http://chicagocityscape.com/maps/index.php) - [Draw a Personal Place now](http://chicagocityscape.com/draw.php), or [[Personal Place|learn how to draw a Personal Place]] Incentives Checker shows all incentives that are applicable to a location you look up. Each incentive has different rules and regulations, which are not explained on Chicago Cityscape. Each incentive also applies to different project types and land uses. The Incentives Checker results are searchable. Search for keywords like "housing", "residential", and "industrial" to show only incentives that are targeted towards those project types. Incentives Checker is available to Cityscape Real Estate Pro members and those who make a one-time purchase of an Property Report or Place Report. ## How to find incentives at an Address - Look up an address or PIN and access its Property Report. - In the table of contents, locate and click on the "Incentives Checker" link, or use the table of contents search field to search for "incentives" and then click the link (see *screenshot 1*). - The page will jump to the Incentives Checker section. Click the "Load Incentives Checker" button and after a moment a table will appear showing each of the incentives that was checked (see *screenshot 2*). - The status of whether this address or PIN is potentially eligible for a given incentive is indicated by a green checkmark, meaning it's likely eligible because of its location, or an orange "x", meaning it's likely ineligible given its location (see *screenshot 3*). By default, only the first 5 potentially eligible incentives are shown. Use the dropdown menu below the table to increase the number shown.  *Screenshot 1 showing a table of contents being searched for the keyword 'incentives'*  *Screenshot 2 showing the 'Load incentives checker' button*  *Screenshot 3 showing the Incentives Checker results table* ## How to find incentives in a Place 1. Look up a Place or area and access its Place Report. (Browse all of the Places in our Places Explorer map and database.) 2. In the table of contents, locate and click on the "Incentives Checker" link, or use the table of contents search field to search for "incentives" and then click the link (see *screenshot 1* above). 3. The page will jump to the Incentives Checker section. Click the "Load Incentives Checker" button and after a moment a table will appear showing each of the incentives that was checked (see *screenshot 2* above). 4. The status of whether this Place has parts that are eligible for a given incentive is indicated by a green checkmark, meaning it's likely eligible because of its location, or an orange "x", meaning it's likely ineligible given its location (see *screenshot 3* above). Not all incentives will appear on the Incentives Checker map in a Place Report, but the table below the map is accurate. A green checkmark indicates that at least some part of the Place overlaps with one of the incentives. ## Property Finder Property Finder is Chicago Cityscape's primary tool for filtering through 1.9 million properties in Chicago and Cook County according to your granular search criteria. Property Finder is equipped with several incentives. Click the checkbox next to one or more of these incentives and only properties that are potentially eligible for them, based on location, will show in the resulting map and spreadsheet. ![[Pasted image 20240704003137.png]] *Screenshot 4 showing the Property Finder filter for certain incentives* Property Finder has these incentives options in the filter: - Qualified Census Tract (QCT) - Useful for affordable housing developers who will be applying for Low Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC). - Opportunity Area (IHDA) - Useful for affordable housing developers or any housing developer seeking funding from the Illinois Housing Development Authority. - Opportunity Zone - Enterprise Zone - These are state-designated areas administered by local governments. At the most basic, they waive states sales taxes on construction materials and exempt certain sales from the state's portion of Real Estate Transfer Tax (RETT). - TIF District - We have all TIF districts in Chicago and Cook County. - INVEST South/West corridor - This is where the City of Chicago is focusing its investment efforts and may offer assistance and funding to proposed projects here. (This program has concluded but we retain the maps because as of February 2025 some projects are still in the process of being permitted and constructed.) - MMRP - Micro Market Recovery Program is a homebuying program administered by the City of Chicago. See also: [[Homeownership assistance programs]]. - New Markets Tax Credits - NMTC incentivizes the development of mixed-use (leaning towards retail and commercial) in lower-income areas. The same areas increase renewable energy tax credits per the Inflation Reduction Act. This will also identify *severe distress* and *deep distress* areas. - Affordable Housing Special Assessment Program (AHSAP / HB 2621) - This property tax abatement, started in 2022, reduces the assessed value in designated areas (including downtown Chicago) for residential developments that include a minimum amount of affordable dwelling units. Learn more: [[Low Affordability Community]]. To filter properties in a Place Report for any of these filters, click the checkbox next to one or more incentive and then click the "Apply properties" button. The more checkboxes you click the fewer properties that will result because Property Finder will locate properties that have all of the incentives you select. ## Special notes about specific incentives ### TaxSmart (Series 2026) TaxSmart is the City of Chicago's Single-Family Mortgage Credit Certificate (MCC) program. It provides a federal income tax credit to eligible homebuyers each year they remain in the home. In targeted census tracts, the first-time homebuyer requirement is waived and income and purchase price limits are higher. The 2026 series was authorized by City Council ordinance in 2026 and is administered by the Chicago Department of Housing (DOH). Chicago Cityscape uses the [targeted areas list published by DOH](https://www.chicago.gov/content/dam/city/depts/doh/taxsmart/Targeted_Areas_Census_Tracts_Series_2026.pdf). The targeted areas use 2010 Census tract boundaries. **Note on the DOH's 2026 targeted areas list:** The list published by DOH includes tract number 5402, which does not exist in either the 2010 or 2020 Census for Cook County. Based on geographic analysis, this appears to be a typo for tract 5401 (Census tracts 5401.01 and 5401.02, GEOIDs 17031540101 and 17031540102), which is already included in the 2026 list. Chicago Cityscape omits 5402 and relies on 5401 instead. Tract 8338 is also absent from both the 2010 and 2020 Census for Cook County and does not appear to exist. Neighboring tracts 8333 and 8339 are already included in the 2026 list, so Chicago Cityscape omits 8338 entirely. ### IRA solar and wind bonus credit The IRA solar and wind bonus credit was removed from Incentives Checker on January 29, 2026. This incentive was described as follows: > As part of the Inflation Reduction Act, a higher energy credit is available for qualified solar and wind facilities, and energy storage, that are placed in low-income communities. These areas are identical to those used in the New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) program. The standard investment tax credit is six percent while the bonus tax credit is worth 10 additional percentage points. If the new facility is placed on an eligible rental residential building, or where at least half the benefits will accrue to low-income households, the bonus tax credit is worth 20 additional percentage points. Add linked to the following resources: - [Renewable energy tax credits guidance from the Weaver law firm](https://weaver.com/blog/inflation-reduction-act-renewable-energy-tax-credits) - [U.S. Treasury guidance for multifamily builders](https://home.treasury.gov/news/featured-stories/the-inflation-reduction-act-benefits-for-builders-of-multifamily-housing) If this option is restored we will add it back to the checker. # Related articles - [[TIF district reports]] - [[Low Affordability Community]] - [[Homeownership assistance programs]]