Supporting Investment and Growth in North Carolina Communities

The State of North Carolina has begun the process of identifying and submitting to the United States’ Treasury a list of census tracts that will eventually be certified as Opportunity Zones (OZ) in North Carolina.  We are currently asking for public input and comment on candidate locations that qualify for consideration.  The time window to submit comments and nominations will close at 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, June 7,2026.

Planning Map

Only low-income census tracts identified from recent U.S. Census data can be nominated to become a new North Carolina Opportunity Zone.  Follow the link button below to explore a map that shows the pool of eligible tracts.  Please note we're publishing this map as a courtesy to assist local planning teams.

MAP | Census Tracts Eligible for Nomination as an Opportunity Zone

Feedback and Nomination Form

We're accepting input and nominations using the feedback form you can download here:

FILE DOWNLOAD | Feedback and Nomination Form, Opportunity Zones 2.0

The form is formatted as a Microsoft Excel document. To provide your input and recommendations:

  • Download the Excel file
  • Follow the nomination guidelines you'll find below.
  • Provide your input directly in the Excel feedback form
  • Submit your input via email by sending the completed Excel file as an attachment to OZ-Feedback@commerce.nc.gov.

To ensure your input is received and the process is open, fair, and transparent, all public input and recommendations should only be made through this official feedback form. Commerce will accept recommendations from local governments, economic development organizations, and the general public.  Also, we will only accept nomination forms that are submitted by way of the email address above. 

Nomination Guidelines

Opportunity Zone 2.0 provides an opportunity to strategically align federal tax incentives with state and local economic development priorities. North Carolina developed three state level guidelines local leaders should consider when evaluating eligible census tracts for their ability to support long-term economic competitiveness and community revitalization.

  1. Business Development and Job Creation
    • Prioritize census tracts with strong potential to attract or expand businesses in high growth, high wage sectors such as advanced manufacturing, technology, life sciences, clean energy, and other targeted high wage industries.
    • Consider tracts containing industrial sites, including mega sites, certified sites, or select sites previously identified and prioritized by Commerce or the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina (EDPNC).
    • Consider tracts with economic development projects underway with additional investment needed when the OZ 2.0 designations are in effect.
  2. Strategic Local Revitalization
    • Prioritize tracts supported by documented local plans and/or recent investments for community revitalization, industrial site redevelopment, mixed-use projects, or other community-driven initiatives.
  3. Pathways to Increased Housing Supply in High Need Areas
    • Prioritize tracts where OZ designation can meaningfully expand housing supply, particularly areas near major employment centers or transit corridors, locations with recent public infrastructure investments, identified sites targeted for significant housing development, and areas with documented regional housing needs.

Allocations by County

Preliminary data suggests North Carolina may be able to nominate 202 census tracts for federal designation – a 20 reduction from the current OZ program. In 2018, every North Carolina county contained at least one eligible tract. Under the 2025 Opportunity Zone reauthorization, the low income eligibility threshold was modified, and seven counties no longer contain a qualifying tract: Camden, Currituck, Davie, Gates, Perquimans, Clay, and Yancey.

The 93 counties with at least one eligible tract will be able to nominate at least one census tract. The remaining 109 census tracts will be distributed across the 85 counties with at least two eligible tracts based on their county’s population.

Background

The Opportunity Zone (OZ) Program is a federal tax incentive created under the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act to encourage long-term private investment in economically distressed census tracts. These investments can help strengthen local economies through job creation, business growth, and redevelopment.

Investors may receive federal tax benefits for investing in designated Opportunity Zones, including:

  • Deferring capital gains used for an OZ investment
  • Reducing capital gains taxes if the investment is held for at least five years
  • Eliminating capital gains taxes on profits from the OZ investment if it is held long term

The program was originally set to stop accepting new investments after December 31, 2026, but it was reauthorized and made permanent in 2025 with new tract designations every 10 years.

In 2018, our Department coordinated nomination of the Opportunity Zones currently in use.  We are playing a similar role this year and will continue to post up-to-date information on this page.

Beginning on July 1, 2026, state governors will have 90 days to nominate 25% of their state’s eligible low-income census tracts for inclusion in the next round of Opportunity Zones, which will take effect on January 1, 2027 and stay in effect for ten years.

Governor Stein designated the North Carolina Department of Commerce (Commerce) to lead the state’s nomination process and advise him on the tracts to submit to the U.S. Treasury for approval and certification.

Frequently Asked Questions: Opportunity Zones & Nomination Process in North Carolina

Tab/Accordion Items

Opportunity Zones are Federally designated Census Tracts certified by the US Treasury Department for the purposes of qualifying for the OZ Program’s federal tax benefits. Zones must be economically distressed, per statute, and are nominated by state governors.  Investors who place capital gains into Qualified Opportunity Funds may receive federal tax benefits when those funds invest in designated zones.

North Carolina will be able to nominate 202 census tracts out of a pool of about 807 eligible low-income census tracts. 

Only census tracts that meet federal “low-income” criteria, as defined in the OZ legislation—based on poverty rates and/or median family income thresholds—are included in the eligible pool for nomination.

No. Only census tracts that are part of the federally defined eligible low-income pool (807 tracts statewide) can be nominated for Opportunity Zone designation.

Yes, eligible census tracts should be nominated to be included in the 2027-2037 designations, even if they are currently designated as an Opportunity Zone. 

The new Opportunity Zone designations take effect on January 1, 2027. Current Opportunity Zone tract designations expire on December 31, 2028. There is a transition period where new zones begin while the original 2018-desingnated zones remain active through 2028.  Investors should refer to the IRS’ Opportunity Zones guidance to learn more about the OZ 1.0 tax deferral deadline. 

Stakeholders can complete the official Excel nomination form provided by NC Commerce and submit it via email to the designated Opportunity Zones feedback address. All submissions must use the official process outlined by the Department 

The public comment and nomination window closes at 11:59 p.m. on June 7, 2026.

Nominations are accepted from local leaders and stakeholders. However, alignment between submissions from counties and municipalities is encouraged. The Chair of the Board of Commissioners or County Managers may submit or co-sponsor a nomination. Mayors or Town Managers may submit or co-sponsor a nomination. 

After the public comment period ends, the NC Department of Commerce will review all nominations and analyze the feedback submitted to the state. If necessary, the state will convene county and municipal leaders to identify the most viable tract to include from the area. 

  1. Download and open the file
    Download the official Opportunity Zones nomination Excel workbook from the NC Department of Commerce website. Open the file in Microsoft Excel (preferred) or a compatible spreadsheet program
  2. Do not modify protected fields
    Do not change formulas, dropdown lists, or locked columns. 
  3. Select the county in column A
  4. Identify and rank eligible tracts using columns B-D 
    1. Identity the number of tracts the county can nominate in column B “Priority”
    2. Identify the eligible census tracts in columns C-D 
    3. Rank the eligible tracts, beginning with the first priority in Row 3.
    4. Answer 5 questions using the prepopulated columns (yes/no): 
      1.  Does this tract meet Governor Stein’s priorities for Opportunity Zones in the following ways? 
      2. Does this tract contain he following to help deliver on those priorities? 
      3. Is the tract located in a locally designed (re)development area plan? 
      4. Is there any significant or recent planning public investment in the tract beyond maintenance/repair?
      5. Do you have any additional information you want to provide? (Free form response allowed, but essays are not necessary.) 
    5. Nominate additional eligible tracts on Row 4, not to exceed the highest priority number in column B. 

Contact

For questions about the Opportunity Zone nomination process, please contact:
Emily Roach Pandich
Director of Policy and Strategic Planning
Emily.roach@commerce.nc.gov

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This page was last modified on 05/27/2026