Financial Incentives
Historic Preservation Property Tax Exemption
The City of Jacksonville provides a Historic Preservation Property Tax Exemption for property owners of locally designated historic properties who complete an approved qualified improvement project. The exemption is a limited-time partial ad valorem tax exemption on the added value to the property and applies only to the City's portion of your tax bill. Only the millage set by the City of Jacksonville is applied to the lower taxable value. Millages for all other taxing authorities are applied to the full taxable value of the renovated property. The application which thoroughly describes a proposed project should be reviewed by the City's Planning and Development Department before work is initiated to ensure the work will meet the required Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation. This exemption requires approval by the Jacksonville City Council.
For more information on the program qualifications, requirements, and application process, please contact the Historic Preservation Section at HistoricPreservation@coj.net
Restore Endangered Historic Adaptable Buildings (REHAB) Special Revenue Fund
The purpose of the reimbursement grant is to provide an additional incentive to the owners of historic commercial buildings to rehabilitate and restore them to productive use rather than demolish them because of the cost of rehabilitation. The program guidelines adopted by Ordinance 2023-316 and amended via Ordinance 2024-0847 limit grant awards to $100,000 for eligible costs. In order to qualify for a grant, the building in question must meet the following criteria:
- The building must be at least 50 years old; and
- The building must be income-producing, mixed-use, or owned by a not-for-profit corporation; and
- The building must be located throughout Jacksonville, excluding the Downtown Area as defined in Sec. 55.105, Ordinance Code; and
- The building must be architecturally or historically significant; and
- The building must be: a) a designated local landmark, or b) a contributing structure to a designated local historic district; or c) declared a potential local landmark, with final local landmark approved by the City Council prior to final approval of the grant.
- The building must be declared critically endangered by the Jacksonville Historic Preservation Commission.
The guidelines limit eligible expenses to 75% of eligible costs for the restoration or rehabilitation of the building exterior or historic features on the interior; 75% of costs to bring the property up to levels as required for Code Compliance or related fire and safety requirements; 30% of eligible costs for the rehabilitation of the building interior; and 20% of the above eligible costs for general requirements and overhead of the general contractor.
For more information on the program qualifications, requirements, and application process, please contact the Historic Preservation Section at HistoricPreservation@coj.net