City of Aiken Economic Development Department

111 Chesterfield St. S • Aiken, SC 29801 • 803-502-4997

City of Aiken Development Incentives

The City of Aiken offers incentives to assist businesses by reducing the startup costs of new projects.

The program, approved in 2018 (ordinance 08132018), offers rebates of City fees paid by new or existing businesses over a five-year period. Those fees include business licenses, utility impact fees, building inspection, and permitting expenses. To take part in the program, the business must apply with the City prior to beginning the project and be able to show a benefit to the community in the form of added jobs, new future tax revenue, increased retail sales, or any other combination of positive potential outcomes.

The City of Aiken offers rebates of as much as 50 percent of certain fees (building permits, business license, utility impact fees) payable to the City over as many as five years.

Each new project is considered on a case-by-case basis by the Economic Development Department. The projects are evaluated based on their potential contribution to the economy and well-being of the City as a whole. To see if your project qualifies for the potential reimbursement of such fees, please apply with this form.

Once the Economic Development office has reviewed the application and made an agreement regarding the benefits available to the new project in exchange for benefits to the City as a whole, an agreement will move before City Council in the form of an ordinance for approval. Once approved, the rebates would be paid at the end of each year that the new project achieves the goals outlined in the incentive agreement.

Click here to view the City of Aiken Development Proposal for Economic Development Incentives Form