Okla. Stat. tit. 62, § 62-853

This is the official text of Okla. Stat. tit. 62, § 62-853, part of Oklahoma’s Stat. tit. 62, — part of the compiled statutory law of Oklahoma, published by the state as "Stat. tit. 62,." Browse the sections below, each linked to its official government source.

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Definitions

Official statutory text

As used in Section 850 et seq. of this title:

1. "Apportionment" means the direction by a governing body,

authorized by the Legislature pursuant to Section 6C of Article X of

the Oklahoma Constitution, to apply all or any portion of an

increment of ad valorem taxes and all or any portion of sales taxes,

other local taxes or local fees, or any combination thereof, to

financing a plan and project in accordance with this act;

2. "Apportionment area" means the same as an increment district

as defined under this act;

3. "Bonds" means evidences of indebtedness, tax apportionment

bonds or other obligations issued by a public entity pursuant to the

provisions of Section 863 of this title to finance project costs,

pursuant to a project plan, which are to be repaid in whole or part

with apportioned increments;

4. "District" means either an incentive district as authorized

by Section 860 of this title or an increment district as authorized

by Section 861 of this title. A district may consist of all or a

portion of a project area;

5. "Enterprise area" means any area within a designated state

or federal enterprise zone;

6. "Enterprise zone" means an enterprise zone as designated by

the Department of Commerce pursuant to the provisions of Section

690.3 of this title or as designated by the federal government;

7. "Governing body" means the city council of a city, the board

of trustees of a town or the board of county commissioners;

8. "Historic preservation area" means a geographic area listed

in or nominated by the State Historic Preservation Officer to the

National Register of Historic Places, an historic structure or

structures listed individually in or nominated by the State Historic

Preservation Officer to the National Register of Historic Places,

with such area or structure being subject to historic preservation

zoning, or for purposes of ad valorem tax exemptions provided for in

subsection D of Section 860 of this title, a structure subject to

historic preservation zoning. Rehabilitation undertaken in an

historic preservation area shall meet the Secretary of the

Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation, latest revision, in order

to be eligible for the incentives or exemptions granted pursuant to

Section 860 of this title;

9. "Increment" means that portion of ad valorem taxes in excess

of the amount of that portion of the taxes which are produced by the

levy at the rate fixed each year by or for each such ad valorem

taxing entity upon the base assessed value of the district or as to

an area later added to the district, the effective date of the

Oklahoma Statutes - Title 62. Public Finance Page 541

modification of the plan, or that portion of sales taxes, other

local taxes or local fees collected each year reasonably determined

by a formula approved by the governing body to be generated by the

project, regardless of taxable location or recipient local public

taxing entity, which may be apportioned for specific project costs

or as a specific revenue source for other public entities in the

area in which the project costs take place;

10. "Local taxes" means ad valorem taxes, sales taxes and other

local taxes which are levied by or on the behalf of a taxing entity;

11. "Planning commission" means an organization established for

local planning by local government or governments in accordance with

the laws of this state;

12. "Project" means all development activities pursuant to the

objectives of the project plan;

13. “Project area” means the geographic boundaries within which

development activities will occur. The project area may be

coextensive or larger than the increment district;

14. "Project costs" means the expenditures made or estimated to

be made and monetary obligations incurred or estimated to be

incurred which are listed in the project plan as costs of and

incidental to planning, approval and implementation of the project
raphic boundaries within which

development activities will occur. The project area may be

coextensive or larger than the increment district;

14. "Project costs" means the expenditures made or estimated to

be made and monetary obligations incurred or estimated to be

incurred which are listed in the project plan as costs of and

incidental to planning, approval and implementation of the project

plan. Any income, special assessments, or other revenues received,

or reasonably expected to be received, by the city, town or county

in connection with the implementation of the project plan may be

used to pay project costs. Project costs include, but are not

limited to:

a. capital costs, including the actual costs of the

acquisition and construction of public works, public

improvements, new public or private buildings,

structures, and fixtures; the actual costs of the

acquisition, demolition, alteration, remodeling,

repair, or reconstruction of existing public or

private buildings, structures, and fixtures; and the

actual costs of the acquisition of land and equipment

for public works, public improvements and public

buildings and the actual costs of clearing and grading

of such land and environmental remediation related

thereto,

b. financing costs, including interest paid to holders of

evidences of indebtedness or other obligations issued

to pay for project costs and premium paid over the

principal amount of the obligations because of the

redemption of the obligations before maturity,

c. real property assembly costs, including clearance and

preparation costs,

Oklahoma Statutes - Title 62. Public Finance Page 542

d. professional service costs, including those incurred

for architectural, planning, engineering, legal and

financial advice and services,

e. direct administrative costs, including reasonable

charges for the time spent by employees of the city,

town or county in connection with the implementation

of a project plan or employees of private entities

under contract with a public entity for project

planning or implementation,

f. organizational costs, including the costs of

conducting environmental impact studies or other

impact studies, the cost of publicizing the

consideration of the project plan, costs incidental to

creation of the district, and the cost of implementing

the project plan for the district,

g. interest, before and during construction and for two

(2) years after completion of construction, whether or

not capitalized,

h. fees for bond guarantees, letters of credit and bond

insurance,

i. the amount of any contributions offset made in

connection with the implementation of the project

plan,

j. the costs for determining or redetermining the base

assessed value of a district,

k. costs of construction of public works or improvements,

including but not limited to highways, roads, streets,

bridges, sewers, traffic control systems and devices,

telecommunications systems, parks, water distribution

and supply systems, curbing, sidewalks and any similar

public improvements, common utility or service

facilities, landscaping, parking, and water

detention/retention systems,

l. all or a portion of another taxing jurisdiction's

capital costs resulting from the development or

redevelopment project necessarily incurred or to be

incurred in furtherance of the objectives of the plan

and project, to the extent the governing body by

written agreement accepts and approves such costs,

m. relocation costs to the extent that a governing body

determines that relocation costs shall be paid or are

required to be paid by federal or state law,

n. all costs incurred in the maintenance, management,

marketing and other services provided through an

active Main Street Program recognized as such by the

Oklahoma Department of Commerce, and

Oklahoma Statutes - Title 62. Public Finance Page 543

o. assistance in development financing to the extent the
s that relocation costs shall be paid or are

required to be paid by federal or state law,

n. all costs incurred in the maintenance, management,

marketing and other services provided through an

active Main Street Program recognized as such by the

Oklahoma Department of Commerce, and

Oklahoma Statutes - Title 62. Public Finance Page 543

o. assistance in development financing to the extent the

governing body approves such financing;

15. "Project plan" means the approved plans of a city, town or

county which may include a designated district or districts under

this act in conformance with its comprehensive plan, which is

intended by the payment of costs through apportionment of the

increment or by the granting of incentives or exemptions to reduce

or eliminate those conditions, the existence of which qualified the

district, and to thereby enhance private investment of the tax bases

of the taxing entities which extend into the district. Project

plans may be a part of and incorporate existing neighborhood,

renewal, economic development, public school and other such plans.

Each project plan shall conform to the requirements specified by

this act;

16. "Public entity" means any city, town, county, board,

commission, authority, district, urban renewal authority or public

trust;

17. "Reinvestment area" means any area located within the

limits of a city, town or county requiring public improvements,

including but not limited to transportation-related projects

identified by any transportation authority pursuant to Section

1370.7 of Title 68 of the Oklahoma Statutes, to reverse economic

stagnation or decline, to serve as a catalyst for retaining or

expanding employment, to attract major investment in the area or to

preserve or enhance the tax base or in which fifty percent (50%) or

more of the structures in the area have an age of thirty-five (35)

years or more. Such an area is detrimental to the public health,

safety, morals or welfare. Such an area may become a blighted area

because of any one or more of the following factors: dilapidation;

obsolescence; deterioration; illegal use of individual structures;

presence of structures below minimum code standards; abandonment;

excessive vacancies; overcrowding of structures and community

facilities; lack of ventilation, light or sanitary facilities;

inadequate utilities; excessive land coverage; deleterious land use

or layout; depreciation of physical maintenance; and lack of

community planning. Such an area includes a blighted area as

defined in Section 38-101 of Title 11 of the Oklahoma Statutes at

the time of approval of the project plan; and

18. "Taxing entity" or “taxing jurisdiction” means a city,

town, county, school district, political subdivision or other local

entity in which local taxes or fees are levied by or on its behalf.

Status: in_force · Read it on the official government site

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About this page: Statute text is reproduced from official government publishers via the Open US Law dataset (Vaquill AI, snapshot v2026.08, CC BY 4.0). Primary legislative text like this is public domain under the government-edicts doctrine (Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 2020). We link every section back to its official source so you can verify it independently.