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The Data Center Divide

Tulsa County

Strongly Pro-Data Center Policies

Tulsa County grants qualifying new investment in the Project Clydesdale districts a 25-year property-tax exemption in exchange for annual payments. The County also promises not to unreasonably target or impair this project; ordinary permits and regulations still apply.

Incentives

Tax benefits
2

25-year, 100% ad valorem property-tax exemption on qualifying new investment for Quartz Mountain Properties and affiliates, subject to annual PILOT payments.

Qualifying project investment receives a 100% ad valorem tax exemption for 25 years per district, with annual PILOT payments.

current law · Unincorporated areas
Establishes four tax incentive districts in unincorporated Tulsa County to support a proposed multiphase data-center campus and attract investment that the parties determine would not occur without incentives.Tulsa County Project Clydesdale Tax Incentive Agreement (2025)

What this means

The measure offers qualifying new data-center investment in four Tulsa County districts a 100% property-tax exemption for 25 years, in exchange for annual payments. It also says the County may not adopt rules or charges that unreasonably target or impair the project during the agreement term, though these benefits and protections apply to this project, not data centers generally. 100% property-tax exemption for 25 years shall not discriminate against the Project

People behind it

  • Developer that proposed the Project Clydesdale data center project and entered into the tax incentive agreement.

  • County governing body that approved and adopted the Project Plan, created the incentive districts, and authorized the tax incentive agreement.

  • Principal public entity designated to administer and implement the Project Plan and incentive districts.

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  • Planning body that determined the Project Plan conformed to the Tulsa County Comprehensive Plan and recommended its approval.

  • Review committee that evaluated the Project Plan’s eligibility and financial impacts and recommended its approval and adoption.

Restrictions & requirementsHide restrictions & requirements12
  • Data centers must comply with all applicable zoning, building, and other governmental regulations and obtain all required approvals and permits before development. The Company is responsible for obtaining all necessary approvals and permits.

  • New land development in the Highway 75 Planning Area must generally use Tulsa County’s Planned Unit Development process, which includes higher-quality building materials and site-development standards; impacts on adjoining property owners are part of that review. All new land development should anticipate working within the PUD process.

  • New access points to U.S. Highway 75 are prohibited through the zoning process; any proposed new access must instead be handled by the County Engineer’s Office and ODOT. New access points to Highway 75 will not be permitted.

  • Large multi-tenant developments are expected to use frontage roads to reduce direct highway access. Frontage roads will be encouraged for large multi-tenant development.

  • Development in floodplain areas is limited, and floodplain areas are to be maintained as natural environments; floodplain areas may also be required to serve as buffers and open space. Floodplain development will be limited.

  • Development standards require landscaping and green buffers, particularly where new development adjoins existing properties. Landscaping and green buffers will be required.

  • The anticipated PUD standards include significant building setbacks, no outdoor storage, lighting limits, illuminated-signage standards, and potentially reduced parking standards. PUD standards will include significant building setbacks.

  • The tax exemption is limited to new investment by establishments qualifying under NAICS 518210; public-service property assessed by the State Board of Equalization is excluded. All new value attributable to Project investment must satisfy the specified classification to receive the exemption.

  • Each incentive district’s exemption can last only 25 tax years, and activation must occur no later than the January 1 of the year in which the Project Plan’s tenth anniversary occurs, anticipated to be January 1, 2035. No Incentive District Exemption may become effective more than ten years after approval.

  • The Company must pay an annual PILOT for each exempted data center, beginning the year after a certificate of occupancy or substantial-completion notice, with a $1.5 million initial payment for the first data center and 1% annual increases; later data centers’ initial payments are CPI-adjusted. The initial annual PILOT Payment for the first Data Center will total $1,500,000.

  • The Company must make an additional $500,000 annual community investment payment for the first data center during each exemption year, for nearby infrastructure projects. The Company shall make an additional annual community investment payment.

  • The Company must submit annual project information to the County by March 15 to support required incentive-district reports, and the County must submit annual reports to the state and taxing entities. The Company shall provide to the County by no later than March 15 a report.

Benefits & exceptionsHide benefits & exceptions11
  • A 100% exemption from ad valorem taxes applies to qualifying new real and business personal property investment in each incentive district for 25 tax years. The exemption covers property used by establishments classified under NAICS 518210, subject to the agreement’s eligibility rules. 100% ad valorem property tax exemption for a term of twenty-five years

  • The exemption applies to value above each district’s established non-exempt base value, including qualifying new land value, buildings, and personal property. Construction-in-process and certain unrelated contractors’ property are excluded from the base-value calculation. all value attributable to new investment

  • The exemption can be activated when a data center is completed and receives a certificate of occupancy or when the company provides written notice of substantial completion; alternatively, activation occurs by January 1 of the year of the plan’s tenth anniversary, anticipated to be January 1, 2035. the earlier of

  • Each district may support later-built data centers and qualifying ancillary buildings for the remainder of that district’s 25-year term after activation, so subsequent construction does not require a new district term. subsequently constructed Data Centers and ancillary buildings

  • In exchange for the exemption, the company pays a fixed initial PILOT of $1.5 million annually for the first data center, allocated among the taxing entities, with 1% annual increases. Each later data center’s initial PILOT is adjusted by CPI and then increases 1% annually. The initial annual PILOT Payment for the first Data Center will total

  • The company pays a $500,000 annual Community Investment Payment for the first data center during each exemption year, and the county must use it for infrastructure projects near the project. used by the County for certain infrastructure projects in the immediate vicinity

  • For county-required approvals and permits, the county agrees to act in good faith to timely review and process complete, accurate, and timely submissions that comply with applicable zoning and building regulations. act in good faith to timely review and process

  • To the extent legally permitted, the county may not adopt regulations, special assessments, taxes, fees, or other charges during the term that unreasonably target or impair the project. shall not discriminate against the Project

  • The company and end user retain complete discretion over the number, timing, rate, and order of phases, and the taxing entities may not condition the exemption’s amount or term on a particular development schedule. complete control and discretion over the number of Phases developed

  • The company may assign all or part of the agreement and its exemption rights to affiliates, successors, an end user, or other qualifying successors without express county or taxing-entity approval, provided the successor submits the required assignment and assumes the applicable obligations. may assign or partially assign this Agreement at its sole discretion

  • If a data center crosses incentive-district boundaries, the county may administratively adjust the boundaries without further legislation when the adjustment keeps the data center in one district and adds no more than 5% of that district’s area. would not result in an addition to an Incentive District constituting more than five percent

Sources

current law · County project: Unincorporated area north of East 76th Street North, east of North Yale Avenue, south of East 86th Street North, and west of North Sheridan Road
Establishes four tax incentive districts in unincorporated Tulsa County to support a multiphase data-center campus and at least $700 million in private investment for the initial phase; Tulsa County adopted the plan and entered into the implementing agreement on September 29, 2025 (executed agreement and Project Plan).Tulsa County Project Clydesdale Economic Development Project Plan (2025)

What this means

The plan offers a 100% property-tax exemption on qualifying new investment for 25 years (“one hundred percent (100%) ad valorem property tax exemption”). It also promises that the County will not adopt measures that unreasonably target or impair the project during the exemption term (“shall not discriminate against the Project”); ordinary permits and regulations still apply.

People behind it

  • Developer and proposing company for the Project Clydesdale data center project and associated tax incentive plan.

  • Principal public entity responsible for approving, carrying out, and administering the Project Plan and Incentive Districts.

  • Reviewed the Project Plan for comprehensive-plan conformance and recommended its approval to the Board of County Commissioners.

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  • Reviewed the proposed Project Plan and Incentive Districts, made eligibility and financial-impact findings, and recommended approval.

Restrictions & requirementsHide restrictions & requirements12
  • Data center development must comply with all applicable governmental regulations and obtain all required governmental or quasi-governmental approvals and permits; the Company is responsible for obtaining them.

  • New access points to U.S. Highway 75 are not permitted through the zoning process. Any proposed new access must instead be reviewed by the County Engineer and the Oklahoma Department of Transportation.

  • Large multi-tenant development is expected to use frontage roads to reduce direct highway access.

  • Development in the Highway 75 Planning Area is expected to proceed through the Tulsa County Planned Unit Development process, which may impose higher-quality building and site standards, significant setbacks, landscaping and green buffers, limits on lighting and illuminated signs, and reduced parking standards where appropriate.

  • Outdoor storage is to be eliminated under the anticipated PUD standards, and development near surrounding properties must provide landscaping and green buffers.

  • Development in identified floodplain areas is limited, with those areas generally maintained as natural environments and used as buffers where practical.

  • The project plan contemplates no interior public streets, so the campus must rely on the proposed site access and privately funded on-site infrastructure connections.

  • For each Data Center that receives the exemption, the Company must make annual PILOT payments beginning in the year after completion or substantial completion: $1.5 million for the first Data Center, CPI-adjusted for later Data Centers, with payments increasing 1% annually.

  • For the first Data Center, the Company must also pay the County $500,000 annually during each exemption year for nearby infrastructure improvements.

  • The tax exemption is limited to qualifying new investment associated with establishments classified under NAICS 518210; public service property is excluded, and later buildings or Data Centers receive only the remaining portion of an Incentive District's 25-year term.

  • Each Incentive District must be activated no later than January 1 of the year containing the tenth anniversary of Project Plan approval, and the exemption lasts only 25 tax years from its applicable activation date.

  • The Company must provide annual project information to Tulsa County by March 15 to support required Incentive District reports, including information about exempted property, its estimated value, and the remaining exemption term.

Benefits & exceptionsHide benefits & exceptions11
  • Qualifying new real and personal property investment for data-center establishments classified under NAICS 518210 receives a 100% ad valorem property-tax exemption for 25 tax years in the applicable incentive district. The exemption applies to investment made after Project Plan approval and excludes state-assessed public-service property. 100% ad valorem property tax exemption

  • The exemption can cover qualifying investment above each district’s certified non-exempt base value, including qualifying land-value increases and improvements constructed before a data center, once the district’s exemption becomes effective. all value attributable to new investment

  • Each district’s exemption is activated on January 1 following a data center’s certificate of occupancy or the company’s notice of substantial completion, whichever applies first, or otherwise on January 1 of the year of the Project Plan’s tenth anniversary. No district may activate more than ten years after approval, and each district then lasts 25 tax years. the earlier of

  • Instead of ordinary ad valorem taxes on exempted property, the company pays a defined annual PILOT of $1.5 million for the first data center, allocated among the taxing entities, with each later year increasing by 1%. Later data centers receive an initial PILOT adjusted by CPI and then the same 1% annual increase. The initial annual PILOT Payment

  • The company pays the County an additional $500,000 annually for the first data center during each exemption year, and the County must use those Community Investment Payments for infrastructure projects immediately adjacent to or near the project area. used by the County for certain infrastructure projects

  • The County may plan, approve, finance, and implement complementary public-funding initiatives and seek grants from other sources in support of the project, although this authority is discretionary and the plan anticipates no public investment. applying for and obtaining grant funds

  • The County agrees, to the extent legally permitted, to review and process complete, accurate, and timely project submissions in good faith and not to adopt regulations, taxes, assessments, fees, or charges that unreasonably target or impair the project during the exemption term. shall not discriminate against the Project

  • The company may change the number, size, location, timing, and order of phases and data centers at its discretion; it is not required to build any particular phase or facility. complete control and discretion

  • Additional data centers and qualifying ancillary buildings constructed in a district after its exemption begins receive the exemption for the district’s remaining term, with a separate PILOT applying to each data center. any subsequently constructed Data Centers and ancillary buildings

  • If a data center crosses district boundaries, the County may administratively adjust the boundaries without further legislative action when the adjustment keeps the added area within the statutory 5% limit; otherwise, all affected districts may activate for that data center. administratively approve an amendment

  • The company may assign all or part of the agreement, including exemption rights and obligations, to affiliates, the end user, or other successors without express approval from the County or other taxing entities, provided the successor executes the required assignment and assumption agreement. may assign or partially assign

Sources

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