Texas

The Texas Economic Development & Tourism Office (EDT) within the Office of the Governor is leading the OZ 2.0 nomination process, accepting submissions from local economic development organizations (EDOs) and, in counties where no EDO exists, from county judges. To participate, download the Nomination Packet from the EDT Opportunity Zones page (gov.texas.gov/business/page/opportunity-zones), complete it for each proposed tract, and email it to OppZone2.0@gov.texas.gov by June 26, 2026. An EDT FAQ document is also available at gov.texas.gov/uploads/files/business/OZ_2.0_FAQ_.pdf — review it before submitting. EDT intends to finalize and submit Texas' designations to the U.S. Treasury no later than August 3, 2026. EDT evaluates nominations against four criteria: statutory compliance (only tracts that clearly meet federal eligibility under Rev. Proc. 2026-14 qualify); local support (documented commitments such as incentives, rebates, or formal agreements); project viability (private capital deployable within 24–48 months, with additional credit for inclusive growth measures including affordable housing commitments, anti-displacement tools, and workforce initiatives); and geographic balance (preference for rural tracts and areas with federally declared disasters — submitters in post-FEMA-declared-disaster counties should document that status explicitly). Point weights for each criterion have not been published. Note that OZ 1.0 investment in Texas — particularly in Harris County (Houston) — was heavily concentrated in already-appreciating urban tracts; communities with an anti-displacement case to make should include it explicitly in the project viability criterion, where it earns additional credit.