Incentives

Moreno Valley Offers Attractive, Competitive Incentives

Incentives Make Sweet Deals Even Sweeter

Moreno Valley offers some of the most innovative and competitive incentives in California to help relocate or expand your business.

These incentives, combined with Moreno Valley’s ideal location, business friendly atmosphere, and motivated workforce, are why so many Fortune 500 and international companies have already said Yes! to Moreno Valley.

Moreno Valley Utility Incentives

Moreno Valley Utility provides electricity to all new development within the city, proudly serving more than 8,000 customers with a peak load exceeding 60 Megawatts (MW), including many Fortune 500 and international companies.

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Moreno Valley Electric Utility (MVU) Rate Reductions

With this incentive program, qualifying businesses can capture major energy savings. Discounts range from 7% to 26.5% and terms range from 5 to 16 years. Eligibility is based on several factors (targeted industries, job creation, sales tax generation, etc.).

With an additional Hire MoVal Incentive Program, businesses can get up to 4% more for hiring Moreno Valley residents. Bundled electric utility rate reductions can reach 30.5%.

Moreno Valley Utility works with businesses every step of the way, from efficient design through construction, to ensure a quality project.

Additional MVU cost saving programs include:

  • Solar: Commercial customers who install solar panels receive competitive net-energy compensation for their production. Contact the MVU solar team, we can help you determine the size and options that would be applicable to your site.

  • Energy Efficiency: Incentives available for energy efficiency measures that exceed Title 24 requirements, installed in both new construction and upgrades to existing buildings.

  • Connections: MVU supports multiple points of connection for new buildings, saving construction expense.

MVU Business Energy Efficiency Rebates

The Moreno Valley Utility has developed a broad array of energy efficiency programs to meet the needs of new and existing business customers. These programs create real energy savings, reduce customer bills, support economic development, and lessen environmental impacts for businesses in Moreno Valley.

Program details are available online on the MVU Programs page.

For businesses not served by MVU, check SCE’s website.

Programs for businesses include:

  • New Construction and Major Tenant Renovation

  • Commercial Energy Efficiency Program (Energy Audits and Direct Install) valued up to $3,000

  • Lighting Retrofits pay $0.07 per kilowatt-hour saved over a one year period

  • Commercial Central AC and Heat Pump Tune-Up

  • Commercial Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) Retrofits

  • Chiller Retrofits

  • Thermal Energy Storage

  • Miscellaneous Energy-Saving Retrofits

  • Motor Replacements

Hire Moval

The Hire MoVal program provides incentives to businesses located in Moreno Valley that hire Moreno Valley residents. The award winning program encourages businesses to make a good faith effort to hire qualified residents.

Participating businesses can demonstrate their Hire MoVal support in the following ways:

  • Using the Business & Employment Resource Center’s FREE workforce recruitment services.

  • Providing job announcements so the City can help publicize recruiting events.

  • Adopting a “First Source” hiring practice that gives residents advance notice about recruitments.

  • Hiring a local grad with the Hire MoVal Hire a Graduate program.

Hire MoVal MVU Rate Reductions

With the Hire MoVal program, Moreno Valley Utility business customers that are eligible for the Economic Development Utility Incentive (described above) can achieve additional electrical rate discounts for hiring their workforce from Moreno Valley residents.

  • 2% additional rate discount for hiring at least 20% of their workforce from Moreno Valley residents
  • 4% additional rate discount for hiring at least 40% of their workforce from Moreno Valley residents

If you have any questions about Hire MoVal Incentive Program, please contact the Economic Development Team by phone at 951.413.3460 or by email at EDTeam@moval.org.

Hire MoVal for Small Businesses

Hire MoVal has been extended to serve even more Moreno Valley businesses with new and exciting benefits for small businesses.

  • Business License Discount! Businesses with less than $200,000 in gross revenues that hire at least 40% of their employees from Moreno Valley’s workforce receive a fee waiver on the business license fee.
  • Access exclusive job recruitment services at the Moreno Valley Business & Employment Resource Center.
  • Free one-on-one expert business consulting services and workshops with the Inland Empire Small Business Development Center (SBDC).
  • Save with key energy programs with the Moreno Valley Utility. These include energy audits, custom energy efficiency programs, and the level payment plan.

Contact us for any questions you may have.

For business license waiver details, contact the Business License Department:
951.413.3080
businesslicense@moval.org

For energy program details, contact Moreno Valley Utility:
951.413.3500
mvutility@moval.org

Hire MoVal Hire a Graduate

Get rewarded up to $5,000 for Hiring local graduates!

With the new Hire MoVal – Hire a Graduate program, Moreno Valley businesses are eligible to receive incentives for hiring local residents who have recently graduated or earned a certificate from an accredited college or university. Local businesses may be awarded a $1,000 stipend for each recent Moreno Valley graduate up to a maximum of five new hires. In order to be eligible, Moreno Valley businesses must be licensed by the City of Moreno Valley and hire a Moreno Valley resident who has received a degree from an accredited college or university, completed a vocational educational training program or finished a comprehensive Career and Technical Education (CTE) program within the past two years.

To apply for the Hire A Graduate program, please call 951.413.3021 or email at hiremoval@moval.org.

Hire MoVal Hire a MoVal Veteran

Get Rewarded up to $15,000 for hiring local veterans!

With the new Hire MoVal – Hire a MoVal Veteran program, Moreno Valley businesses are eligible to receive incentives for hiring local residents who have serviced in the military. Local businesses may be awarded a $1,500 stipend ($1,000 to the business and $500 to the veteran) for each Moreno Valley veteran up to a maximum of ten new hires. In order to be eligible, Moreno valley businesses must be licensed by the City of Moreno Valley and hire a Moreno Valley veteran for a minimum of 480 hours, which is an average of 20 hours a week for a minimum employment time period of six months.

To apply for the Hire A MoVal Veteran program, please call 951.413.3021 or email at hiremoval@moval.org.

Workforce Recruitment

Hire the best talent.  The City’s Business & Employment Resource Center (BERC) operates a one-stop job resource center that provides workforce development, recruitment, and job fair support to connect Moreno Valley businesses with the right employees at NO COST.

The City of Moreno Valley encourages our businesses to hire locally. We partner with Riverside County Workforce Development staff to work hand in hand with our businesses through all of the following services (provided at NO COST to Moreno Valley businesses!):

  • Recruitment Advertising / Outreach
  • Employment Testing & Pre-screening
  • Interview Support
  • Job Fairs

Recruitment events can be hosted at your choice of location, including FREE use of the Business & Employment Resource Center facility.

The City also connects businesses to employee training incentives.  Funded by the State of California, the BERC can connect Moreno Valley businesses with Employment Training Panel (ETP) dollars and conduct various types of customized training programs.

Contact us to get started with your workforce recruitment

Contact ED Team: 
951.413.3460
EDTeam@moval.org

Contact BERC:
951.413.3920
BERC@moval.org

Business & Employment Resource Center

12625 Frederick Street, Suite K-3
Moreno Valley, CA 92553

Hours of Operation:
Monday – Thursday

8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Fast Track Concierge Service

The City of Moreno Valley is committed to your business’ success and partners with you through every phase of the development process.  The City accelerates your business opportunities with our commitment to a pro-business culture and concierge business services.  We fast track business development with unparalleled plan check turnaround times that consistently beat other agencies in the region.  We serve as a project partner during any and all phases of site selection, due diligence, entitlement, permitting, and construction processes.

If an issue arises, the ED Team collaborates with the City’s Development Divisions to help you find creative solutions!

Time & Materials

Save on Post-Entitlement Expenses

The City of Moreno Valley offers a Time & Materials (T&M) program that provides eligible development projects the opportunity for significant cost savings on post-entitlement Planning, Building & Safety, Land Development and Fire Prevention fees.

THE CITY’S FEE SCHEDULE GENERATES SOME FEES BASED ON BUILDING SIZE.  While the Fee Schedule reflects the actual project review costs for most customers, the City recognizes that the proportionate review time per square foot relationship may not calculate for larger facilities. Under T&M, large scale projects can take advantage of project efficiencies and achieve equitable fees based on direct project-related time and expenses, generating substantial savings.

Eligibility Criteria

The T&M Program applies to non-residential plan check applications, permits, inspections, and other post-entitlement expenses.

Building Valuation Minimum building valuation of $25 million based on project type and size.
Improvement Valuation If a project’s building valuation does not meet the $25 million threshold, the City may consider the added value of public improvements installed by the developer. Improvement valuation based on the development engineer’s project cost estimate.
Job Creation 150 or more, regardless of minimum project valuation.
Director’s Discretion Based on Economic Development Action Plan priorities.

Recycling Market Development Zone

Moreno Valley is a Recycling Market Development Zone (RMDZ).  RMDZs encourage California businesses that manufacture goods using recycled materials to site new manufacturing facilities and expand existing operations in the state.

The program provides low-interest loans for the purchase of equipment and other relevant business costs.

Foreign Trade Zone

Located at the center of a key global logistics hub in the Inland Empire, the City of Moreno Valley is a designated Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ). For businesses, that means incentives and programs that add up to significant cost savings such as:

  • Deferral of Duties: Customs duties are paid only when and if merchandise is transferred into U.S. Customs and Border Protection territory.

  • Reduction of Duties: With the permission of the FTZ Board, users elect the lower duty rate of that applicable to either the foreign components or the finished product manufactured in the zone.

  • Elimination of Duties: No duties are paid on merchandise exported from an FTZ. Therefore, duty is eliminated on foreign merchandise admitted to the zone but eventually exported from the FTZ.

  • Elimination of Drawback: In an FTZ, the need for drawback may be eliminated, allowing funds to remain in the operating capital of the company.

  • Estimated Weekly Entry & Merchandise Processing Fee (MPF): Fees are collected for filing each entry with U.S. Customs & Border Protection (minimum of $25 and a maximum of $485) assessed for each entry filed. The FTZ program allows consolidation from daily or per-container entries into weekly entries.

  • Labor, Overhead and Profit: FTZ users do not owe duties on labor, overhead and profit attributed to production in an FTZ. By federal statute, property imported from outside the U.S. and held in a zone, as well as that produced in the U.S. and held in a zone for export, is not subject to state and local ad valorem taxes.

  • Quotas: U.S. quota restrictions do not apply to merchandise admitted to FTZs, although quotas will apply when the merchandise is subsequently entered into U.S. commerce. Merchandise may be substantially transformed in an FTZ to a non-quota article that may then be entered into U.S. territory, free of quota restrictions. Quota merchandise may be stored in an FTZ until the quota opens.

  • Zone-to-Zone Transfer: Duties may be deferred until the product is removed from the final zone for entry into the U.S. Customs and Border Protection territory.

  • Intangible Benefits: Many companies in FTZs find that their inventory control systems run more efficiently. They are also eligible to take advantage of special Customs procedures that expedite the movement of cargo and support just-in-time inventory methodologies. Companies have found these additional, intangible benefits increase their competitiveness.

Opportunity Zones

The Qualified Opportunity Zone program offers three distinct tax benefits, all of which are designed to reward long-term investments in distressed, low-income communities. See www.irs.gov for more information on Opportunity Zones and Opportunity Funds.

What does an opportunity zone offer?

  • A temporary tax deferral of capital gains

  • A capital gain reduction through a basis adjustment

  • A permanent gain exclusion on the appreciation of interest

State, Federal & More

Moreno Valley’s Economic Development Team connects businesses to a variety of federal, state, and local incentives and assistance.

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