Attract industrial investment
If your community is ready to attract industrial investment, Wisconsin Certified Sites offers a proven pathway to elevate your property’s visibility and credibility. Designed for communities, utilities, and developers, this process helps you prepare sites to meet the rigorous expectations of site selectors and companies—accelerating your readiness and boosting your competitive edge for attracting industrial and manufacturing development.
Why certify?
Stand out to site selectors
Certified Sites are featured on WEDC’s interactive map and promoted to national and international audiences. Certification signals that your community is serious about economic development and ready to support business growth.
Build confidence with documentation
The certification process ensures your site has completed key due diligence—environmental, geotechnical, utility infrastructure, and more—giving prospects the confidence to move forward. Communities are responsible for obtaining required due diligence studies and documentation; however, WEDC may offer due diligence grant support for eligible sites moving through the Certified Sites process. Grant funds may reimburse up to 50% of eligible due diligence costs, with a maximum award of $100,000 per site. Distressed communities or communities with populations under 50,000 may be eligible for reimbursement of up to 75% of eligible due diligence costs, also capped at $100,000 per site.
Strengthen community capacity
Participating communities receive guidance on best practices for responding to requests for information, hosting site visits, and aligning workforce assets with industry needs. It’s not just about the land—it’s about the people and partnerships behind it.
Accelerate development timelines
By clarifying permitting pathways and confirming infrastructure capacity, certification reduces uncertainty and helps companies move faster from interest to investment.
Ready to get started?
Explore the resources below to learn more about the process, hear success stories from Certified Site communities, and submit your letter of interest. Need some inspiration? Take a look at the current list of Wisconsin’s Certified Sites.
Wisconsin Certified Sites
process requirements and steps to certification
Minimum requirements:
- 20+ contiguous, developable acres (no impediments to development, or mitigation for any known impediments can be accomplished in less than 90 days)
- Appropriately zoned or possible to rezone for industrial use within 90 days of being accepted into the process
- Adequate utility capacity (water, wastewater, electricity, and natural gas) and service to site to support industrial uses must be available or planned with documented timelines
- Possession of clear title and documented ownership or exclusive option on the property
- Local elected leaders, local partners, and site representatives are in support of industrial development and are willing and able to participate in the WEDC Certified Sites process
Early-Stage Certification:
As of 2026, WEDC also offers Early-Stage Certification for promising sites that may not yet be ready for full certification. Early-Stage Certification includes a virtual/desktop review, industrial fit analysis, readiness gap assessment, and targeted action plan. It is an ideal starting point for communities evaluating a property for industrial development and determining whether industrial use represents its highest and best use. Communities interested in Early-Stage Certification should begin by completing the Letter of Interest form below.
