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Chicago Business Licensing


The Chicago Small Business Center (SBC) is the business licensing and permitting division of the City of Chicago Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection (BACP) and the City’s “one-stop-shop” for business licensing, public way use permitting and other resources to start and grow your business.


Licenses issued to-date

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Business Services


license application information


Business data Resources

This interactive website allows users to search for businesses that hold a current City of Chicago business license by address, license type, business name, ward, community area, or neighborhood, among other categories. 

For liquor moratorium and vote dry information possibly affecting a specific address follow these steps:

  • Type in the numeric address, the direction, and use the pick list to enter the street name with the correct extension (St, Pl, Dr, etc.) in the dialogue box.
  • Choose the Zoom-In button and click on the map one or more times to enlarge the area and enable easier interpretation.
  • Follow the map legend to decipher information.
  • Call 312.744.6249, if needed, to confirm your interpretation of the information from the map.
  • Updates to moratoriums are regularly heard by the City Council Committee on License and Consumer Protection.  Meeting dates and agendas for the Committee can be found here.

 

The Chicago Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection (BACP) is committed to providing accurate and timely information to businesses and citizens of Chicago.  However, BACP cannot guarantee the quality, content, accuracy, or completeness of the information, text, graphics, links, and other items contained on the following webpage.  All data visualizations on maps should be considered approximate.  BACP is not responsible for the content of any off-site pages that are referenced by or that reference to this webpage other than an official City of Chicago webpage.  BACP also retains the right to change any content on its website without prior notice.

Information provided on the City of Chicago’s website should not be used as s substitute for legal, accounting, real estate, business, tax, or other professional advice.  The City of Chicago assumes no liability for any damages or losses of any kind that may arise from the use of, misuse of, or the inability to use the City’s website and/or the materials contained on the website.  The City of Chicago also assumes no liability for improper or incorrect use of materials or information contained on its website.  All materials that appear on the City of Chicago website are distributed and transmitted “as is”, without warranties of any kind, either express or implied, and subject to the terms and conditions stated in this disclaimer.

The City of Chicago strives to provide a safe and enjoyable computing environment.  The City of Chicago, however, assumes no liability for any virus or other contamination of, or damages to, your computer that might occur during or as a result of visiting its website.

View the status of your inspections for retail food and hospitality licenses. For questions, contact the Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection at (312) 74-GOBIZ (744-6249) or businesslicense@cityofchicago.org

Look up licensed Expediters and other third parties, and file complaints with the appropriate government agencies. 


Business License and Permit information

Zoning Guide

Zoning Guide

Every business license, location expansion and change of location application needs to be reviewed and approved by Zoning before a business license application can be processed.

Liquor Licensing - image of a bottle and glass

Liquor Licensing

Information on liquor licenses issued by BACP.

Public Way Use Permits - an outdoor table with two chairs

Public Way Use Permits

Items associated with a business that are on, over, or under the public way such as signs, canopies, awnings, and lighting require a BACP permit.

Shared Housing - a family in a house

Shared Housing

Short-term residential rental activity is regulated by BACP. Use this link for information on how to register your residence as a shared housing unit.

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Outdoor Dining

Restaurants and bars can serve patrons on the sidewalk, in curb lanes, or as part of a full street closure with an Outdoor Dining permit

Public Vehicle Licensing - image of a car

Public Vehicle Licensing

Information on licenses issued by BACP for taxicabs, Transportation Network Providers, charter buses, chauffeurs, and other public vehicles.


 BACP logo Small Business Center
City Hall
121 North LaSalle Street, 8th Floor, Room 800
Chicago, IL 60602
Monday through Friday; 8:30 am to 4:30 pm.
312.74.GOBIZ (744.6249) or 312.744.1944 for TTY
businesslicense@cityofchicago.org