Home
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
Business Services
license application information
Business License and Permit information
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
Information on liquor licenses issued by BACP.
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
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.
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
Information on licenses issued by BACP for taxicabs, Transportation Network Providers, charter buses, chauffeurs, and other public vehicles.
 |
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 |