Illinois Business License

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General Business Licensing Guide
Overview
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General Business License Requirements for Illinois.

Business licenses are often required of business entities, regardless of their products and services. This page provides an overview of business license requirements in Illinois.

Illinois General Business Licenses

Illinois Business License

Not required



General Business License licensure is not required on the State level in Illinois.

Illinois does not have a general business license at the state level, but local licenses are often required.

Local General Business Licenses

Chicago Business License

Agency:City of Chicago Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection - Small Business Center (IL)
Foreign Qualification is Prerequisite:No
Registered Agent (Special Agency) Required?No

Automatic Exemption

Exemption Eligible Organizations:
  • Acupuncturists, Chiropractors, Naprapaths, and Osteopaths
  • Architects
  • Athletics (i.e. Professional Boxers, Boxing Managers, Referees,
  • Timekeepers, Judges, Boxing Promoters and Seconds)
  • Cemetery (Authorities, Managers, and Customer Service Employees)
  • Certified Public Accountants
  • Clinical Psychologists
  • Clinical Social Workers and Social Workers
  • Counselors (Professional and Clinical Professional)
  • Cosmetology Schools and similar establishments
  • Detection of Deception Examiners
  • Dentists, Dental Assistants, Dental Hygienists
  • Dietitians and Nutrition Counselors
  • Engineers (Professional and Structural)
  • Environmental Health Practitioners
  • Funeral (Directors and Embalmers)
  • Geologists (Professional)
  • Landscape Architects
  • Marriage and Family Therapists
  • Nurses
  • Nursing Home Administrators
  • Occupational Therapists and Occupational Therapist Assistants
  • Optometrists
  • Pharmacists
  • Physical Therapists and Physical Therapist Assistants
  • Physicians and Physician Assistants
  • Podiatrists
  • Private Detectives, Private Alarm Companies, and Security Guards
  • Real Estate Brokers
  • Respiratory Care Practitioners
  • Shorthand Reporters
  • Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists
  • Surgical (Assistants and Technologists)
  • Veterinarians and Veterinary Technicians
  • Wholesale Drug Distributors
  • ATMs not owned by financial institutions
  • Check Printers
  • Mortgage Bankers and Brokers
  • Savings and Loan Associations
  • Savings Banks
  • State Chartered Banks
  • Trust Companies
  • Credit Unions
  • Currency Exchanges
  • Money Transmitters
  • Title Insurance Companies
Notes:
  • Many business activities regulated by the state of Illinois, through the Illinois Department of Financial & Professional Regulation (IDFPR), are exempt from the requirement to obtain a Chicago Business License.
  • If additional business activities are offered in the establishment/facility, which are not covered by the State of Illinois license, then a Chicago Business License may be required. 

Initial Registration

Filing Method:

Online

Agency Fee:

Vary by business activity. See this page for detailed information.

Registration Renewal

Filing Method:

Online

Agency Fee:

Vary by business activity. See this page for detailed information.

Due:

Biennially

City of Elgin Business License

More Information:

City of Elgin

Agency:City of Elgin Community Development Department
Foreign Qualification is Prerequisite:No
Registered Agent (Special Agency) Required?No

Registration Renewal

Filing Method:

Online

Agency Fee:

$0

Due:

Annually by December 31st

The Village of Elmwood Park Business License

More Information:

The Village of Elmwood Park, IL

Agency:The Village of Elmwood Park Businesses (IL)
Foreign Qualification is Prerequisite:No
Registered Agent (Special Agency) Required?No

Village of Broadview Business License

More Information:

Village of Broadview, IL

Agency:Village of Broadview Building Department (IL)
Foreign Qualification is Prerequisite:No
Registered Agent (Special Agency) Required?No

Village of Elmwood Park Business License

More Information:

The Village of Elmwood Park, IL

Agency:Village of Elmwood Park Business Section (IL)
Foreign Qualification is Prerequisite:No
Registered Agent (Special Agency) Required?No

Learn about general business licensing requirements in other states:

Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho
Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri
Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania
Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming

Related Resources
White Paper
Managing Business Licensing to Maximize Returns
How three companies achieved ROIs of over 30x.

Revised August 17, 2021. Complete data last reviewed August 04, 2017.
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