Illinois Business Licenses
General Illinois Guides & Resources
These guides provide detailed, step-by-step instructions for starting a business or nonprofit, registering with state authorities, and establishing a compliant organization.
Business Resources:
Fast easy instructions and affordable support for filing your Illinois annual report.
Get your Illinois business license. Harbor Compliance assists with initial and renewal registrations in every state.
Get your Illinois construction licenses. Harbor Compliance assists with initial and renewal registrations in every state.
Licensing guide for energy industry registrations and licenses in Illinois. Find detailed application, renewal, and reporting requirements.
If you are looking to obtain a finance license in Illinois, Harbor Compliance can help.
Total cost, time, and step-by-step instructions to form a limited liability company in Illinois. Do it yourself or purchase our formation service.
Total cost, time, and step-by-step instructions on how to incorporate in Illinois. Do it yourself or purchase our incorporation service.
Illinois Business Licensing Guides and Information.
Total time, cost, and paperwork to start your business in Illinois today! Our affordable formation services are state-specific.
Nonprofit Resources:
How to Start a Nonprofit Organization
Total cost, time, and how to start a nonprofit in Illinois. Instruction and services to assist with your non-profit formation.
Comprehensive solutions (and free resources) to help manage your fundraising, tax exemption, license renewals, and other nonprofit compliance activities in Illinois, and across the US.
Illinois Business Licenses for Regulated Industries
Our licensing guides provide a wealth of information including requirements, filing instructions, fees, timelines to licensure, and more for a range of industries and activities.
Illinois Corporate Filings
These web pages provide detailed information on state filings required to form an entity, register a name, gain authority to operate, maintain good standing, and more.
- Illinois Entity Name Reservation
- Illinois Fictitious Name Registration & Renewal
- Illinois Nonprofit Articles of Incorporation
- Illinois Registered Agent Service
- Moving Your Company's Domicile to Illinois
- Obtain Illinois Certified Copies
- Reinstate Illinois Corporation LLC Nonprofit
- Start an Illinois 501(c)(3)
Illinois Tax Filings
Find the information you need to register for state taxes or seek tax exemptions.
- Illinois Employer (Payroll & Withholding Tax) Registration Service
- Illinois Sales & Use Tax Registration Service
- Illinois Sales Tax Exemption
- Illinois Tax Clearance Certificate
- Illinois Tax Exemption
Illinois State Licensing Agencies
Below is a listing of the state-level licensing agencies within Illinois that a business should check for business license requirements.
- Attorney General - Charitable Trust Bureau
- Board of Examiners
- Board of Licensing for Professional Geologists
- Commerce Commission
- Department of Agriculture - Bureau of Warehouses
- Department of Agriculture - Seed Program
- Department of Employment Security
- Department of Environmental Health Protection - Plumbing Program
- Department of Financial and Professional Regulation
- Department of Financial and Professional Regulation - Bureau of Residential Finance
- Department of Financial and Professional Regulation - Division of Banking
- Department of Financial and Professional Regulation - Division of Financial Institutions - Consumer Credit Section
- Department of Financial and Professional Regulation - Division of Financial Institutions - Currency Exchange Section
- Department of Financial and Professional Regulation - Division of Professional Regulation - Division of Real Estate
- Department of Financial and Professional Regulation - Division of Professional Regulation - Private Detective, Private Alarm, Private Security, and Fingerprint Vendor Board
- Department of Financial and Professional Regulation - Division of Professional Regulation - Public Accountant Registration Committee
- Department of Financial and Professional Regulation - Division of Professional Regulation - Roofing Contractor Program
- Department of Financial and Professional Regulation - Division of Professional Regulation - State Board of Pharmacy
- Department of Financial and Professional Regulation - Home Medical Equipment and Services Board
- Department of Human Rights - Public Contracts Unit
- Department of Insurance
- Department of Labor
- Department of Labor - Fair Labor Standards Division - Nurse Agency Licensing Unit
- Department of Revenue
- Division of Environmental Health Protection - Asbestos Abatement Program
- Division of Environmental Health Protection - Lead Program
- Landscape Architect Registration Board
- Liquor Control Commission
- Office of the State Fire Marshal - Division of Fire Prevention
- Office of the State Fire Marshal - Elevator Safety Division
- Office of the State Fire Marshal Division of Boiler & Pressure Vessel Safety
- Secretary of State - Business Services Department
Illinois Local Business Licences
Below is a listing of the local jurisdictions within Illinois that a business should check for local business license requirements.
County / Parish
- Adams County
- Alexander County
- Bond County
- Boone County
- Brown County
- Bureau County
- Calhoun County
- Carroll County
- Cass County
- Champaign County
- Christian County
- Clark County
- Clay County
- Clinton County
- Coles County
- Cook County
- Crawford County
- Cumberland County
- De Witt County
- DeKalb County
- Douglas County
- DuPage County
- Edgar County
- Edwards County
- Effingham County
- Fayette County
- Ford County
- Franklin County
- Fulton County
- Gallatin County
- Greene County
- Grundy County
- Hamilton County
- Hancock County
- Hardin County
- Henderson County
- Henry County
- Iroquois County
- Jackson County
- Jasper County
- Jefferson County
- Jersey County
- Jo Daviess County
- Johnson County
- Kane County
- Kankakee County
- Kendall County
- Knox County
- Lake County
- LaSalle County
- Lawrence County
- Lee County
- Livingston County
- Logan County
- Macon County
- Macoupin County
- Madison County
- Marion County
- Marshall County
- Mason County
- Massac County
- McDonough County
- McHenry County
- McLean County
- Menard County
- Mercer County
- Monroe County
- Montgomery County
- Morgan County
- Moultrie County
- Ogle County
- Peoria County
- Perry County
- Piatt County
- Pike County
- Pope County
- Pulaski County
- Putnam County
- Randolph County
- Richland County
- Rock Island County
- Saline County
- Sangamon County
- Schuyler County
- Scott County
- Shelby County
- St. Clair County
- Stark County
- Stephenson County
- Tazewell County
- Union County
- Vermilion County
- Wabash County
- Warren County
- Washington County
- Wayne County
- White County
- Whiteside County
- Will County
- Williamson County
- Winnebago County
- Woodford County
City / Borough / Municipality / Neighborhood
- Abingdon
- Addieville
- Addison
- Albion
- Aledo
- Alexander
- Alexis
- Algonquin
- Alhambra
- Alsip
- Altamont
- Alton
- Amboy
- Anna
- Annapolis
- Annawan
- Antioch
- Apple River
- Arcola
- Arenzville
- Arlington Heights
- Arthur
- Ashland
- Ashley
- Ashton
- Assumption
- Astoria
- Athens
- Atlanta
- Auburn
- Augusta
- Aurora
- Baileyville
- Bannockburn
- Barnhill
- Barrington
- Barry
- Bartelso
- Bartlett
- Bartonville
- Batavia
- Beardstown
- Bedford Park
- Beecher
- Belleville
- Bellevue
- Bellflower
- Bellwood
- Belvidere
- Bement
- Bensenville
- Benton
- Berkeley
- Berwyn
- Bethalto
- Bethany
- Big Rock
- Biggsville
- Bismarck
- Bloomingdale
- Bloomington
- Blue Island
- Blue Mound
- Bluffs
- Bolingbrook
- Bourbonnais
- Braceville
- Bradford
- Bradley
- Braidwood
- Breese
- Bridgeport
- Bridgeview
- Brighton
- Brimfield
- Broadlands
- Broadview
- Brookfield
- Brookport
- Brownstown
- Buda
- Buffalo
- Buffalo Grove
- Buncombe
- Bunker Hill
- Burbank
- Bureau
- Burlington
- Burnt Prairie
- Burr Ridge
- Bushnell
- Byron
- Cahokia
- Caledonia
- Calhoun
- Calumet City
- Cambridge
- Camden
- Camp Point
- Campton Hills
- Canton
- Capron
- Carbondale
- Carlinville
- Carlyle
- Carmi
- Carol Stream
- Carpentersville
- Carrier Mills
- Carrollton
- Carterville
- Carthage
- Cary
- Casey
- Catlin
- Centralia
- Cerro Gordo
- Champaign
- Channahon
- Charleston
- Chatham
- Chatsworth
- Chenoa
- Cherry Valley
- Chester
- Chicago
- Chicago Heights
- Chicago Ridge
- Chillicothe
- Chrisman
- Christopher
- Cicero
- Cissna Park
- Clarendon Hills
- Clay City
- Clifton
- Clinton
- Coal City
- Coal Valley
- Cobden
- Colchester
- Colfax
- Collinsville
- Columbia
- Cordova
- Cortland
- Coulterville
- Country Club Hills
- Countryside
- Cowden
- Creal Springs
- Crescent City
- Crest Hill
- Crestwood
- Crete
- Creve Coeur
- Crossville
- Crystal Lake
- Cuba
- Cullom
- Dahlgren
- Dakota
- Dallas City
- Danvers
- Danville
- Darien
- Davis
- Davis Junction
- Decatur
- Deer Creek
- Deer Park
- Deerfield
- DeKalb
- Delavan
- DePue
- Des Plaines
- Dieterich
- Dixon
- Dolton
- Dongola
- Donovan
- Downers Grove
- Downs
- Du Quoin
- Dundee
- Dunlap
- Dupo
- Durand
- Dwight
- Earlville
- East Alton
- East Dubuque
- East Hazel Crest
- East Moline
- East Peoria
- East Saint Louis
- Edelstein
- Edwards
- Edwardsville
- Effingham
- El Paso
- Elburn
- Eldorado
- Elgin
- Elizabeth
- Elk Grove Village
- Elkhart
- Ellis Grove
- Elmhurst
- Elmwood
- Elmwood Park
- Elsah
- Elwood
- Energy
- Equality
- Erie
- Eureka
- Evanston
- Evansville
- Evergreen Park
- Fairbury
- Fairfield
- Fairview Heights
- Farina
- Farmer City
- Farmington
- Fenton
- Fillmore
- Findlay
- Fisher
- Fithian
- Flanagan
- Flat Rock
- Flora
- Flossmoor
- Forest Park
- Forest View
- Forrest
- Forreston
- Forsyth
- Fort Sheridan
- Fox Lake
- Fox River Grove
- Frankfort
- Franklin
- Franklin Park
- Freeburg
- Freeport
- Fulton
- Galatia
- Galena
- Galesburg
- Garden Prairie
- Gardner
- Geneseo
- Geneva
- Genoa
- Georgetown
- Germantown
- Germantown Hills
- Gibson City
- Gilberts
- Gillespie
- Gilman
- Girard
- Glasford
- Glen Carbon
- Glen Ellyn
- Glencoe
- Glendale Heights
- Glenview
- Glenwood
- Godfrey
- Golconda
- Golden
- Golf
- Goodfield
- Goreville
- Grafton
- Grand Ridge
- Granite City
- Grant Park
- Granville
- Graymont
- Grayslake
- Great Lakes
- Green Oaks
- Green Valley
- Greenfield
- Greenup
- Greenview
- Greenville
- Gridley
- Griggsville
- Groveland
- Gurnee
- Hamel
- Hamilton
- Hammond
- Hampshire
- Hampton
- Hanna City
- Hanover Park
- Hardin
- Harmon
- Harrisburg
- Harvard
- Harvey
- Harwood Heights
- Havana
- Hawthorn Woods
- Hazel Crest
- Hebron
- Henderson
- Henry
- Herrick
- Herrin
- Herscher
- Heyworth
- Hickory Hills
- Highland
- Highland Park
- Highwood
- Hillsboro
- Hillside
- Hinckley
- Hines
- Hinsdale
- Hoffman
- Hoffman Estates
- Homer Glen
- Hometown
- Homewood
- Hoopeston
- Hopedale
- Hopkins Park
- Hoyleton
- Hudson
- Hume
- Huntley
- Hurst
- Hutsonville
- Illiopolis
- Ina
- Industry
- Ingleside
- Iroquois
- Irving
- Irvington
- Island Lake
- Itasca
- Iuka
- Jacksonville
- Jerseyville
- Johnsburg
- Johnston City
- Joliet
- Joppa
- Joy
- Junction
- Justice
- Kane
- Kaneville
- Kankakee
- Kansas
- Kenilworth
- Kewanee
- Kildeer
- Kinderhook
- Kingston
- Kingston Mines
- Kirkland
- La Fox
- La Grange
- La Grange Park
- La Harpe
- Lacon
- Lake Bluff
- Lake Forest
- Lake in the Hills
- Lake Villa
- Lake Zurich
- Lakemoor
- Lansing
- LaSalle
- Lawrenceville
- Le Roy
- Leaf River
- Lebanon
- Lee
- Leland
- Lemont
- Lena
- Lewistown
- Lexington
- Liberty
- Libertyville
- Lincoln
- Lincolnshire
- Lincolnwood
- Lindenhurst
- Lisle
- Litchfield
- Livingston
- Lockport
- Logan
- Lombard
- London Mills
- Long Grove
- Louisville
- Loves Park
- Lovington
- Lyndon
- Lyons
- Machesney Park
- Mackinaw
- Macomb
- Macon
- Madison
- Magnolia
- Mahomet
- Malta
- Manhattan
- Manito
- Manteno
- Maple Park
- Mapleton
- Marengo
- Marine
- Marion
- Markham
- Maroa
- Marseilles
- Marshall
- Martinsville
- Maryville
- Mascoutah
- Mason
- Mason City
- Matteson
- Mattoon
- Maywood
- McCook
- McHenry
- McLean
- McLeansboro
- McNabb
- Medinah
- Melrose Park
- Menard
- Mendon
- Mendota
- Meredosia
- Metamora
- Metropolis
- Mettawa
- Midlothian
- Milan
- Milford
- Milledgeville
- Millstadt
- Mineral
- Minonk
- Minooka
- Mokena
- Moline
- Momence
- Monee
- Monmouth
- Montgomery
- Monticello
- Mooseheart
- Morris
- Morrison
- Morton
- Morton Grove
- Mossville
- Mounds
- Mount Carmel
- Mount Carroll
- Mount Morris
- Mount Prospect
- Mount Pulaski
- Mount Sterling
- Mount Vernon
- Mount Zion
- Moweaqua
- Mundelein
- Murphysboro
- Naperville
- Nashville
- Nauvoo
- Neponset
- New Baden
- New Berlin
- New Haven
- New Lenox
- New Salem
- Newark
- Newman
- Newton
- Niantic
- Niles
- Nokomis
- Normal
- Norridge
- Norris City
- North Aurora
- North Chicago
- Northbrook
- Northfield
- Northlake
- O'Fallon
- Oak Brook
- Oak Forest
- Oak Lawn
- Oak Park
- Oakbrook Terrace
- Oakwood
- Oblong
- Oconee
- Odell
- Odin
- Oglesby
- Okawville
- Olney
- Olympia Fields
- Oneida
- Oquawka
- Orangeville
- Oregon
- Orland Park
- Oswego
- Ottawa
- Palatine
- Palmyra
- Palos Heights
- Palos Hills
- Palos Park
- Pana
- Paris
- Park Forest
- Park Ridge
- Patoka
- Paw Paw
- Pawnee
- Paxton
- Pearl City
- Pecatonica
- Pekin
- Peoria
- Peotone
- Perry
- Peru
- Petersburg
- Pinckneyville
- Piper City
- Pittsfield
- Plainfield
- Plano
- Plato Center
- Pleasant Plains
- Plymouth
- Pocahontas
- Pontiac
- Poplar Grove
- Port Byron
- Posen
- Potomac
- Prairie du Rocher
- Princeton
- Princeville
- Prophetstown
- Prospect Heights
- Pulaski
- Putnam
- Quincy
- Raleigh
- Ransom
- Rantoul
- Raymond
- Red Bud
- Richmond
- Richton Park
- Ridge Farm
- Ridgway
- Ringwood
- River Forest
- River Grove
- Riverdale
- Riverside
- Riverton
- Riverwoods
- Roanoke
- Robinson
- Rochelle
- Rock Falls
- Rock Island
- Rockford
- Rockton
- Rockwood
- Rolling Meadows
- Rome
- Romeoville
- Roodhouse
- Rosamond
- Roscoe
- Roselle
- Rosemont
- Roseville
- Rosiclare
- Rossville
- Round Lake
- Round Lake Beach
- Rushville
- Saint Anne
- Saint Jacob
- Saint Joseph
- Saint Libory
- Salem
- Sandoval
- Sandwich
- Savanna
- Savoy
- Scales Mound
- Schaumburg
- Schiller Park
- Sciota
- Scott Air Force Base
- Seneca
- Sesser
- Shabbona
- Shawneetown
- Sheffield
- Shelbyville
- Sheldon
- Sheridan
- Sherman
- Sherrard
- Shiloh
- Shipman
- Shorewood
- Sidell
- Sidney
- Simpson
- Skokie
- Sleepy Hollow
- Smithfield
- Smithton
- Somonauk
- South Barrington
- South Beloit
- South Elgin
- South Holland
- South Pekin
- South Wilmington
- Sparland
- Sparta
- Spring Grove
- Spring Valley
- Springfield
- St. Charles
- Stanford
- Staunton
- Steeleville
- Steger
- Sterling
- Steward
- Stickney
- Stillman Valley
- Stockton
- Stone Park
- Stonefort
- Strasburg
- Streamwood
- Streator
- Stronghurst
- Sublette
- Sugar Grove
- Sullivan
- Summit
- Sumner
- Swansea
- Sycamore
- Table Grove
- Tamaroa
- Tamms
- Taylorville
- Techny
- Teutopolis
- Thayer
- Thomasboro
- Thomson
- Thornton
- Tilden
- Tinley Park
- Toledo
- Tolono
- Toluca
- Tonica
- Toulon
- Towanda
- Tremont
- Trenton
- Trivoli
- Troy
- Tuscola
- Ullin
- Union
- University Park
- Urbana
- Utica
- Valmeyer
- Vandalia
- Venice
- Vermilion
- Vermont
- Vernon Hills
- Versailles
- Victoria
- Vienna
- Villa Grove
- Villa Park
- Virden
- Virgil
- Virginia
- Warren
- Warrensburg
- Warrenville
- Warsaw
- Washburn
- Washington
- Waterloo
- Waterman
- Watseka
- Wauconda
- Waukegan
- Waverly
- Wayne
- Wayne City
- Waynesville
- Wedron
- Wenona
- West Chicago
- West Dundee
- West Frankfort
- West Salem
- Westchester
- Western Springs
- Westmont
- Westville
- Wheaton
- Wheeling
- Williamsfield
- Williamsville
- Willow Springs
- Willowbrook
- Wilmette
- Wilmington
- Winchester
- Windsor
- Winfield
- Winnebago
- Winnetka
- Winthrop Harbor
- Wonder Lake
- Wood Dale
- Wood River
- Woodhull
- Woodlawn
- Woodridge
- Woodstock
- Worth
- Yates City
- Yorkville
- Zion