Types of Business Licenses & Exemptions

To operate a business in the City of Chicago, you will generally need a City of Chicago Business License.

The Steps on the previous page outline the process to obtain a Business License.

Most businesses are only required to obtain a Limited Business License. The following list contains special licenses that the City of Chicago issues to regulate certain types of business. Most, but not all, are administered by the Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection.

Limited Business License Ambulance Animal Exhibition - Other Enterprises Animals - Human Society Animals - Kennels Animals - Pet Shop Animals - Veterinary Hospital Auctioneer Automatic Amusement Operator Bed & Breakfast Bicycle Messenger Board Up Company Body Piercing Charter Bus Day Care / Night Care Day Labor Agency Electronic Equipment Repair Shop Explosives Filling Station Food - Mobile Food - Retail Food - Special Event Food - Wholesale General Contractor Hazardous Materials Storage Heliport Home Based Business Home Repair Hospital Hotel Itinerant Merchant Junk Facility Junk Peddler Laboratory Laundry Services Liquor - Beer & Wine, Special Event Liquor - Caterer's Liquor - Consumption on Premises

Liquor - Late Hour Liquor - Navy Pier Mobile Liquor - Navy Pier Outside Liquor - Not-For-Profit Club Liquor - Outdoor Patio Liquor - Packaged Goods Liquor - Tavern Liquor - Wrigley Field Livery Long Term Care Facility Manufacturing Massage Motor Vehicle Repair PPA - Juice Bar PPA - Public Place of Amusement Parking Garage Pawnbroker Peddler Performing Arts Venue Private Booting Agency Public Chauffeur Raffle Recycler Residential Real Estate Developer Retail Computer Center Scavenger Second Hand Dealer Single Room Occupancy Street Performer Ticket Broker Tire Storage Tobacco - Retail Tobacoo - Sampler Tobacco - Vending Business Tobacco - Vending Machine Owner Tobacco - Wholesale Weapons Sales

Exemptions

Some Occupations are exempt from city licensing.

The following businesses/occupations may not be licensed by the City of Chicago, however they may still be liable to pay applicable City taxes.

Automatic Teller Operators Architects Athletic Trainers Boxing or Wrestling Match Promoters, Contestants, Referees, Judges, Managers, Trainers and Timekeepers Business and Vocational Schools Clinical Psychologists Clinical Social Workers and Social Workers Cosmetology Schools and Similar Establishments Deception Examiners Dentists, Dental Assistants, Dental Hygienists Dietitians and Nutrition Counselors Environmental Health Practitioners Hearing Aid Dispensers Insurance Companies and Insurance Agents Interior Designers Landscape Architects Land Surveyors Marriage and Family Therapists Massage Therapist Nurses Nursing Home Administrators

Occupational Therapists and Occupational Therapist Assistants Optometrists Pharmacists Physical Therapists and Physical Therapist Assistants Physicians and Physicians Assistants Podiatrists Private Detectives, Private Alarm Companies, Security Guards and Locksmiths Professional Counselors and Clinical Professional Counselors Professional Engineers Professional Geologists Public Accountants Real Estate Brokers Respiratory Care Practitioners Shorthand Reporters Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists Structural Engineers Veterinarians Water Well and Pump Installation Contractors Wholesale Drug Distributors

Potential Taxes

Employer's Expense Tax
Personal Property Lease Transaction Tax
Use Tax for Non-Titled Personal Property
Use Tax for Titled Personal Property

Disclaimer:The information on this page is intended to provide general licensing and tax information for City of Chicago business owners. The above listed taxes are those typically remitted by licensees engaging in this specific type of business. However, because every business is different, there may be additional taxes that you may be required to collect and/or remit. Please refer to the complete Tax List to determine which taxes apply to your business activity. Nothing contained within these pages shall to any extent substitute for the independent investigations and the sound technical and business judgment of the business owner.