City of Chicago

Chicago Business Licenses

Business licenses issued by the City of Chicago's Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection are available, covering data from 2002 to the present. Each record includes the license ID, business name, address, license type, application and issue dates, expiration date, and current license status.

Example records
Legal Namelegal entityDoing Business As NamebrandAddressaddressZIP CodeaddressLicense DescriptionindustryApplication TypeclassificationLicense StatusstatusLicense Term Start DatetemporalLicense Term Expiration DatetemporalWardgeographic
POTBELLY SANDWICH WORKS LLCPOTBELLY SANDWICH SHOP190 N STATE ST60601Retail Food EstablishmentRENEWAAI2023-07-012025-06-3042
CHICAGO BREW WERKS INCCHICAGO BREW WERKS2101 S MICHIGAN AVE60616TavernISSUEAAI2022-03-152024-03-143
NORTHWEST SIDE CURRENCY EXCHANGE INCNORTHWEST CURRENCY EXCHANGE4343 W IRVING PARK RD60641Currency ExchangeRENEWAAC2021-01-012022-12-3138
Use cases

Vendor Legitimacy Check During Onboarding

A procurement team onboarding a Chicago-based food service supplier verifies that the vendor holds a current, non-expired city license matching the business activity they claim, and that the legal entity name on the license aligns with the contracting entity.

Legal NameDoing Business As NameLicense DescriptionLicense StatusLicense Term Expiration Date

Detecting Businesses Operating After License Expiration

A fraud analyst at a small business lender cross-references active loan accounts against city license records to flag borrowers whose licenses have lapsed, which may indicate misrepresentation of operational status on loan applications.

Legal NameLicense StatusLicense Term Expiration DateLicense DescriptionAddress

Commercial Insurance Underwriting for Hospitality Accounts

An underwriter assessing a general liability policy for a bar or restaurant confirms the license type, how long the business has held continuous authorization, and whether the most recent application was a renewal or a new issue to gauge operational maturity and stability.

License DescriptionApplication TypeLicense Term Start DateLicense Term Expiration DateLicense Status
Related datasets
Registered Business OwnersCity of ChicagoLicense ApplicationsCity of New YorkIssued LicensesCity of New YorkChicago City ContractsCity of ChicagoLobbyist Data - EmployersCity of ChicagoSeattle Business LicensesCity of SeattleDC Basic Business LicensesChicago Building PermitsCity of ChicagoContractor Business Diversity Program ReportsCity of ChicagoDebarred Firms and IndividualsCity of ChicagoBasic Business Licenses (Recent)Lobbyist ClientsCity of ChicagoActive Business Licenses in ProvidenceCity of ProvidenceEnvironmental Code ViolationsCity of ChicagoRetail Sales Tax RegistrantsOrdinance ViolationsCity of ChicagoActive Business License Tax CertificatesCity of SeattlePublic Health Clinic LocationsCity of ChicagoLobbyist Data - LobbyistsCity of ChicagoBuilding Code ScofflawsCity of Chicago